Starting the Southern Tier in June

[HorseMcStirrup]

Easy enough- did you (or anyone out there) get a look at Blythe ogilby road or any others that run adjacent to 78? Could be nice to get off the black asphalt on those hot mornings and nights.

[geegee]

A lot of places close for the summer in the desert in CA and AZ, so be prepared for the already limited services to have erratic hours of operation. Definitely do not leave Brawley without stocking up on water and food, you may not find anything until Palo Verde. I rode through this area in early May and most of the snowbirds had already packed up and left places like Quartzsite, which seemed like virtual ghost towns.

[HorseMcStirrup]

Thanks for sharing

That's odd- the ACA says palo verde has a population of 236 and quartzite 3400. Guess that shows the unpredictability of the desert. Brawley to Blythe is ~140 miles- only town between them is palo verde. Did you stay at camp sites?

[bobbys beard]

Thanks bobby! Or your beard. I'm just looking at the ACA map now and am comforted. There seems to be indoor options everywhere... except that stretch you just mentioned. 3 gallons sounds great to me- however what did you do for food? Between palo verde and Blythe there are 3 camp sites and one outpost sort of town in Glamis that I've been to and would hardly rely on to be open. If it isn't open, ACA indicates no supplies for those 100 or so miles

there are often gas stations. normally at least one a day (per 100 miles or less) even in remote places. i normally stock up on muffins, bread and tinned fish so i always have reserve food and they don't take up too much space. there's not too much to worry about in that respect, but just remember that an extra 30 miles feels like a looooong way in 110 heat!!   the owner of the glamis outpost told me it is always open, despite what the locals say. it was in august. but you'll pay a fortune for anything, so just use it for a rest and push on before the sun gets you. the sand dunes are just after here and they were a bit of a climb.  there is zero shade on that route though, so don't rely on the campsites there. they're literally just open desert with a toilet. i urge you to get up very early and do that section in one go.   also, it's a good idea to visit the sherriff and let him know what you're doing. they'll drive by a couple of times. there were a lot of trucks on that road, so you'll never be completely alone.

[yumadons]

Summertime in AZ, I start riding at 5 am to be done by noon or so. You'll do fine as long as you plan on moteling it cuz you're not gonna want to be in a tent in the heat of the day. Call ahead to make sure places are open - as someone else said, tourist businesses in AZ are seasonal (our population doubles when the snowbirds are here in the winter) and many close from ~ April to November.

We ride Ogilby road a lot (it's white, not asphalt) - it's quiet once the snowbirds are gone, way better than 78 with its truck traffic and no shoulder. No services / water anywhere on Ogilby. There's so little shade in the area that it's worth telling you that at the junction of 78 and Ogilby, if you go down Ogilby ~ 1/4 mile, on the right there's a park sign atop a sittable brick mini-wall that throws some shade and makes a good "picnic area."

[HorseMcStirrup]

Thank you very much for the local insight. I think i will take ogilby along that stretch as im sure truck drivers are exhausted too and I'll have one less thing to worry about.  As far as I can tell, there is nowhere to stay/sleep inside between Brawley and palo verde, and the only outpost is glamis. Is that correct to the best of your knowledge? Is there lodging in glamis? It seems unlikely that I'd be able to cover those ~100 miles in one morning- temperatures will still be high, just not infernal. Perhaps it would be possible to cover half from 5-10 and the other half from 7-12. Thanks again

[geegee]

That's odd- the ACA says palo verde has a population of 236 and quartzite 3400. Guess that shows the unpredictability of the desert. Brawley to Blythe is ~140 miles- only town between them is palo verde. Did you stay at camp sites?

The only thing between Brawley and Palo Verde is Glamis which isn't much except for a store which was closed when I went through and the campsites there are all dry. I ended up sleeping in the wild 25 miles short of Palo Verde because the sn was  I started the day in Ocotillo and kept going past Brawley. I stopped at the campground at Palo Verde the next morning for some water but it tasted truly disgusting and I spat it out despite being super thirsty. Luckily the store is just a few miles down the road.