Tuesday, May 31st:

       Today started, once again, at 4:20 when we wanted to beat all of the traffic over Highway 79. Getting on the road early was a good choice, because before we had gone far- around 8:30- it was already 75 degrees! We kept chugging uphill all the way to an Indian Town called Anza, where we stopped for a bite to eat at a small town restaurant: 371 Diner. Despite the quantness of the diner, the food was delicious- and was perfect to fill a bunch of hungry men. We took back off onto Highways 371 North, as it kept climbing up over the mountains. Finally, we peaked and it was all downhill from there. Literally. The next 20 miles were all down hill, as we lost almost 5000 feet of elevation where we ended up in Indio, California at 40 feet above sea level. Upon arrival, it was my job to find a hotel- which in Indio- was no small task. Driving around for almost an hour, I finally found a best western- not hoping for much at all. However, after seeing the hotel, we were all amazed. It was the cheapest hotel that we have rented yet, but it was also the nicest. They had a huge pool, an excersize room with actual weights, and free DVDs at the front desk. We decided to order Dominoes pizza for dinner- and then call it a night for another early morning tomorrow.