An Epic Ride

On Monday 3/17 Doug Wrote:

An amazing ride today. Started in the mountains east of San Diego in a very pretty town, Pine Valley, about 3000 feet up. The first 28 miles were pretty brutal--around 3500 feet of climbing in roughly 1000 vertical-foot sections--each one MUCH higher than any climb in Michigan. The Santa Anna winds decided to pay us a visit too, and they weren't very friendly. Cross- and headwinds gusting to a good 40 mph blew us across deserted roads. Combined with the steep climbs often reduced us to 5 mph. We were so close to the Mexican border we saw big sections of border fencing. Frankly, I'd think that, at least where we were, the forbidding terrain would be fence enough to keep anyone away.

Eventually we made it to the eastern side of the mountains and--due to a lack of any other option--proceeded to descend 3500 feet in 8 miles on the freeway--Interstate 8--into the Imperial Valley at Ocotillo, where the only place to eat was a poorly stocked convenience store. Luckily the wind was much lighter coming down out of the moutnains. 40 mph on a loaded touring bike in gusting crosswinds would be pretty scary! Instead we had a fun ride down, and the cars were generally very polite. Actually that was our second section of freeway, and we have one or two more comimg up! Big difference between the high desert in the mountains and the low desert--about 20 degrees difference. Would NOT want to be here in July. High tomorrow--85. High today--82. And the sun just beats down!

The Imperial Valley may grow a bazillion veggies a bit further north, but it's all desert here, and is even a bit below sea level. But blessedly--since our legs are trashed after two days of tough climbing--it's really flat. We did have to cope with some headwind for about 45 miles once we made it to the desert. For a long while we saw nothing but rocks, sand and sagebrush. Them we came across an enormous drywall factory, the only ediface in the aptly named Plaster City. Shortly thereafter we began to see signs of irrigation, and then hay bales, hay bales, and more hay bales. Honestly, I can't imagine all the cattle in the USA could possibly consume all the hay we saw this afternoon. Acres and acres of bales stacked 15 or 20 feet high. El Centro, CA must be the hay capital of the world.

We still had 20 miles to go after El Centro to Brawley, where we finished the day with about 90 miles and also where I sit in front of the computer in the lobby of the Brawley Inn--a genuine oasis in a none-too-attractive town.. Tomorrow we head to Blythe, CA, on the Arizona border. It will be one of the most deserted sections of the entire trip. We have to pack enough food and water for the entire 90 miles.