Day 5 First Day of Camping

Just pulled into the Dateland RV park....

home for the night.  55 people with 3 showers.  One of last year's riders said the showers were really updated from last year.... all the shower curtains match!  Had to wear my flip flops into the shower and to jump over the shower mat in front of the shower.!

We had a 70 mile ride on really bumping roads.  The beginning of the ride was through the rest of the Imperial Valley and the farm crews were out picking cabbage, lettuce and kale. 

The process is pretty automated.  Once the lettuce is picks and trim by the worker it is put on a conveyor  belt.  It is then washed and then put into the box that is shipped to your store.  So the lesson that should be learned is "Always wash you vegetables" before you eat them!

After passing out of the valley we hit the desert again....

Bubba told is that this is all we are going to see until Texas.  It was hot with a strong cross wind and I think there are going to be a lot of struggling riders today. 

As I said we ended the ride in Dateland - home of dates and date milk shakes.... 
the two special shakes favors are the date and the cactus.    I went with banana.

A couple of updates.... 

We lost a rider yesterday.  Rick was riding along on the road and was not watching were he was going and crashed into another rider.   Broke his wrist and had to have surgery in Yuma.  Personally I would have asked them to put a cast on and gone home for the surgery - but to each his own.  Rick is out for the rest of the ride.

As for the "extreme snorers".  They put the snorers into a separate room and life was beautiful.  I did struggle last night with my back and did not think I was going to ride today - but somehow woke up and was ready to ride!

Tomorrow is 54 miles and I have no idea where we are going.  But what the hell...