A Tale of Two Bike Rides
Day 2 - Pine Valley, CA to El Centro, CA (84 miles and 2700 feet of climbing)
It was a cold dark night; it was a hot sunny day. It was climbing and descending; it was pancake flat. It was 4200 feet elevation; it was -31 feel elevation. It was perfectly groomed pavement; it was pot holes as far as the eye could see. Shannon rode the first half, Robin rode next, I experienced it all. I will let Shannon tell the story.
Sunrise in the Mountains
We started the day at 330 AM with temperatures in the mid 40s. I learned quickly this is very cold when you’re on a bike. Our fingers and toes were numb until the sun came up. We biked for an hour in the dark admiring the stars and the moon. When the sun started to rise we were still in the mountains and got to see all the flowers and plants in the dawn light. It made the hardest climb of the day tolerable. Once we were warmed by the sun we passed a surprising number of border patrol trucks, got to see the border wall and merged onto I-8 to begin our descent out the mountains. This was terrifying. We rode down a 6% hill on the side of a highway with winds gusting so hard you had to angle your bike right so it didn’t blow you into a semi truck or off the mountain. We exited the highway unharmed and switched riders for afternoon section.
On the border
Maude and I parked under the only shade for 20 miles to make sure Mom and Dad didn’t need any extra water or food. By the time they reached us the temperature was in the 90s. The roads were horribly maintained and there was even a barricade along the route warning of a bridge down. They went past the barricade to find the bridge appearing stable and were able to walk across safely. After biking some more in the hot sun they ultimately called it quits at the McDonald’s in El Centro with a final temperature of 101. We drove the final 10 miles to our hotel in Brawley. We enjoyed a dip in the pool and a Mexican dinner. to complete our day. Another hot one tomorrow with one big climb.
In the hot sun
