Day 194: When bridges are Outlawed, only Outlaws will cross Bridges

Scoflaws that we are, we went right on

Well, live and learn. We thought it would be more comfortable camping at Fenner than Amboy, and maybe it was. We can't know, since we didn't stay both places. But what we do know is that the Fenner Oasis is right by the BNSF rail line, and those trains are going through just about every 5 or 10 minutes. The government may be shut down, but by golly -- the trains are running! Plus, the trucks come and go all night.  And the gas pavilion is lit up like day. Thank goodness I had a knit cap to pull down over my eyes. And as it turned out, I was cold enough that I never got up to use the bathroom, so that advantage evaporated also. I DID really enjoy my burger last night though, and the breakfast sandwich this morning was great. So who knows? If we come again, we'll try Roy's in Amboy next time.

Speaking of which, they were great. Manny, the manager, was headed off site but saw us ride in and turned around to say hi and welcome us. Farrell, who runs the register, was just as nice as he could be. We had a bag of chips and a soda, filled our bottles, and enjoyed a chance to chill out for a few minutes at this iconic stop. Sure would love to see them bring it back. 

Farrell has 40 acres in the desert he'll sell you

We had no trouble riding through the closed section of the road. I counted 37 bridges in the dead zone.  About 7 of them are outright done. But there are gravel passages to walk around, and we got through with no problem. They're not kidding about the bridges, though. These guys are in serious trouble. Best we could tell, two have been redone. No sign that anyone is working on the others. (Maybe the shutdown?) Locals say that no one will bother the cyclists, but if you drive in and get caught, you'll be ticketed. I guess that's the advantage of bike transit.

This one's toast

Speaking of the shutdown, we met Paul at the Oasis. He is a government employee, and had planned a vacation prior to the shutdown. He's now just furloughed until it ends, so trying to decide how close to home he should be - just in case he gets an order to return to work immediately. It was interesting to hear some of his thoughts on how this mess might get concluded.

The desert was beautiful today. We had our first full-on sunny day, and by mid-afternoon we had to stop to remove our final inner layers of clothing. More than once, we commented on how we would not want to be doing this ride in 100 degree heat. (Or 106, as was forecast for the week we initially planned to come.) I don't think I could have done it.  I would have had to stop every ten minutes. Even today, when my Garmin said it was 79, I felt a little wonky a couple times. So here's a big Thank You! to our friend Vicky, who said that I should not expose myself to that heat, particularly in such a remote location. 

So quiet and beautiful

We're headed to Barstow tomorrow, then Victorville and then home. Today, peeking over the closer range, we could just see snow-capped mountains. Probably the San Bernardinos, or maybe Baldy. But here's the thing: We are going to be riding toward that range for three days! That's what sets bike touring apart. You have a chance to truly appreciate a destination - since you can see it on the horizon for days!

There's not a lot in Ludlow, but the cafe is excellent 

68 miles yoday. Fenner to Ludlow.