Sandiego

age!) one way to San Diego on Tuesday and took a cab to our $30 hotel near Sea World. We had shipped part of our bike to B&L Bike shop which was across the street from our hotel. We arrived at noon and the rest of our bike arrived at 3PM at B&L. By 5pm we had assembled the bike and we took it for a 10 mile test ride in rush hour traffic in San Diego. We went down to the harbor boat ramp and dipped our back tire in the Pacific ocean. (some day we may finish the Southern Bike Route across the US...) We also went to the grocery store for food supplies.

Day 1 stats:

49.3 miles

5 hours 47 minutes

Average 8.7 mph

daily climb: 5,915 feet

Bike odometer total miles 10,060

  We started out at 7am sharp just as the sun was rising in San Diego. The first hour was relatively flat following the San Diego river valley and then we stopped for breakfast at the IHOP. Up to that point everything was routine. Then we started our hill climbs - or should I say our long mountain climb. For the next 30 miles is was up, up, up like nothing we had ever experienced. We would ride for 15 minutes, rest for 15 minutes - we had started to question our existence on the planet. Finally at 1pm we threw in the towel as the hot sun was getting too much for us - we found a large tree with level ground to lay our sleeping mats under along the route and took a nap in the shade. I woke up shivering. In the sun it was too hot - and in the shade it was too cold... go figure.

(This photo was taken just before our nap stop.  We saw this odd house nestled into the hillside.) 

We hit the trail again at 2:30 when a school bus stopped in front of us to let out some children. We started our routine of riding and resting until we got up to the area where we were supposed to camp. The camp ground was closed for two months so they could vacation. OK so the next camp ground was 20 more miles and another 1,000 feet of climb.... so we again threw in the towel at 5PM and checked into the Pine Valley Inn. We were burnt.... It was the most physically exerting day we had ever had on our bike. But a great early dinner and early to bed - like we had a choice....

  The wind was brutal – the remainder of the day. We rode on level ground at 7 mph, up hills at 3 – 4 mph, and down the steep hills at 10 – 15 mph if we were lucky. Today was supposed to be our easiest day on the trip – only 1,535 feet of climb and only 81 miles…. But Pam and I were questioning our existence on the planet the last two hours. When you have to peddle hard to go down hill – you are having a bad day.

We arrived at our planned camp ground at 4:30 pm. The route was the most desolate we had ever biked. There was 67 miles without a single speck of shade, grocery stores, restaurants, or anything to say we had taken a decent break. The camp ground was on the bank of the Colorado river – there was a bath room with a sink and running water and a few trees – but no picnic tables, no showers, just no facilities – but the mosquitoes made up for the lack of everything else. We rested under the shade of one of the trees, sheltered from the wind for about 45 minutes. I had felt that I could not peddle another mile – but we realized that staying at this camp site would be miserable – so we mounted the bike and peddled 3 more miles into the wind to the first sign of civilization we had seen in ten hours.

We checked into the Palo Verde (in Palo Verde, CA) hotel and got room 2 (out of 5) and had to wait for them to clean it. While waiting we figured we could get a bite to eat and found out we stumbled into the most friendly town we had ever peddled through. Everyone wanted to help us – one lady even lived in Casa Grande in the 1940’s and 1950’s and still had relatives that Pam knew from work. It was a good ending to the most grueling day we had ever encountered on our bike.

  Day 4

  We again rode back onto I-10 for another 12 mile run up the next set of hills. Shortly after exit we stopped in Brenda for a break and found we had caught up to the Adventure Biking group. We rode along with them out of town and found they were now down to 15 people as one person left the group last night. They had left two days before us on the exact same route – only they are going all the way to St. Augustine Florida. Anyway we felt we had done pretty good catching them – although not a goal – but at least we knew we had the ability.

We arrived at our camping destination – an RV park – only to find they no longer let tents camp there. We went to the next RV park, then a 3rd, but none of them wanted ‘our kind’ there. So again we peddled another 4 miles to the next town (Salome) that had a motel. Denied again our camping experience we shelled out another $42 to sleep. We showered and walked across the street to THE restaurant for dinner. The restaurant was cool in the fact it was originally built in the 1920’s but around the 1950’s a soda fountain was installed and the original chairs and counter was still there being used. Very cool!

  Day 5

90.5 miles

6 hrs 54 min pedal time

13.2 mph avg.

1,079 feet of climb

trip – 376.4 miles

We again hit the road at 5:45 and began the morning climb waiting for the sun to rise. The nice thing about today’s ride was all of our climb was in the first 58 miles to Wickenburg, then it would be all down hill to Reece’s house in Surprise. Around 9am I starting day dreaming of how soft Reece’s couch might be – is it leather, is it fabric, it did not matter, I had not sat on a couch now for a full week.