Overcast Crusin' The OC

Gloomy day on the Bayshore Bikeway

Quite odd that Memorial Day falls on a Monday, with a week left to the end of the month! NCCC had their usual ride today out of San Marcos Restaurant Row, but I'll opt out and ride up in Orange County instead. It is getting lighter earlier every day now, so my $12 Dorcey helmet light would work just fine (gift from John Mestemacher). With rear blinkie blazing, I left home at 0430 to catch the Sprinter train over to the Oceanside start.

Arriving at 0526, I hit the Station bathroom, before riding over to my usual Circle K for a start receipt. Cheapest thing on the menu today was a mini-Snicker bar for 15 cents. (Note: On the return, this same mini-bar costs 33 cents!) Switched my Dorcey over to flash mode and opted for the ramp to I-5 northward. What traffic? Nada today. Couldn't believe it. Just me and a car now and then. Riding thru the Rest Area, I noticed every space was filled with parked cars. Where are all these people? Must be napping!

Gearing up, I made quick work of the 20mph section to the Las Pulgas Exit. I wasn't feeling quite on cue, but rode steady northward. Entering San Onofre Campground, noticed almost a full house... maybe 90% full. Most were still sleeping, with food stacked on the picnic tables waiting for the bears to feast. Or coyotes? Met only one cyclists this entire stretch. Maybe too early for a Memorial Day ride? Stopped at bathroom #1 for some water. Several surfers were there chatting it up. Trestles was loaded with bikers packing surfboards. Holiday mood today. These guys were riding all over the place. Made a stop at Carl's Jr. for a bathroom break. Hey, they removed all the outside tables and cleaned up the place. Guess the homeless camping out there made for the change.

Brown's Trail leads to San Diego Bike Trail eastward

Still overcast and as I rode north the light drizzle was hit and miss. With no car traffic, I decided on the normal route instead of optional Salt Creek Bike route inland. Started to see more cyclists around Laguna Niguel. A pleasant surprise was no dodging traffic around roadside Laguna Main Park. Didn't turn on Bayside Dr., but went straight up Coast Hwy. for the Control stop at Chevron. Chatted with a big guy on a Fuji carbon, busily texting away. 50-cent toffee, iced the bottles and I was off for some Bike Path riding.

Bike traffic picked up on the Bayshore Bikeway. I noticed they re-striped with arrows indicating individual bike lanes and also a jogging lane now. I was amped up to 19 mph, as two white-shirted racer big guys were bearing down. Looped around and soon was on the San Diego Bike Path eastward, closing in on a rider ahead. I pulled up and checked out his Merlin Ti frame, said "Good Morning". He looked over and took off. Followed him all the way to Harvard Ave, where he ran a red light and of course, I stopped! Soon, the two racer boys in white jerseys came up and ran a full red light, crossing the intersection thru turning cars. No wonder motorists hate cyclists!

Peters Trail found me tracking the white-shirt boys. Closing in, they decided to turn around. Shucks, no fun, you red-light runners. I slogged up Jamboree Road, legs feeling like crap. Cut over to the bike path and was soon at the Chevron Control at Chapman Ave. Two young fixie guys were sitting outside. Inside, I got the cheapest thing around: 89cent Bevita Biscuts. Some guy had two dogs with paws up on the Subway counter. Real nice. Sat outside, as this big guy rolled in on a green Co-Motion Cro-moly frame. Said he was going back down Santiago Cyn., like me. Had a nice talk about steel frames. He left before me.

Saw a lot of TT riders hammering westward on Santiago Cyn. today. There were several signs along the route indicating a Triathlon here on June 5th.  Nice cyclists activity going my way too. I managed a little out-of the saddle/dead-legwork on the few climbs to Cook Corner. Entered the Aliso Creek Bikeway, to some nice downhill riding. Made an emergency Porta-Potty stop by the Lake Forest soccer fields. Ahhh. After that, followed a huge guy on a mtb to finish off the Bikeway. Several climbs later, I was at the Mission Viejo Train Station. No cheaper Metro today. Sorry.

Chapman Ave. Chevron/Subway Control

Rough road riding down to San Juan Capistrano. Of course, tourists were packed in there, crowding around the  Mission. Straight thru town, the headwind picked up all the way to the coast. Passed a group of mixed local riders and some dude was trying to track me down. I slowly let him gasp up to within 30 feet, then amped it up 1mph more. Kept doing this till he finally dropped around 22 mph. This guy was on it! Slight tailwind now as my legs were stiff for the climb up thru San Clemente town. Nil traffic made a quick ride thru. Looking for a McDonalds to no avail, I stopped instead at the rando fav. Carls' Jr. again. Must be a tour bus just came in, they were packed in and the long lines made me just get water. I was soon off and out of there. Turning onto Trestles Bike Path, I noticed NB I-5 traffic nearly stopped and bumper-to-bumper!

Slight tailwind now as I was looking for a hook-up riding south. Not to be. Only a bikini clad Asian hot-bod at the Campground #1 instead. Added a electrolyte tab to my bottle and kept going. The campground was near empty now vs. 90% full earlier today. Desolate almost. Kept a steady 17mph down to Las Pulgas Road. Decided I would try the I-5 route now. One on-ramp sign was covered over. The other orange sign was still there: "No Pedestrians Or Bikes Allowed". In rando-speak that meant only one thing: Crank-er up!

First off, there were several signs in the bike lane ahead... "Trucks Entering Highway". Also a T-Rail barrier separated the shoulder from traffic. I dodged behind the barrier and kept moving thru the debris. Glancing over, the NB lanes were still gridlocked. Several signs later, I passed thru the Rest Area. Back on I-5, there was more signs and a temporary-moveable barrier in the way. Skirting behind, I finally cleared obstacles and had a open lane again. Lite traffic SB, but the gridlock NB lasted to Oceanside. What a life sitting in traffic. Don't know where all those cars come from unless Mexico? Almost looked like rain clouds over Pendleton hills. Pulled off and was soon back to the Circle K, where the mini-Snicker Bar had doubled in price! Now that's inflation!

Jumped on the next Sprinter train back to San Marcos. It was all but empty, just my bike, rusted chain MTB and a well dressed guy in a wheelchair. Stretched out all the way back. Good decision to ride OC today. Nil traffic made the coast trip worthwhile this time. Spotty blue skies when I cycled home. Go figure?

Don't ride I-5 SB from Las Pulgas! Not till they finish up the shoulder construction work. Soon, we hope!

2012 Crusin' The OC Video

Cloudy-overcast
Hi: 67     Lo: 56
Wind: SW 8mph
126 miles


-randorides

Bautista Conservation Camp 36

aka Wind Beat-Down From Anza

SOMA with 32mm Panaracers tires

Haven't ridden this unique "mini-mixed terrian" route in a few years, so today looked like a good shot. Weather was forecast for the mid 60's around the route. Rando Keith Olsen was mildly interested in riding also, but lacking the option of wider tires would make it a hike-a-bike for sure. Some of these dirt roads can go from OK to "awful" in just several days.

I put my old Panaracers 32mm Urban Max on the SOMA, added the medium rear seat bag and other normal stuff, leaving the house after 0500. Opted for a long sleeve under-layer,optional vest over my jersey, along with arm warmers, woolie hat and wool mid-calf socks. I decided to start in San Marcos instead of the Deer Springs AM/MP up the road. It would add some miles, but I'd miss the "iffy-safe" ride in to the start up Deer Springs Road in the early commute traffic. Mostly cloudy and mid-50's temps. I wouldn't be needing my helmet light for long today. Gets lighter earlier every day and by 0600 my light went to blinkie mode.

Colorful balloon over wine country

Made my way up Old Hwy 395, over the toughish Day-Lilly hill climb and cool plunge down into San Luis Rey River Valley. No wind to notice as I crossed I-15 on the way past Rainbow. Route takes a jog around heavier Temecula traffic  and offers a nice stop at a rando favorite Wolf Creek Park. From there it's a nice ride up and thru residential streets, finally crossing Hwy. 79 to DePortola Road. A small park there offers only water before the lite dirt track passes several horse farms.

DePortola Road changes to hard surface again and climbs past more horse farms and large wineries/vineyards. Grape vines are growing green and starting to show small fruit clusters now. A colorful multi flagged hot-air balloon was dipping and rising here, so I stopped for a picture or two. Only a slight breeze from the SW now. Soon the road changes to dirt again, with a 9% uphill slog, mixed with soft sand. Too close to the road edge and you're bogged down in sand. After the increasingly dangerous downhill to Benton (yes, it get worse each ride here with sand, holes and broken asphalt chunks. I was sliding around on the 19% downhill), the hard-surface road resumes again. Narrow-tired bikes have the option here of turning right and going to Hemet via Sage Road. Not me! I'll climb up thru Oakridge Ranches instead.

DePortola Road knarly downhill ahead

Great rando route now, as the road is almost "trail-like", splitting around trees, dipping and diving along. No center line,no fog line here! After climbing up to the "Private Road" sign, the road changes back to dirt again (today it was covered with patches of 3/4" rock). Passing a desolate winery on the left, the road plunges downward toward Hemet. Riding the brakes and getting behind the saddle are part of surviving this 20%+, rutted, sandy downhill. After several miles of this, the road becomes more sandy and washboard as it levels and passes behind the Diamond Valley Reservoir. Turning on Batz St., I watched as farmers disc'd under soggy crops! A white 4x4 was also watching and swung way over, nearly taking me out! I was waiving my arms and shouting out a few things. Smooth riding on State St., as I cruised into Carl's Jr., looking for solid food.

BCCamp 36 entrance. Dirt road ahead.

Two-dollar Biscuit omelet and banana was my fare today. After a brief reprise, I watered up and anticipated the fun ride to Anza ahead. Riding eastward on Stetson St., past Hemet High School, I again noticed the weathered sign: "Little Lake". I was determined to get a look at this elusive lake. Main gate was closed today, so I motored ahead and turned on a lonely road. I could see some water off to my right. Not close enough, I made another turn and finally stood on some rocks to get a picture of  Little Lake. Yep, it's little alright!

Thousands of acres of citrus trees ahead. I managed to get a few good pics of large grapefruits drooping on the limbs. After the "Bautista Convervation Camp-8 miles" sign, the road turns upward slightly as it follows a river bed up Bautista Canyon. Met a older guy cruising downhill, later followed by 2 rugged MTB'ers. Nice peaceful riding all the way up the to the Camp. Maximum grade to this point was 6%. I noticed a 3E43 trailhead sign. Need to check that out someday on a MTB ride. I managed to stop at the Camp entrance for a few scenic pictures. From here, the road turns to dirt as it climbs up to 4100' toward Anza town. Fun time ahead.

"HOT" cargo lost some wheels in the dirt

Road was a mixture of loose stuff, washboard and ruts. I picked my line carefully, and stopped several time to let trucks pass by. Some tough climbing here with several double digit climbs mixed in with mostly 6-8% stuff. Out-of-the-saddle sometimes worked, but even with 32mm tires, slipping was easy. No water crossings today, but road was damp in several places. Police were checking out a boat trailer, which lost 2 wheels and was buried in the soft road. Looks like some ding-dong was trying to move some hot boats to Hemet on Batista Cyn Rd. Once passing the "Leaving San Bernardino National Forest" sign, it's less than 2 miles to hard surface again. Soon I reached the route hi-point and was wind-aided flying down into Anza town. Everything was flying here...flags, papers and dust! Time to seek shelter in the sun.

Nice views here. Forested mountains to the north, plains to the east. Stopping at Circle K on the edge of town, I grabbed a hot chocolate and cuddled around the corner by a storage container, eating my almond butter crackers and ProMax bar. Sun was full out, but the wind made it a lot cooler. Before leaving, I put my arm warmers and vest back on. Flags were straight out in my direction. Time to grab the drops and grind southward.

5 kool San Diego guys cycling to Canada!

Just south of Anza, there was a long wait for road construction. Pilot car finally gave me a head start on the line-up of cars. Down the road, I noticed cyclists northbound off the side of the road. I rolled over and had a chat. Seems they started in San Diego the other day and stayed last night in at the campsite just west of Warner Springs (before the Glider Port). Today, the 5 guys are heading toward Idyllwild. Moderate loads on mixed bikes. A few Surlys, including a Orge, a carbon Giant and several other steel bikes. Said they were heading for Canada! Good luck guys.

In the drops, I made good time down to the Wilson Valley turn. After the turn the wind picked up more. I stopped to take off my vest and noticed a trash pile with a prosthetic leg sticking out! Long 14% downhill in to the valley, followed by a much shorter 10% uphill to get out. Sort of a laid back attitude down there, with a few mobile homes mixed in with some ranch homes. Nice riding down the ridge-line over to Sage Road. Feeling better now, I made good time up the long climb to Benton Road. Back toward Temecula wine country now.

Wilson Valley: leg in trash!

Wind really picked up now from the SW. Those Benton Rd. downhills were under pedal power! For some reason, I made it up the crappy 19% dirty climb DePortola Rd. More dirt downhill followed by riding the brakes to miss the washboards and soft stuff. The normal 20mph past the vineyards was replaced today with slogging in the drops, crawling along into the wind to Temecula. Wolf Creek never looked so good. Trees there were dancing!

Well, I knew Rainbow Canyon Road would be a wind-fest... and it was. I was already cooked, but didn't know it. Hwy. 395 downhill was into the wind too. In fact, it kicked my butt all the way to San Marcos. Felt like I just did a 200 miler! Pulled in to home before dark, tired and dry. Good thing I had pre-made my protein laced fruit smoothie earlier today. It sure tasted good!

2012 route video.

Partly cloudy
Hi: 68     Lo: 52
Wind: SW to 20mph
147 miles


-randorides

HOW TO: Garmin Edge 500 Battery Replacement

After doing my usual Tuesday/Thursday rando Permaent ride earlier this week, today (Saturday) I opted for a shortie meet-up with NCCC (North County Cycle Club) this morning, followed by installation of a new battery in my Garmin 500. Purchased in September, 2010, this little thing has been ticking along in good shape 4-1/2 years. Rain, snow, dirt and heat haven't stopped Garmin. Only now, the battery isn't up to snuff, only lasting 13 hours instead of 18 in the old days!

Instead of the normal exchange program that Garmin likes to do, I opted for a battery replacement instead. For $10.70 delivered, it looked like a good deal to me. Plus, I like to monkey around with stuff till I fix it OR break it! Here we go:

1. The things I used to replace the Battery. (Maybe add in tweezers too!)

2.  Remove 4-Torx #5 screws from back of Garmin

3.  Remove 3-Phillips screws on board (circled above). Do not damage ribbon cable.
Carefully remove board. Pry out old battery.

3.  Be careful not to damage USB & cover seals.
NOTE:Silicone sealer has to be removed before soldering new speaker wires in.

 

4. New battery soldered in. Sealant over speaker soldered connections.
Sticky tape installed. Almost ready to re-assemble.

5. Old foam pads installed over connector with sticky tape.
(These pads help keep the connector in place when closed up.)

6. Fired up and ready to GO! (New battery was 98% charged out of package.)

NOTE: You can detach the ribbon cable/screen from the board with the tiny flip-flop
on-board connector. (Circled pic.#3 above) Don't panic if it comes loose!

Old Garmin battery vs New Cameron Sino battery

 NOTES: 

- You can remove the USB and main cover seal as to not damage them.

- The screen/ribbon cable are removable from the board. There is a tiny black flip-flop (pic #3 above) on the connector.

- The Board is wedged into the case real good. I used a toothpick to pry it out. Don't damage the Board.

- The old battery is really stuck in there with sticky tape. Use something soft to pry it out. Work around the edges.

- You must remove the silicone sealant which covers the speaker terminals before soldering. A fine tip iron works good.

- You can cut the speaker wires instead, soldered the new ones on to the old and seal them alongside the speaker.

- I re-used the old foam pads which press against the battery wires/connector to the Board. That seems to work OK.

- Those Torx and Phillips head screws are tiny. You can use your eyeglass repair kit tools (if you have one).

- Use a low-watt soldering iron (20-25W) for best results. Clean the tip first!

-randorides

Arizona Dawg: Weather Window Opens!

Garmin stats from Arizona Dawg

Either "High Wind Warning" or 100 degree days have stymied this rando route for a month now. With less than a weeks notice, interest was good from riders. I did like the idea of a "split" start, with riders from south SD County starting at Dog Beach and others up north at San Marcos. Two slightly different rando routes, both going to the same place. What a concept!


Left home late with my overloaded SOMA and rolled over on dry roads to the start with 5 minutes to spare. Rained most of the day yesterday and I expected to chase the rain out of the county today. Dan Phillips rode in from Oceanside. Several others didn't show, including Mac Imacseng. (I correctly figured Mac was over at another route's starting point.) At the AM/PM some half-drunk guy in a trench-coat got out of his truck and said: "I thought you were the police with all those lights!" Only 3 rear blinkies. Sober up, buddy!

Tony, Mac, Dan & Robert DH on Hwy. 67

Dan & I rolled along with temp at 49F, slowing and looking for Mac at the Mission Road 7-Eleven. Nope. Entering Escondido, Mac was getting out of his car at Nordhal Road. Robert Abraham was there too. Now up to 4, our gruppo made it's way over to Poway on damp roads. Mile 22: Tony Long was waiting for us there, along with Mac's wife. (Mac forgot his water bottles!) Tony kept me company on the slog up Poway Road, as the other riders were out ahead. Some racer guy on a fendered carbon Trek motored by us on the climb. Traffic was very light. Felt like I was under water with the load. Nice quick ride down Hwy. 67 into Lakeside. With my load and smooth turning XTR hubs, I was off to the races downhill. After the steepish climb around Lake Jennings, we were slightly early for the 0800 rendezvous time at Burger King, mile 38. Five minutes alter, Dave Danovsky and Keith Olsen arrived. Time to refill bottles and moderate chit-chat.

Dan left group at Hwy. 79 to Cuyamaca

Getting ready to leave BK, Robert noticed his tire was flat. Dan stayed back with him as the rest slo-rolled to Alpine. We picked up another older rider who was riding for his morning coffee. Waiving good-bye to him at Starbucks, we had several short regroups on the rollers leaving Alpine. Robert and Dan joined up before we entered the few miles on I-8E. Light traffic this morning, no wind over the bridge and the weather was clearing.


The turn on Hwy. 79 to Pine Valley soon brought an end to Dan's group ride. He was leaving us and riding up to Cuyamaca Lake on his freeze-ride, then on to Julian, before returning home via Ramona. Just up the road, Robert has another flat, so Tony Long stayed with him as the group went ahead downhill to the mile 62 Pine Valley Store. A bit later, tough rando Greg Sherman from Alpine rolled in. Keith got a gallon jug of water to share, as we all hit the inside bathroom. Later, Robert and Tony arrived. Full group now. Chit-chat extreme & time for some pictures.

Pine Valley Store. Greg joined here

Climbers Tony & Robert were leaving us here for the return trip back to Poway,. As we were getting ready to roll, Dave D. notice a broken flat-blade spoke in his rear wheel. He taped it on with Greg's tape and we climbed away from Pine Valley. Great downhill into the valley as the temps were warming up. Patches of blue sky appeared. Large Search And Rescue training near Buckman Springs Rd. today lined the roadside with cars. Greg & Dave rode ahead on the last major climb of the day up to the Acorn Casino. Keith, Mac& I  worked our way up under full clear skies now. High point of this route is just east of the Casino at 4119'. It's all downhill to Yuma now (elev. 139').

Break at Jacumba Market

Temps rose to the lo 70's now. We couldn't wait for the blast down thru Boulevard/Manzanita to Jacumba next. Fast it was with bonus tailwind. Greg went ahead as the group stopped at the Jacumba Market, mile 92. Coconut Water was Mac's recommendation. Real sweet for me and I didn't appreciate the chunky coconut at the bottom. It works for Mac, as he was riding well today. Keith opted for Ice Cream Sandwich and shared his chips with Dave. Felt good sitting outside. Lots of people at the remodeled Jacumba Spa across the road.


Shocking new smooth road east of Jacumba. Add in a tailwind and the group was cruising along. The 13 mile plunge down I-8 into the desert was laced with strong winds thru the curves. Interesting watching the riders ahead leaning into the winds while riding a straight line. I managed to get some great rolling video shots of Mac and Dave with a desert background. Next stop was a a water stop at the Ocotillo Chevron, mile 108.

Keith splashes pristine Harley with coffee!

Temps had soared to 82F now. Winds were mid-teens from the SW. Mac hit the liter Coconut Water as Keith picked up a bottle of iced coffee. Dave was jawing with a Harley rider about how far we rode and where we were going. Keith joined in the chat with another rider, while shaking his coffee. Upon opening it up, the Harley got a bath of Starbucks Coffee! After a short clean-up, we decided to clear the area quick! Off into the Yuha Desert.


Hwy. 98 is a great ride with a pushing wind. No dangerous curves on this road. Dave & Mac did most of the 19 mph lead-out thru here.  Passed a mobile home with "FREE" painted on the side. Mac thought that might work for his desert home! Heck, just to tow it away Mac. Water drop flags were straight out blowing our way.

Keith, Dave & Mac at "Yuha Desert sign

Made the mandatory photo stop at the "Leaving The Yuha Desert" sign. Just ahead we could see the greening up of the desert, thanks to the Imperial Irrigation District and the Colorado River water. More new road, replacing the narrow farm road it once used to be. Thousands of acres of solar panels have replaced fields of crops now. Just outside Calexico, the road dips to the low point of our route... -44 feet! Our last Control stop was at JIB/Chevron, mile 139. Time to pack it in with the good stuff!


Looks like burgers and fries were the order of the day. Throw in a shake or two, slow service and stretch it out a little. I finished up my tag-along tuna/cheese with avocado and 1/2 a choc shake. Bottles loaded and feeling good, we left JIB just after 5:00 PM on the way eastward on horrible Calexico roads.

Sunset over the Imperial Sand Dunes

Outside town, the road and traffic get a whole lot better. Smooth bike lanes and tail winds made for some fast time over to the main truck border crossing at Hwy. 7. I was the only one who stopped at the flashing red light, noticing a police vehicle hidden behind a one-way truck barrier. Hwy. 98 roughened just slightly as Mac & Dave were leading hard. Plenty of daylight left as we finally spotted the Yuma --> 30 mile sign. Time for some off and on-again I-8 riding.


Cyclists are required to exit and re-enter at each marked EXIT. The bike lane was the usual lumpy-bumpy and finding a smooth line was difficult at times. At Grey Wells exit we made a extended stop to light up as the sun was setting. Mac changed his lenses and Dave hit the bushes. Just a few ORV in the adjacent Imperial Sand Dunes tonight. Keith led out toward the Ogilby Road exit. Riding was about to get a lot rougher.

Mac & Keith get "hooked up"!

Exiting Ogilby, we crossed over I-8 northward and entered Center Of The World frontage road. Rough then smooth, rough then smooth. Left side of road seemed to work best this trip. Never any traffic on this road anyway. Our butts were taking a beating on this stuff. MTB would have been perfect here. Road smooths by the large Highway Patrol HQ at Sidewinder Rd. A right turn took us over I-8 again. Dave needed a refill, so we stopped at the graveled-road desolate Chevron. Inside, a cheerful cashier was glad to ring up our overpriced drinks. Only a few mile left.


Keith led us back on the last stretch of I-8. Mac & Dave's lights disapeared behind me so I raced up and told Keith what happened. Finally Mac arrived and said Dave went back to pick up his wallet at the station. We'll wait for him at the next exit. Good enough, we pulled off at Araz Rd/Hwy. 24 Exit and waited. I was taking pictures of the guys, when this woman walked up and was invited into the shot. Must have been her working intersection? Soon we saw Dave blasting by, not exiting I-8. Mac, then Keith followed as I yelled "Go to the next exit and turn left." I continued on the prescribed route down Araz Road. Too bad for me.

"Welcome to Arizona" entering Yuma

Araz Road is really bad and getting worse each year. It's ride-able on a MTB only. I tried different lines and speeds and The round trip was a no-no after the beating on that road. Think I might eat something at Denny's in Yuma, chat with the guys and then ride east ala the Cactus Dawg route to Tuscon to check out Dome Valley/Hwy.80. Then I could return in the morning and catch the ride back to San Diego. Sounds good.  Didn't see any headlights and no one came by here, so I figured the group was already over the border, safely in Yuma. Instead they were back near I-8 on Winterhaven, looking for me!
finally rode on the poor shoulder in the sand. A few inches off line and you're down dude! Took me a long time to get to smooth roads again. I waited for 10 minutes at the jog on Hwy. 24, looking back for headlights and thinking a bit.

Dave fixes over-the-border flat tire

Road was smooth again and I was flying over the bridge into Arizona in a few minutes time. Stopped to take some pictures in the median of the "Welcome To Arizona" sign at mile 195. Pulled into the Food Mart by JIB for my final receipt of the route. Didn't see any other cyclists. Picked up a hot-chocolate, added some ice and went outside. Greg Sherman was there to welcome me. We were chatting about the ride and by then I thought the others were already ahead and over at their overnight Motel 6 by now. Just then, the Imperial County Sheriff pulled up. "Are you Kelly?" he asked. GULP.


Ahhhh, yes. "Your riding buddies are looking for you and thought you got lost or hurt back there somewhere! Looks like you're OK to me. I'll radio it over and they'll be coming over this way soon." OK, gee thanks officer. No photo op for these deputies today. They don't like that. Chatting with Greg, his girlfriend drove out to take him back to Alpine. He offered a ride back for 1 rider with his top rack for bikes. I'd run that by my RT partner, Mac when he arrived. The group finally crossed the border and checked in. Back together again, Dave was busy changing his flat tire. Mac would sleep over here with the Keith & Dave and then return with Dave's car rental in the morning. All set. I'd ride back with Greg to Alpine and ride home from there.


Good ride guys, we all made it with just a broken spoke, forgotten wallet, one flat tire and sore butts! Saying "adios", Greg helped me load the SOMA on the car rack and we were off westward. They were off to Motel 6, a few mile away.

Greg Sherman met us at the Yuma finish

On the way back, we talked cycling, RAW, Padres baseball and weather. Encountered high cross-winds going up I-8 to Jacumba and patchy fog on the way to Alpine. Be tough cycling west in that weather! Greg dropped me off at the Circle K on Tavern Road in Alpine. Thanks Greg!


I went inside and got a hot choc, tried to eat something and gulped a Cliff Turbo Shot Gel. That stuff has so much caffeine it's black! I needed something, it was 43 degrees and 1:00 AM was way past my bedtime. I hung around too long before leaving. Fast downhill leaving Alpine and I forgot to hook up my dyno-hub. Another stop took care of that. Next up was the "fork shake", caused from being cold. Couldn't wait for the next climb to warm up. A quick run into Lakeside and a easy climb past Lake Jennings. That Turbo was feeling good by now.


Made a stop outside the local Lakeside 7-Eleven to add some chamois creme to my sore butt. Next up was the climb up Hwy. 67, not my favorite one. I got sweat in my eyes and wiped it with my carry-rag. Of course that was dirty and then my eyes started to burn. Out come the Kleenex to wipe away the sting. After forever, I made the climb and decided to turn on Scripps Poway Pkwy. Another fast cold downhill. Slight climb up Pomerado Road kept me warm enough. Crossed Hodges on I-15 and then took the Inland Rail Trail over to San Marcos. Back home again for some food, hot shower and nap time. The sun wasn't even up yet!

Route VIDEO.

Overcast to full sunny skies
Hi: 91     Lo: 51 (Garmin)
Wind: SW to 17mph
248 miles

-randorides