Day 4 of this adventure was 85 miles of uphill and then a 20 mile glide to the finish line. But before I digress, let me tell you about Joel Wormer. Yesterday during our ride a tandem pulled into our rest stop piloted by a Dad and his 8 year old son, Joel. We talked a little and found out that Joel and his Dad were pedaling their tandem from St. Augustine, FL to San Diego, CA over about 55 days. And after talking for about 5 minutes, Joel's Mom and 14 year old sister rode up on another tandem. They were packing all of their own gear even though they too were staying mostly in hotels. And after 50 days, they looked surprising fresh. I asked Joel for his name because I told him I wanted to make sure I remembered the name of someone who will undoubtedly do some great things in this world after riding across the US the long, hard way at 8 years old! Now back to today's ride. I rode with my some three buddies today from Wickenberg to Cottonwood, AZ. Our start was delayed (group left at 6:45) because Bruce had a "hotel flat" that occurred while he was sleeping. If you don't check your tires as soon as you awake, you may be surprised and rushed by the unexpected need to change a tire right after you get your bags loaded. We all took a deep breath and still got rolling down the quiet roads just a little behind our buddies. There were three major climbs today that took us from 2000 feet above sea level to 5000, 6000 and 7000 feet respectively. We had an overcast sky most of the way and the Saguaro cactus were beautiful in many places. As we climbed up into Prescott, we enjoyed a tailwind and a smooth rode, nirvana for a cyclist. The rest stop was pretty far down the road today, at 42.7 miles in the small town of Wilhoit. After pedaling up hill for most of the morning, a good turkey sandwich, pickles, raisins, and a Fanta Orange recharged me for the remaining uphill ride to mile 85. No really scary events with cars today, and I hope to keep that string running. Our progress along the route was steady with all of us pulling (riding in front to provide a draft for the riders following us) for part of the ride. The last 10 mile stretch was really a challenge as we were already tired from the earlier climbs and this remaining portion was the steepest--the climb up Mingus Mountain from 5000 to 7000. I have 21 speeds on my Trek 5200 and I used all but 3 gears to get to the top. As we crested the hill our speeds increased up to 42 mph as we enjoyed the spectacular views and winding roads into Jerome, AZ. I felt like Annikan Skywalker driving my pod racer as I zigged and zagged at 35-40 mph for about 8 miles. And just like the Geico pig, I was hollering, "Weeeeee, Weeee, Weeee!" When we got to Jerome, we had a widely renowned Haunted House Hamburger that was to die for. This old mining town is literally on the side of a mountain and has a feel of an Italian city as it winds along switchbacks that are almost 180 degree turns. I'd love to come back here and explore this great piece of America. When the burger binge ended, we glided more than 90 percent of the way to our hotel in Cottonwood. After we helped offload all the bags, I hit the laundry about 10 minutes away to get my gear ready for the next 4 days. Our rap session laid out the plan for tomorrow's ride to Winslow, AZ (yes you Eagles fans, the "standin on the corner in Winslow, AZ, such a fine sight to see . . . "). Could be some thunderstorms and rain for a large portion of the route. We will be prepared! Our ride leader noted that our group just set a record for the most stuff left at the last hotel: 4 cell phones, 2 chargers, a wallet and only God knows what else. I'm fading away so I'm calling it a night. Thanks for following along on the road to Savannah. Steve