Sweep hot sweep hotter

Sorry for missing a day , well actually your going to get two days today, 2&3. Yesterday (2) we left from Redlands university this morning and my riding partner Stan was on sweep. What that means is the group of riders help out with supper clean up, and the next morning you  help with breakfast . That's the easy stuff. Sweep is also a group of riders that load the tents and bags into the tractor trailer, still an easy job. So you ask me what's the hard part then. Well I'm glad you asked. After loading the the truck your job is to leave last and sweep the riders in. Still doesn't sound like a big deal except for the fact you have to stick with all the slow riders, help fix flats and sweep them in. Now that the logistics are taken care of on to the day. It started out with a climb witch was like nothing I had done before. Long and winding road ,(why do I feel like singing)? Now that still wasn't the toughest part. Stopping to help fix flats, stopping to encourage people, stopping to wait while people get reenergized. What it does is makes a 5 hr trip into a 8 hr trip. Through the whole group there was over 20 flats. The day before 3.  Tough day, I came to camp wiped out. Oh ya the terrain changed to dessert over 100 dgrs f for all you metric people just google it. The pic at the top is some people trying to cool down to beat the heat. The train we followed down the valley.  Day (3) this morning was hot,hot,hot , hot hot, was that enough hots? We had breakfast at 5 am and people went on the road to try and beat the heat. A lot of people made it in to the next camp between 10- 12am . We started  out going through some farm country. Grapes , oranges , grapefruit, some kind of nuts on palm trees. After that we went through a canyon . Really awesome scenery .as you can see by the top pic I was really suffering today. Oh ya I forgot to tell you I was on the sweep team again today. I know I'm an idiot.the heat in the valley was so bad that I suffered and almost didn't make the climb through the valley. At the 40km mark I was at the sag stop in the valley and we had to wait for people to get going so I got real hot . A 20 km up hill hike to that point was tough but after sitting around waiting for people to leave I got even hotter. By the time I did another 20km climb out of the valley I just made it to the next sag stop.just so happened Carrie was there. They saw me and knew I needed help. Terry got a cooler with ice water and I put my feet in and took off my shirt and dunked it in. During the tour they tell you to look for God. Well let me tell you after the treatment I received I was total revived and ready to go. Without that I would have been done. Puttering away we chased the rest of the people in and arrived at 2 pm.  I'm glad this day is over , 50 degress today , that's hot.  Just finished supper , I think I'm going to crash for a bit. Early start tommorow , thanks for all your prayers . Don't  stop! It really is felt. Thanks Len