"Rest until you feel like playing, then play until you feel like resting."
          -  Martha Beck  -  

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I slept on and off until 9:30, then dragged myself out of bed and pulled out the phone book where  I counted sixty bike shops. We selected some with the same area code and started calling. 

Klaus has a method of finding the biggest shops. He just picks one and says, "My friend was telling me about a huge bike shop in town. Is that you?" It worked well.

We stopped at three bike shops. In order to be more approachable when I stop during a tour, I’ve always just worn T-shirts. Today, however, I bought my first ever cycling jersey to see if it might help with the heat. I also bought some new toeclips (the cages over the pedals) since my right one broke yesterday, and a new cyclometer. I'd really like to keep accurate records of my mileage, and my wireless one seems to be getting worse.

Klaus needed some things, too. When he was asking the bike shop employees questions it was interesting to see the change in attitude when I mentioned that he's traveling around the world on his bike and has already done 8,000 miles. He went from being a guy with a foreign accent taking up their time by asking questions to someone with instant credibility. (It was easier if I dropped the information. Otherwise, it sounded like he was bragging)

We had lunch at Oregano's then drove to the internet café so I could upload some pictures and post some blogs. It's been difficult keeping up with the postings for a couple of reasons. The first is that at the end of my riding day I generally feel like curling up into the fetal position and staring at a wall for an hour or two. The second is that internet access has been terribly spotty. I hope you don't mind that I'm so far behind. Blogging in real time is really difficult.

After two hours at the internet cafe it was time to get going. We stopped briefly at the grocery store, then drove to the airport to drop off the car. We had planned to meet Dave near the airport where I could gas up the car but Sky Harbor Airport sucked me in to it again, and by the time it regurgitated me fifteen minutes later I was lost. Dave waited about an hour for me to drop off the car.

We ate at the Olive Garden and didn't get back to Dave's until 9:00. I washed clothes and put the new cyclometer and toe clips onto my bike. I also made a few minor positioning adjustments and did some packing. By the time I went to bed it was 12:30. I set the alarm for 4:30.

My rest day today was productive, but not restful. Reading back over it, it was also a pretty boring day to read about. After Day Three (the store in Glamis), the occasional boring day is okay with me if it's okay with you. 

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distance:            0 miles