Fourth day Brawley

Today was an easy 45 mile ride to Brawley.  I left my motel in Ocotillo and ate at the only diner in town. Most of the ride was slightly downhill or flat with very rough old pavement on old Hwy 8. The ride took me 4 hours.
I got there early so I hung out at the library and a coffee shop waiting for my warm showers host (Jim) to get home.

Jim is a very interesting guy. He is into animal rights and a vegan. He works as a teacher in the prison. We had a  nice conversation and a good vegan meal at a local vegan diner.  Jim showed me his road and mountain bikes and his art collection. I washed my clothes in the sink and put them on the clothes line to dry. We went to bed early because I had a hard day ahead of me. I was sound asleep when Jim came into my room and turned on the light at 5:00AM and  announced that he needed something out of the dresser. This turned out to be a very good thing because I just got up gathered up my things and rode off into the rising sun.

Third day Ocotilla

I had an easy day today...finally! This morning I woke up rested and stopped at a store to buy some breakfast since the restaurant was closed. I had a delicous breakfast of fruit, yogurt, and sardines! I know its a little wierd, but it tasted great! I rode 36 miles and most of it was downhill. I arrived in Octotilla around early afternoon and checked into my hotel (the only one in town) and then went to eat some lunch. I decided to explore and found a new museum, but it was closed. There were two cars in the parking lot, so I rode my bike around and around and finally somoeone came out and asked me what I wanted and I replied, "a tour!" The three people in the picture are volunteers at the museum and they gave me a private tour. The museum is still under contruction, but it is a museum of Indian artifacts found in the desert. The restaruant in town was not open for dinner, so I ate peanut butter and crackers, fig newtons, a cliff bar, and a banana.  I had a relaxing evening and I'm going to try to get an early start for tomorrow!

Day Two: Feb 8th

Brittnay made me a great breakfast and Jacques had planned to ride with me for the first part of my day. This was fantastic for the good company and to keep me from getting lost through the city! We picked up my antibiotics from the pharmacy and started down the path. We had somewhat of a late start and there were tons of hills, so it was slow going. I was going about 4 mph on the steep hills and picked up speed on the down hills going up to 50 mph. Unforntuantely my 44 mile destination took me longer than anticipated and I was peddling in the dark. At 7:30 I had stopped to check my map and the boarder patrol stopped to ask if I was okay. I was getting tired and hungry so I asked if they could give me a ride to my hotel that was 10 miles away and I offered to buy them dinner. They asked if I was hypothermic (an excuse for giving me a ride) and I said not yet but I might be soon, so they called their boss and said yes! I rode in the back of the truck with my bike like an illegal, but I was very happy for the ride! It was definitely an experience I won't forget! The hotel was great with a restaurant, jacuzzi tub, and a comfortable bed. I'm not too sore yet and no blisters! Things are good!

Brittnay and Jacques First Warm Shower hosts

Brittnay and Jacques were amazing hosts! They fed me a great chicken bean crockpot dish that was great! Jacques had rode this same route for a fundraiser for an African orphanage last year so he was full of great information for my trip. Once I arrived my wife called and told me that I forgot my antibiotics for my tooth in the backseat of the car so they had the dentist call in a new prescription in El Cajon. My first day was very trying but ended well with such great hosts!  

Start of My Bicycle Adventure

I was very excited to start my trip but I was definitely off to a rough start. I woke up Monday night with a roaring tooth ache and thanks to Dr. Herd I was able to have a root canal by 11:30 Tuesday morning. I was sorry to miss my send off at Starbucks, but fixing the tooth pain was necessary! Cheryl and Kelsey drove me to Ocean Beach at the start of the bike path. I was very very excited to start even though it was raining! I rode up to the start of the bike path and unfortunately when I ride slow my bike becomes wobbly and I tipped over and landed on my shoulder. I left around 3:00 for a 28 mile ride to El Cajon, but it turned into a 65 mile ride since I got very lost! I arrived at 7:30 in the dark at my warm shower host and I was very happy to be there!

Rainy day training ride

John and I rode to San Onofre in the rain to see how water proof my equipment is. It was a good ride with just a few minor leaks.

San Clemente training ride

San Clemente training ride. Good ride on a nice day.