Miles Ridden Today - 88.91 Average Miles Per Hour - 16.18
So I wrote yesterday about how grueling the day was and how totally unprepared I was after sitting in the van for six days and then walking about various San Diego attractions for a few others. After yesterday's grueling climb fest I thought nothing could be worse and that I would be able to start acclimating myself to the longer rides.
And then today happend. And what I have learned from today is that every ride is going to be challenging in its own way and that I should never think there are ever going to be any "easy" legs of this journey. Today was supposed to be a few ups and downs follwed by a ten mile descent and then relatively flat roads for 50 miles. Easy, right? And then reality kicked me in the rear - quite literally! Let me 'splain!
I started out at about 6:45ish in the morning (a little later than I should have to beat the heat) and was immediately confronted by a 12% incline to get out of the town of Pine Valley (hey, I guess anything named "valley" I should be prepared to climb out of) that went on for about a mile and a half -- GOOD MORNING, CALIFORNIA! But after yesterday's climbing even that wasn't too bad. I thought to myself that maybe today wouldn't be too bad, just put in low and keep pedalling. It was at this point that I had bizarre images running around in my head, like this;
So I repeated Dory's mantra and changed it to "just keep pedaling, just keep pedaling, just keep pedaling, pedaling, pedaling...." and strangely enough it helped the time to pass. It was a series of ups and downs and then I hit the first (and as it turned out only, I was surprised) Border Patrol check. I actually had a nice conversation with the guys there, told them what they were doing and they told me that they get a lot of people doing charity rides that come through their post, many of them with press crews following. I had to admit that we didn't have a press crew following, that I was just an average, every day guy, not the guy from the Amazing Race with the network clout behind him. However, he was very interested in what I was doing and asked for my website address. I wish I would have had brochures with me in my handlebar bag (I have since loaded them) but I gave him the address. (By the way sir, if you're reading this, thank you so much for your interest and join us on facebook too, you can keep up with the rest of the journey).
From there I made my way to Jacumba where I was supposed to meet Amy and the kids about 9:00. Up to that point I was right on time! I was actually making great time and I was thinking the ride wouldn't be too bad. The only sucky part was that I lost one of my water bottles on a descent that actually had me fearing for my life. The shoulder was so incredibly bad it was like riding on cobblestones and since it was a really steep descent I was trying to control the bike at 25+ mph. I then (finally) had the brilliant idea of just taking the lane and keeping an eye on traffic. Suddenly I was no longer afraid for my life and to celebrate I reached down for one of my water bottles - AND DISCOVERED IT MISSING!!! Somehow on that crazy, careening descent it had bounced out of my water bottle cage. It was at that point I decided I wasn't going back for it. Luckily, my one Random Refuse find of the day was a discarded water bottle so I have two again - and boy was I going to need them.
Just outside of Jacumba I got to the closest point I would get to Mexico in this journey. Actually so close that I could have thrown a baseball and hit the fence (I do have a good arm) - of course, that would probably have gotten me arrested, which would really put a damper on our journey! Here is how close I was;
.JPG)
I rolled into Jacumba and found a town that was mostly deserted. I pulled up to the little shop that sold pretty much everything in town (including a huge selection of alchoholic beverages behind the counter), grabbed some coffee and sat down at the little table outside to wait on the family. This was at 9:00. I had no cell phone service at all so I just settled myself in to wait. While waiting I became engaged in a conversation with an older gentleman who, as it turned out, had just retired from running the IT program at a local Community College. We chatted for about half an hour about politics, the revitilazation of Jacumba, how it was famous for its mineral springs that had been dried up by a previous owner but how the new owner had opened it back up, how the resort down the street was being refurbished and would bring more life to the town, about my journey, about Sunrise Day Camp, how I was waiting on my family - and it was then he told me that they might have confused the place off the interstate (two miles away) with Jacumba since everyone always does. He also said that I might have better cell reception there. I thank him and headed off, thinking that my family must have been waiting for me all this time. For the record, this is where Jacumba is;
On the way there I actually got a phone call from my doctor's office (yes, I know riding and talking on the cell phone at the same time - its probably illegal in 37 states, including CA) telling me that my echo cardiogram and other heart tests from my recent physical came out okay. Good thing, considering what I had just done the day before! I told the nurse and we had a good laugh at that - I guess I'm physically okay! I continued on to the main gas stations off of I-8 and didn't see my family. Oooof, I thought, they're back on Hwy 80! So I bought some water and headed back to the route and I wasn't there two minutes before I looked over my shoulder and saw Vannikan Roadwalker with the familiar blue tarp on top coming up the rise behind me - yayyyyyyy! So Amy and the kids jump out on their mission of mercy to ice me up and refill me and then they headed off the road to prepare the way. On the way they pulled alongside and took some video for the documentary. At that point I was about two miles away from my last climb of the day and I was totally stoked!
You see, this was the part I had been forward to for two days - a 10.5 mile descent in which I would go from 3,000 feet to 800 feet! NO PEDALING FOR TEN MILES!!!!! There were a few hairy moments when I wondered if I would be able to slow down but then I was hit by the crosswinds that did a crazy job on slowing me down. I was disappointed in that the top speed I hit was only 41.5 miles an hour mainly due to the fact that the biggest decline was only 6%. I also had time to enjoy the ride and look about and saw some of the most amazing rock formations! It was completely and utterly otherworldy, almost like the landscape you would expect to see on Mars;
.JPG)
.JPG)
And note the kind way they let you know you're in for a mild descent!
I finally got down to the Yuha desert floor and thats when my posterior purgatory began. Apparently the Adventure Cycling Association's maps decided to take me on every single rough road between the Calexico exit and Brawley. Every place I tried on the sholder was a bone and teeth rattling nightmare. I then realized that there was virtually no other traffic on the Evan Hewes highway so I took the full lane and found myself flying with no discomfort to speak of. I was flying along at 24 miles an hour effortlessly. But it was short lived.
Outside of Plaster City (I kid you not, it was basically a big plant), the road just went all to hell and I couldn't find a sweet spot of comfort. It was then that my Perineum (WARNING, LINK CONTAINS EXPLICIT - though not pornographic - ILLUSTRATIONS) really began to suffer! The constant jolting began to take such a toll that it made it difficult to stay in the saddle - and I had a good 35 miles to go. I stopped for water in Saleena and that revitalized me for a while but then after a few miles my personal hell started up again.
Was it hot? Yes, it was well over 100 degrees but the heat was bearable. I drank lots of water and stopped a few times to purchase some. It was just the constant jolting that made this leg so unbearable. I actually got of the bike and walked for about 50 yards just to get some flow back into the area. I finally limped into Brawley and praised God for the smooth roads that I suddenly found myself riding.
And next I thanked my sister Alina for gifting me with my Garmin Edge 605 Bike Computer with GPS. For I knew the name of where we were staying (the Best Western) but I had no idea where it was!!!! So I went to the "Go To" feature and there were the directions - SAVED!!!! I pulled into the parking lot and found Vannikan waiting and it was all I could do to physically climb off the bike - for the second day in a row I was knackered!
But there is an upside! My legs themselves felt great! It was just the heat and my nether regions that were cuasing me to be so wiped. Nevertheless, I had one major thought as I stood in the baking parking lot collecting myself (and my breath), "this is nothing compared to the suffering those kids go through" and I know that to be true. My only hope is that by going through this I will be able to help some of those kids take a break from their fight and spend an amazing summer at Sunrise.
I then showered off and joined the family in the pool for a brief reprieve from the heat. We then went to dinner at Brownie's Diner (and yes the kids had a brownie a la mode for dessert) before heading off to the biggest Walmart I have ever seen. It was situated on the outskirts of town rising up like a Mecca to Consumerism. We bought shoes for William, food for us, and an important piece of apparatus for tomorrow's leg - a fluid bladder!
You see tomorrow I am riding in 100+ degree heat (it was 107 at 6 pm) and there is NOWHERE to stop for fluid refills for 63 MILES! So I am going to leave at 5:30 in the morning with the idea of getting most of my riding done before the heat hits. I got a bladder instead of a full Camelback backpack because I need the ventilation on my back - so for $9.97 at Walmart I got a bladder to fill with ice (which will melt) to go in my handlebar bag. With any luck I'll be able to hold off until Amy and the kids replenish me somewhere along the route.
So yes, tomorrow is going to be uber hot but with any luck it won't be bumpy. If it is, here is the song that will be running through my head;
And now my friends, it is time to get some sleep as I'll be waking in 8 hours to start my next assault on the desert! Please send cool thoughts my way!
Oh, and lest I forget, here are the reports for today;
FFR (Flattened Fauna Report) - 4 Rabbits, 1 Fox, 1 Falcon/Hawk (not sure which), 2 squirrels, 1 UFO
RRL (Random Refust Log) - 1 Water Bottle (appropriated and then used when I lost my own), 1 Child's Boot
Stay well everyone and I'll update you from 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/
No comments:
Post a Comment