Cameron Corners to El Centro, CA
Daily route with an accidental pause
Daily Elevation
It was a pretty cold and rainy night sleeping in the tent. When I stayed here during my two PCT hikes in April, there was ice on our tent, so I knew what to expect and passed the word on to the others to be prepared for a cold night here at Lake Moreno. Because of that, everyone was prepared and seemed to have a good night sleep. Although is was pretty cold when we woke up, people seemed rearing to go. Today is the longest day so far at almost 70 miles and with all the downhill, it is predicted to be a pretty fun ride. Just after 9 AM everyone was geared up and ready to go.
 Brrrrrr |  Mel and Jackie dressed for the cold |
We rode for about 45 minutes when a climb appeared in front of us. At this point, everyone decided to strip off some of the layers knowing that most of today's climb was about to take place in the next hour.
Stripping down some layers
 Jackie making the climb with Tim close behind  Typical scenery of the day |  Mel and Bill pushing the tandem beast up the climb  Happy to make it to what seemed like the top...it wasn't |
 Tim from the front |  Tim from behind |
After yesterday's climbing we all felt pretty good about the "only" 2,119 feet of climbing we had to do today, but it was a pretty brutal climb. At the top we all stopped for a much needed breath of air.
Tim, Jackie, & Gerri resting at the actual top of the hill
Up over the hill and bit of down we came to Mountain Top Market & Gas...a perfect place for a rest stop.
We hung out here for about 30 minutes before we were all ready to hit the road. We were now a bit nervous because we are about to ride on the shoulder of Interstate 8 for the next 15 miles. There was a California Highway Patrol at the store that told us that our ride on I-8 was going to be safer than the ride we just had on California Highway 94. He also told us to make sure we bundled up for the ride down since it was going to be windy. We really didn't know what to make of his comments, but his comment about safety did make us feel better about riding along the interstate.
 Tim on the entrance ramp to I-8 |  Mel & Bill entering I-8 |
Once on the interstate, all our fears were gone. The shoulder was wide and smooth with a rumble strip protecting us from the traffic.
Beautiful road to ride on
 Mary & Jackie enjoying the ride along I-8 |  Ride Tim, ride |
We went down for about 8 glorious miles and then there was a bit of a climb. It was a bit deceiving since it seemed like we were on level ground, but with the hard breathing and looking back, we can tell that we climbed for almost 5 miles. Then, signs appeared stating that there was a truck brake test area ahead and signs that warned of high winds next 12 miles. I made it to the crest and decided to wait for the others before descending the hill with signs that warned trucks of a 6% down hill grade ahead. The wind was whipping, but we were lucky enough to have a stop with a container to hide behind.
Hiding from the wind on the side of I-8
While standing there I decided to check on m phone how far our next planned rest stop was in Ocotillo. According to Google maps, it was 13 miles away, but check out the elevation loss we are about to experience:
2,851 feet down in the next 13 miles!
WOW! We are all excited and a bit worried about a 13 mile, 2,851 feet drop, but we jumped on our bicycles and were off. The next 13 miles were both exciting and frightening. The road was steep and the wind was whipping making it feel like the bicycle was moving sideways at some points. My bicycle would have easily gone over 40 miles per hour if I didn't keep pulling the brakes, making my hands and forearms burn during the descent. The daredevil in me wanted to just see how fast I could go, as I approached 40 mph and the wind whipped me around, I pulled on the brakes to keep control. The 13 miles were completed in 30 minutes making the average speed 26 miles per hour. WOW!!! At least some of us averaged 20-26 miles per hour, as we waited at the bottom of the hill for Tim to catch up.
Where is Tim?
To be fair, we only waited about 5 minutes for Tim to catch up to us.
We went to Red Feather Off-Road Market & Cafe for lunch. This was about the 42 mile point of a 69 mile day. Now that we were off the interstate, we weren't too concerned about the last 27 miles since we were headed directly east and there was a 20-25 mph wind blowing out of the west. We figures we can finish this ride up in less than 2 hours. After lunch we saddled up and make our turn east only to find road closed sign. I rode to the bar across the street and the locals said that a bridge was out, but it was passable....cool...let's get going.
We went to Red Feather Off-Road Market & Cafe for lunch. This was about the 42 mile point of a 69 mile day. Now that we were off the interstate, we weren't too concerned about the last 27 miles since we were headed directly east and there was a 20-25 mph wind blowing out of the west. We figures we can finish this ride up in less than 2 hours. After lunch we saddled up and make our turn east only to find road closed sign. I rode to the bar across the street and the locals said that a bridge was out, but it was passable....cool...let's get going.
 Road closed...who cares |  Tim crossing the closed bridge |
By the way...look closely at the road with the "Road Closed" sign. Notice how beat up with cracks and potholes it is? Well...this is the way the road was for the next 19 miles. Yes we had a 20-25 mph tailwind, but we weren't able to make the time that we expected. Plus, our group experienced our first mechanical issue when Jackie blew a tire. As Jackie and Jimmy were busy fixing the tire down the road, the rest of us took a break on the closed bridge:
Chilling out
After 25 minutes we were back on the broken, cracking, bumping, but hard to complain because there is a tailwind, road. Bill and Mel were leading on the tandem and I was following behind swerving and bobbing around the holes as they did. After a bit I looked behind to find nobody else there. I stopped and my phone beeped with a message that Jackie has another flat. Bill & Mel, who was a bit in front of me finally came to a stopped and turned around. I rode to them as they attempted, against a 25 mph wind to ride to me. We determined that it was crazy to try to ride the 2 miles against the wind back to Jackie and it was too windy to wait here on the side of the open desert, so we decided to ride to the next town 3 mile east. Meanwhile, Jackie, Jimmy, Tim, and Mary helped with the flat:
 Flat tire repair clinic |  The culprit |
Meanwhile...5 miles ahead, we found a hay bale under a tree on the side of the road to wait.
Bill, Mel, & Gerri patiently waiting
Another 30 minute or so wait and we were all back together again ready to tackle the last 11 miles of the day. Which we finally finished almost 8 hours after the start.
Bill, Mel, Tim, and I are staying at an AirBnB tonight since the RV park doesn't allow tents. It was cleared with our host that everyone could come over for dinner. Mel, Mary, and Jackie made us some delicious chicken and tofu fajitas that really hit the spot after the long day in the saddle. Tomorrow is a zero day meaning that we have a day off and don't ride. After the first three days, we all need this little break.
Bill, Mel, Tim, and I are staying at an AirBnB tonight since the RV park doesn't allow tents. It was cleared with our host that everyone could come over for dinner. Mel, Mary, and Jackie made us some delicious chicken and tofu fajitas that really hit the spot after the long day in the saddle. Tomorrow is a zero day meaning that we have a day off and don't ride. After the first three days, we all need this little break.
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