We chose to sleep in and start at 5am today! I am thankful for that, due to the rough night I had trying to sleep. After laying down last night to sleep, my calf area (front of leg and rear) started cramping. I got up and took 2 eletrolyte tablets. No sooner did I get those down did my stomach rebel and decided the 2 tablets, the navy bean soup, potatoe salad, and corn bread post-ride food would have to be ejected from my stomach! Yuck. I vomited 4-5 times. Waited a bit and took an eletrolyte to help stop the cramping. That seemed to work. When I woke up, the bed was wet with night sweats of which I do not remember any of them. Once out of bed, got out my dates, peanut butter/cheese sandwich, juicy drink and had some breakfast. I didn't want to eat much and neither did Steve. I was afraid this might be a bad sign. Off we started and this time we could really sense the day was starting as the sky was already showing daylight. Awesome riding north into downtown Tempe and through ASU, right by Steve's old dorm. And you know what? Another crossing of the Salt River. Still counting? 2 for Salt and 3 Gila. Continue north skirting Scottsdale Fashion Square and finally getting on the canal paths. Then onto 96th St and 100th St where we had our 1st Circle K stop of the day. We both had the egg, cheese, sausage, english muffin. It was pretty good! We arrived there at 61F and left at 70F, mile 25. Oh the climb up Pima to the top of Dynamite, 1st of the 3 main climbs of the Desrt 600 was up next. On we went doing ok, but into a headwind. Turns out by this time Steve was the stronger of us. When we started today, I was ready to roll right away but Steve needed that breakfast to get going. Now as did the slow steady climb up Pima, I was trailing Steve by a bit. Finally past all those pretty yellow flowers and Pima road-widening between Pinnacle Peak Rd - Happy Valley Rd, we made it to the top of nine-mile and just pushed on, into a quartering - side wind that kept our downhill speed to 25mph. Yet that was ok because we knew we had that tailwind to push us from Rio Verde back to Fountain Hills. So gorgeous in brittle bush along McDowell Mtn Rd into Fountain Hills. Of course, Steve was out ahead by a ways as we hit speeds over 20mph on McDowell Mtn Rd. He had enough energy to push the downhill into the upcoming roller ahead and get over that hill easier than I did. In Fountain Hills you guessed it, another Circle K stop as we were about to leave town for the 2nd big climb, up the Beeline Hwy from Fountain Hills towards the Bush Hwy turn-off. That climb was ok. Steve way out in front. Traffic did not seem too bad, and somehow the miles passed before I knew it. Then there they were! On the south side of the road, 2 groups of wild horses south of the Beeline. My second time ever to to see them up here. About 20 horses. 4 cars were stopped taking pics so I joined them. Then got going again on the bike and right there was the 1 mile to go sign to the Bush Hwy YAHOO. Top was near. I commented to Steve, where he was waiting for me at the top that I saw the horses and he replied that he has seen wild horses many times while kayaking the Salt. Oh I forgot to mention, that as we were leaving Fountain Hills that we had crossing #1 of the Verde River, which later flows into the Salt River at Phono D. Sutton Rec Area along the Bush Hwy in the area of the King Kong cycling hill section. Where were we? Oh yes Steve waiting for me at Beeline Hwy / Bush Hwy to begin our awesome descent into the Salt River gorge! That pasement is still like new so we again flew downhill where I exceed 36mph a couple different times! Then our 3nd and final crossing of the Salt River. Final score: 3 Salt, 3 Gila, and 1 Verde! Now for the last climb of the day, Usery Pass. 3.5 miles, 668 ft gain, max grade 6.3% took me 28 minutes. Of course Steve as just over the top near the turn to User Mtn Reg Park waiting to show me where the water was. Great place with some shade and I was surprised we did not need to pay to get to the water and toilets! BTW that is the 2nd Regional Park on this 600k, plus a national monument. Heading home - all downhill! No problem. Well, we hoped. We pedalled down to last Circle K for the "Steve promised ice cream sandwich break." Man that could not come fast enough. The heat and headwinds were tough. We were there for 20 minutes to cool-off and eat ice cream. Then another 13 long miles home into a headwind all along the Western Powerline Trail, which coincides with the Sun Circle Trail and Maricopa Trail, from Lindsay Rd in the east to Rural Rd in the west. Again, Steve was in the lead, but the winds were so strong and swirling that I did not get any relief being behind him. Finally the turn south onto Rural and relief from the wind! Big thank you to Steve for this day's ride. Congratulations to Steve for getting the 600k PBP box checked and me getting my 4 months in a row box toward my R-12.