We are finally in a town with a bike shop! Hurray! Kelley can get her cable fixed before climbing the Southern California Coastal Mountains. We got to the shop shortly after they opened at 10 and left the bike and walked around the town.
Downtown El Centro didn’t offer much in the way of sightseeing, or anything else for that matter. It’s a shame because there was a lot of Art Deco architecture and you could tell the town used to be quite charming. We stopped at a coffee shop for an early lunch so we could just cycle once the bike was ready.
We got on the road around noon. We had to take an alternate route out of town as the shorter route had a road closure. The alternate route was billed on the map as an alternate to the poorly maintained road on the main route. If this road was an improvement, we can’t imagine what the other road was like. This is, without a doubt, the worst road we have ever seen. Huge chunks of road were just gone, and the parts that were there were cracked and uneven. It was like cycling on the moon. We tried cycling on the dirt shoulder, but it got so deep we couldn’t keep our balance. The only thing keeping us from screaming was the nice scenery, and the million sheep we passed.
Our reward for surviving this horrid road was cycling Nirvana through the Yuha desert. We were in another dune area, but this time, no dune buggies obstructed the views.
We had been steadily climbing from below sea level to the tiny town of Ocotillo, around 500 feet.
We checked into our lodging and went to the local watering hole for a drink and a bite to eat. The couple that owned the bar had retired to Ocotillo from San Diego. They moved because it was so peaceful and he raced motocross bikes.
The next morning we had breakfast at the only breakfast spot in town, which just happened to be owned by the same couple. The service was fast, and we were on the road early.
This was a big day! We would be climbing from 500 feet to over 5000 feet in one day, over a relatively short distance- and partly on the interstate. Although this isn’t as high as Emory Pass in New Mexico, we were at a much higher elevation then than we are now.
The climb was a challenge. Twelve miles up up up on I8. To give you an idea of the steepness, there are signs telling motorists to cut off their air conditioning so as not to overheat their engines, and about every mile or so there are pull offs where you can add radiator water if you need to.
The traffic wasn’t as bad as expected, and most every vehicle changed lanes or slowed down when passing us on the side shoulder. The scenery was stark, but still interesting and beautiful. We wondered if the motorists took time to notice as they climbed.
Once off the highway, we still had about 16 miles to Jacumba Hot Springs, which is right on the Mexico border. It used to be a destination for wealthy Californians but seemed tired and run down. We stopped for lunch at a soul food restaurant that seemed out of place up on the mountain.
After we left, we continued climbing. To our left we could see the border wall for a few miles. The climbs were not as long as the first, but were steep, and followed by descents into the valleys that were equally steep.
The final climb of the day was the climb that took us over 5000 feet. It was l o o o n g and steep. About a mile from the top there was a border security checkpoint. Bruce got a salute as he passed through!
Our destination was Pine Valley, a quaint town in the valley between this high peak and tomorrow’s final peak. It is a beautiful enclave with rare Jeffrey Pines everywhere. We checked in to our lodging and cooked our rehydrated meal, exhausted from all the climbing!
Tomorrow-San Diego!
Total cycling mileage: 40+48=88
Total hiking mileage: 3+6=9
