It’s homecoming day.

I’m so excited to be coming home that I wake up at 3:30 this morning in my Wickenburg hotel room. No alarm clock. It just happens.

I remember that it’s no fun riding on a hot day. Today’s forecast is for temperatures in the low 100s in La Quinta and other desert locales along the way.

So, without hesitation — even at 3:30 a.m. — I jump out of bed, shower, load the bike, and am out of Wickenburg at 4:15. This is great for two reasons. First, I’ll avoid the worst of the heat. And second, by leaving early, I may beat Ray home. He has more than 535 miles to go, and I have “only” 275. Edge in the “who’s-gonna-make-it home-first” contest goes to me.

I’m on US-60, riding west for 50 miles or so, mostly in the dark. It’s a very boring road; not a turn to be had. But I can see forever, thanks in part to a new LED headlight I had installed before I left on this trip. George at Valley V-Twin promised the light would be blinding. He was right.

As I approach I-10, I get to watch the sun rise in my rear-view mirror. About 10 miles after getting on the interstate, I roll by Quartzsite, Arizona.

Quartzsite calls itself the Rock Capital of the World. Cleveland, Ohio, calls itself the Rock and Roll Capital of the World. Where would you rather be?

Sometimes referred to as America’s largest parking lot, Quartzsite is at the junction of I-10 and US-95. It’s a popular recreational vehicle camping area for winter visitors. It has 9 major gem and mineral swap meets during the year, as well as 15 general swap meets.

Swapping is quite popular in Quartzsite. The swap meets are said to attract about 1.5 million people each year, primarily in January and February.

In March 2014, with the swap season on hiatus, Quartzsite made big news when it was recognized with a new Guinness World Record. On March 9, 631 people got together and formed the letter “Q” … successfully setting a record for Largest Human Letter.  Why Q?  It’s the first letter in Quartzsite. You can’t make this stuff up.

At 880 feet elevation, Quartzsite is 18 miles east of the Colorado River.

***

With nothing to swap today, I continue west toward the Arizona-California border, which is formed by the Colorado River.

Blythe is the California town in the Sonoran Desert that sits on the western bank of the Colorado. Blythe, elevation 272 feet, was named after Thomas Blythe, a San Francisco financier who established primary water rights to the Colorado River in 1877.

Blythe is a stopover city for travelers – particularly between Los Angeles and Phoenix. It’s about midway between those two cities.

Its population is nearly 21,000. Not much to do here, other than the Blythe Bluegrass Festival in January, and an opportunity to stop for a cold drink on the way from somewhere to somewhere else.

Also popular in Blythe: dove hunting. The season begins September 1.

***

From Blythe, I head south on CA-78. The road takes me through Ripley, past the Cibola National Wildlife Refuge, Picacho Peak Wilderness Area, and the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area.

The sand dunes are a haven for off-road vehicles. The dunes were used to film parts of many Hollywood films, including Road to Morocco, Flight of the Phoenix, and Return of the Jedi. The area is part of the Algodones Dunes.

The only significant man-made structure in the area is the All-American Canal. It cuts across the southern portion of the Dunes. The All-American Canal is an 80-mile long aqueduct that brings water from the Colorado River into the Imperial Valley and to nine cities. The canal is the Imperial Valley’s only water source for residents and area farmlands.

The canal, which runs parallel to the Mexico-California border for several miles, has been called “The Most Dangerous Body of Water in the U.S.” It has deep, cold water, steep sides that make escape difficult, and swift currents that can reach 5.45 miles an hour. More than 500 people have drowned in the canal since 1997, mostly migrants attempting to cross the US-Mexico border.

The All-American Canal is owned by Bureau of Reclamation, but operated by the Imperial Irrigation District, which supplies power to our home and others in La Quinta and the East Coachella Valley. The All-American Canal feeds water into the Coachella Canal, primarily for agricultural use in the Coachella Valley, which includes La Quinta.

The Coachella Canal is managed by the Coachella Valley Water District, which supplies water to our home, and sends Sarah and me a $10 water bill every month. This canal runs along holes fourteen through seventeen on the Arnold Palmer Course at PGA West, and is full of both fish and golf balls.

The Coachella Canal’s cut through PGA West is featured in Soarin’ Over California, a flight simulator attraction at the Disney’s California Adventure, adjacent to Disneyland. Click here to watch the video, whose PGA West scene is at the 2:30 mark.

All that canal talk reminds me – hope someone’s been paying our Imperial Irrigation District ($300/month) and Coachella Valley Water ($10/month) bills while I’ve been on the road.  If not, I’d better get home soon.

***

The Imperial Sand Dunes are not far from the city of Brawley, elevation 112 feet below sea level. Agriculture is Brawley’s primary industry. The city was named after J.H. Braly, who originally owned the land. After Braly refused to permit the use of his name, the name of the city was changed to Brawley.

Notable people from Brawley include:

• Helen Fabela Chavez, former labor activist for the United Farm Workers of America, and widow of Cesar Chavez. In the 2014 bio-pic about Cesar Chavez, One Step at a Time, Helen is played by America Ferrera. Click here to watch the trailer.
• The Bella Twins, Brie and Nikki, are models and professional wrestlers who work for WWE. They do tag team wrestling, and starred in the 2013 TV reality show, Total Divas. Being pinned by them might not be such a bad thing. Click here to see why.
• Sid Monge, a retired Major League baseball relief pitcher, who played professionally from 1975 to 1984 for the California Angels, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres. Monge, born in Mexico, is in the Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame.

***

Brawley is just 70 miles from home in La Quinta.

I follow the western shore of the Salton Sea on CA-86, riding northwest through Salton City.  I pass the Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge, named after the former entertainer, one-time Palm Springs Mayor, and U.S. Congressman from California.

The refuge was established in 1930 as a sanctuary and breeding ground for birds and wild animals, then renamed after Bono, who played an active role in trying to save the Salton Sea.  I got you, Babe.

Speaking of which, click here to reacquaint yourself with the almost-50-year-old song.

The Salton Sea, 225 feet below sea level, is the largest lake in California – estimated at 362 square miles, and shrinking every day. It was the result of an accident, created by a flood in 1905, when water from the Colorado River flowed into the area.

At one time, in the 1950s, the Salton Sea had resorts on its western and eastern shores. But today, these areas are mostly abandoned and are little more than a tourist’s curiosity and beaches full of dead tilapia.

***

The northwest corner of the Salton Sea is only about 10 miles from home.

In no time at all, I’m in the driveway at 81640 Tiburon Drive, unpacking.

After 17 days and 4,255 miles, I’m home.

Sarah documents my arrival at 10:45

I managed to beat the heat.

More importantly, I beat Ray home. He arrives at his Farragut, Tennessee, home at 3:45 pm (12:45 Pacific Time).

If I hadn’t snapped up out of a cold sleep this morning at 3:30, Ray would have made it home first and I’d be eating crow until next year.

For those of you betting on me to get home first, nice going. Do you have any money on California Chrome?

***

Hope you enjoyed being a part of the journey on my Ride Through the Rockies. It was nice having you along for the ride.

In the somewhat unlikely event that you learned anything these past few weeks, you’re welcome.

See you on next year’s ride. You in?

***

Day Seventeen Summary:  Dove hunting in Blythe, wrestling with the Bella Twins, soarin’ over California, coming home!

Click here to view today’s route from Wickenburg to La Quinta.

What will next year bring?