1 Down - 45 to Go!

Miles Ridden Today - 45.29  Average Miles Per Hour - 11.58

I'm going to be honest with all of you - this blog is going to be short.  Mainly because I am completely and totally knackered!  As a result this is ging to be less of my usual (I hope) entertaining banter and more straight to the point - just the facts ma'am!

First off, I'm happy to say that we (okay, I) have completed the first leg of our Ride Across America! 

This will probably be one of the most brutal legs of the entire ride (aside from tomorrow) for so many different reasons.

To begin, we got a late start today.  For the first time since we left Northport everyone actually slept late, later than we probably should have.  As a result, we didn't get our wheels dipped into the ocean until about 9:00.  I would post pictures of the dipping but I'm just too tired right now.  If you want to check some out, go to my facebook page and see some of the photos we took this morning.  We were also very surprised and pleased to see that Jim Connor was able to be there to see us off.  We were so touched that he took time out of his Sunday morning to come and meet us.  It was nice after so much cyber conversation to actually meet him in person.  So when the kids and I rolled out we had a sendoff party of two - and it was all still in the family, although many times removed!

The kids and I then rode the first four miles together along the bike path and we met Amy at the end.  After (finally) getting the kids' bikes loaded back on to the van, it was time to go for real!  By this time it was 9:45 - about 3 3/4 hours later than I will normally be rolling out.  Of course this meant that I would be facing one of my worse fears - riding in the middle of the day during the hottest hours.  But more on that in bit.

The beginning of the ride went fairly well and the elevation wasn't too bad - just gentle rises that would gain maybe a hundred feet before leveling off.  And then the hammer was dropped!  Outside of Alpine, CA the road started tilting up and it kep on going - for more than seven miles at a 6 % grade.  By the time I topped out it to hit the highway section I was at 2800 feet and still climbing.  I had also gone through four bottles of water and a bottle of gatorade.  And there was more to come!

I also ended up riding on the highway for 3.5 miles (it was all part of the Adventure Cycling Association's map) and wouldn't you know it - it was all uphill.  By the end of that section I was up to 3100 feet - and still climbing.  By this time it was about 1:00 in the afternoon and I'd been climbing since 11:30.  I had to actually get off the bike three times, not because it was too steep, but because my legs were cramping up so badly I couldn't pedal.  I found that by stretching and walking about 30 yards or so I could stretch them out enough to get back on and pedal some more.

I finally turned off the highway and I was so excited because I knew that I would be only 12.5 miles from where my family would be for the evening.  There happened to be a turn off/park and ride just off the highway and some cyclists were finishing up their rides and loading up so I rolled over to ask them about the terrain.  They told me that there was still a couple of hard climbs but then a 2.5 mile screaming descent into Pine Valley - ahhh, the last part music to my ears.

Unbeknownst to me, at EXACTLY the same time, Amy and the kids were driving by on their way to look for me and restock me with water since it was taking longer than we had originally thought.  They went all the way back to Alpine and then came back.  They finally found me about five miles outside of Pine Valley.  I had finished my last two water bottles and I'm pretty sure I was starting to dehydrate since I was beginning to exhibit some of the classical signs - mainly dry mouth, thirst, light headedness and headache.  And it was probably being exacerbated by the exposure to heat and sun.  All in all, a brutal time.

But they caught up with me and refilled me with water and I was able to finally make it into Pine Valley - only four hours after I left them in San Diego!  After some time getting clean and drinking more water I got everyone's bikes ready and we went for a bike ride to the park in Pine Valley.  Yes, I know what was I thinking?  But the kids really wanted to go for a ride (I guess I inspired them) and we went for a ride and then had ice cream.

After a few hours chilling at the room we finally went to dinner at the diner and here we are.  See, not much to report, just the facts.

Speaking of facts, we have the FFR (Flattened Fauna Report) and RRL (Random Refuse Log) numbers for the day;

FFR - 1 Possum, 1 Squirrel, 1 Pigeon, 1 Bobcat, 1 UFO (Unidentified Flattened Object)

RRL - 1 Shovel head, 6 Gloves of various makes

Well, that's it for now.  It's 9:30, I'm totally wiped, and I have some more mountains to climb in the morning!  But its all for the kids of Sunrise, so show your support for the kids!

Stay well and I'll be seeing you on the road!

For another perspective on our journey check out Amy's blog at http://www.crosscountrymama.blogspot.com//
To help us get the kids to Sunrise go to https://www.wizevents.com/register/register_add.php?sessid=1809&id=1056
Check out our website at http://www.connorsarmy.org/