Day 173
I awoke along Highway 72 in western Arizona beneath railroad tracks. I was in my hammock. I broke camped and repacked the buggy.

I watched the sunrise. 

And hit the road.

I put in the miles:

I reached Bouse, AZ, a little town on the road to Parker. I didn’t see it on my map so it was a surprise when I saw a sign.

There was a Family Dollar. I headed inside to use the bathroom. The AC felt so good! I would have hung around and let my body temperature drop a little bit, but I wasn’t making a purchase, so I kept moving.

I found a little Veteran’s Memorial park and set up for a siesta. It was almost noon.

Adrian came by! He was catering an event further up the road. He saw me walking earlier, and then decided to stop and help me! He gave me a burger and an ice cold can of sprite. A meal, it was so good! I couldnt thank him enough. We parted ways.

Time passed. I slept off and on in my hammock. I kept waking up drenched in sweat. I was in the shade, but I think UV rays were reflecting off the concrete floor I hovered above. It was so hot! I just kept sweating. My skin was cool, homeostasis.

At 4 p.m., I headed over to a convenience store and asked if I could fill up a gallon of water. They let me! I also went to a laundry mat and used a hose to wash up and cool off. It made such a difference, so refreshing! I hit the road.
Into the desert:

It was hot! My water supply almost felt like it was boiling. I had to force myself to drink. A trucker stopped and gave me an ice cold water! I thanked him so much, what a great guy! I cooled my scalp and drank it cold, fast.

The sun set.

The moon rose.

I kept moving.

I made Parker city limits! It was still another 14 miles or so to town. I kept moving.

Highway 72 ended and I joined Highway 95 north. 

I took a little break there at the intersection. I mixed a gatorade and ate a can of chef boyardee. It was a hot meal, the sun had cooked the can all day!

I gained and lost shoulder off and on. I used my system to avoid oncoming traffic. It worked, but it was tiring. I took water breaks when pockets of truckers hauled by.

I crossed onto the Colorado Indian Reservation just before 11 p.m. I gained shoulder and traffic became less of an issue. Then it slowed and it was quiet.

Sand dunes and mountains. Hills and mountains. Shrubs. The moon was high in the sky.

I started scouting locations to camp as I approached Parker. There weren’t many places to hang a hammock, in fact there was only one. I set up under a billboard 4 miles from town. I was a little exposed to the road, but It was late and cars were few and far in between. I hid the buggy behind a shrub and hoped no one would notice me dangling beneath the Daniel’s Really Good Fresh Jerky sign. No one did. I fell asleep around 1 a.m., I slept ok!