| 68 mi from alpine to brawley |
| my roommates last night, becky & bryn, were early to bed, so i turned
in, too....before 8 pm! i haven't slept that long in ages. i wouldn't
have guessed that a bike trip would be a rest cure. |
| we went out to the trailer around 6:30 to put together our snacks &
sandwiches for the road....& there was a thick layer of frost on the
food tables! someone said they thot it was about 35 degrees. my
fingers have never gotten so cold making a pnut-butter sandwich. after
i made my big bowl of cereal, i carried it back to the room to eat it. |
| so needless to say, we layered onto our bodies everything warm we could
scrounge up, including ear coverings, before we took off a bit after 7.
marilyn & i rode together again today, along with roma & sometimes
bev. we had an uphill for about 6 mi, then onto I-8 for the downhill
ride to the Yuha Desert. several times the roadway was posted a 6%
grade, & there was even a turnoff for runaway trucks. i'd dreaded the
long downhill, but it really wasn't too bad. i think we were lucky to
be doing it on a sunday morning, trafficwise. & of course most of the
bikers loved it. 10 mi worth of downhill after our incessant climbs of
the last 2 days was a very welcome change of pace. |
| as we descended we had beautiful views of the rock-covered hills. the
temps rose dramatically as we rode down the hill. by the time we got
to the bottom & pulled up to the subaru, everyone was shedding lots of
clothes & smearing on sunscreen. |
| i noticed lots of helicopters as we rode down the hill....& lots of
border patrol vehicles, some driving off the road thru the scrub brush
in the desert. in fact, kathleen, one of my roommates tonight, just
commented, "every time i pulled off the road to find a place to pee,
the border patrol appeared in the bushes." it used to be that a
biker's biggest roadside potty problem was finding a big enough bush;
this is a whole new wrinkle. when i was sitting in the motel office
last night sending yesterday's web report, a local woman came in the
door & said, "there are thousands of 'illegals' coming across tonight;
my dogs are barking like mad." biking so near the mexican border has
its excitement. |
| last night at the map meeting we'd been warned about a particular spot
in today's route that has in past years been plagued by dogs, dogs in
packs. we steeled ourselves as we approached the spot, & roma got out
her new high-pitched whistle. luckily, however, the dogs we saw at
that house were behind a fence, perhaps a new fence. & we didn't see
any other dogs today....tho' we know we won't avoid them for 2 months. |
| at imperial we rode past a fairgrounds where they were holding the
"california mid-winter fair & fiesta." i can't quite get used to
seeing ferris wheels & tilt-a-whirls in winter! |
| as we rode, green fields stretched out for miles on both sides of us,
irrigation ditches & canals running thru & alongside them. i wasn't
sure what the crops were, so stopped to ask a couple of men alongside
one field. when one said, 'i don't know" i was sorry that my spanish
was so poor, because i know he would've understood my question if i'd
been talking the right language. |
| for supper we had chicken (or tofu) fajitas with loads of delicious
cooked peppers & onions & assorted condiments, a big field greens
salad, & sliced watermelon. there was chocolate cake for dessert; i
didn't even have a slice after eating that huge chocolate truffle when
i got down off the mountain this morning. |
| at the map meeting after supper, michelle pointed out a stretch of
about 12 miles that we'll traverse mid-morning that will be somewhat
tricky....with steep "rollers," as we bikers call them (hills that go
up & down & up & down), but with no shoulders. so a vehicle coming
over the crest of the hill can't see a biker 'til s/he's very close.
the rest of our 87- mi day, however, sounds relatively easy & flat.
but the temps will be high....85 by afternoon. & the winds may pick up
by then, too. so we're being encouraged to start out early....not too
long after it gets light. it'll be a long day, at least for those of
us who ride more slowly. |
| If you would like copies of the original, full-size photos, feel free to e-mail my son Mark with your request. Stay tuned.... |
