Sat. March 26
Portrero to the Desert Tower at In Ko Pah Rd.
35 miles
Today there was a little more downhill, but I still had to walk some uphills. There were really no good places to stop and have a break. And it was cold! In the morning, I realized I had forgotten to pack any socks, and the only pair of shoes I have with are sandals. I met an Oregonian couple who had been kayaking in Baja for four months at the campground, and they gifted me a pair of socks!

One place I did stop was Wisteria Candy Cottage in Boulevard. It was great to have chocolates to nibble on for the rest of the day, but they didn’t have much space for me to stay out of the weather, so I moved on.

As the day wore on, I fantasized about calling Tyg, the friend I was planning to stay with this night, and having him pick me up and drive the rest of the way. But then the wind pushed me uphill for about the last 7 miles! Thank goodness it was going my way. Otherwise it would have stopped me.

Tyg gave me his tour of the Desert Tower. We Explored the caves and saw his side of the mountain. I had a relaxing bath, we watched Absolutely Fabulous, and it was great to talk with Tyg and his wife Alexa.

Sun. Mar. 27
Desert Tower to El Centro
25 miles riding
I had such a nice visit with Tyg and Alexa! I got to check out Tyg’s projects getting ready for the playa. An art car and a trailer! With the strong winds, Tyg and Alexa were a little worried I’d be blown off the road as descended down the 8. I’m still getting comfortable managing the fully loaded bike on screaming downhills, so I wasn’t to sad to accept a ride to Ocotoillo at the bottom of the hill.

Here’s my bike in the back of Tyg’s truck in front of the Desert Tower

The road surface on the S80 was rough!



This was a good section. Other than that, it was flat with little wind.

Today I fixed things! When I first started riding after getting my bike out of Tyg’s truck, my odometer wasn’t working, so I moved the sensor around to find the right spot! Later, I identified a noise and made it stop. It was the zipper pulls of my handlebar bag bouncing on the mounting bracket, so I moved them. Not rocket science, but it’s importoant to know what’s making noise on your bike, in case it’s something critical. Also, one of my water bottle cages jiggled loose on the bumpy road, and I tightened it back down. These are not the most major repairs by any means, but it’s just good to know I’ve been able to take care of what’s come up so far.

Plaster City on the way to El Centro sits idle and vacant.

I arrived in El Centro around 2:00 and got in touch with Elise and Phil Heald, parents of my friend Fred. They weren’t yet back from a weekend camping trip, so I found a great park about a block from their house to hang out in. It was such a treat to be able to stay with them! I did laundry and they took me out to dinner, even after I ate a plate of veggies and most of a box of crackers at the house. Biking makes me hungry!

It had also been nice to have a pretty short day. I haven’t been too sore so far, but am definitely feeling tired, but happy.

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