March 4, 2023. San Diego to Alpine, CA. 36 miles, with 2,610 feet of climbing

So day one of this adventure, at least the biking part, is in the books. After a lot of ceremony, (which Josh duly recorded), we took off from San Diego and made it to Alpine, California. Only a total of around 36 miles, though the climbing made it somewhat challenging. The course thankfully involved a lot of bike trails and a fair amount of bike lanes, when the trails ended. Our first “SAG” stop was in Mission Trails Park, following the Junipero Serra Trail. Saw some absolutely stunning scenery, (mostly rock cliffs and bluffs…very dramatic). I took a few pictures, and will hopefully be able to download them shortly for you all to review.

I found a great crew of about 6-7 guys to ride with, with all of us having about the same ability. One of the guys in the group, I discovered, went to the same college (Marshall University), and graduated with a business degree one year before I graduated. We shared our recollections of professors and of course, good ol’ West Virginia. “Jim Bob” (a great WV name) grew up in Oak Hill, and married a girl from Parkersburg. They have traveled all around the US, and now live in Minneapolis. All that was missing was a serenade of “Almost Heaven, West Virginia”. I suspect we would have been up for it along the way, had it not been for the long slow climbs that were admittedly challenging.

Arrived at the Ayres Lodge around 2:30pm or so, and checked in. Showered and began the process of re-charging our bike lights, chargers, phones, watches, and “power banks”. Ah, such 1st world problems, huh?

Tomorrow, (March 5th) we cycle from Alpine to Jacumba, CA. The trek tomorrow is approximately 52 miles, but will involve 4,934 feet of climbing. I’m told by the staff that tomorrow is the toughest day of the entire trip. Perhaps I should call an Uber, huh? Hope every one is doing well. Thanks so much for the encouragement and support. It is GREATLY appreciated! I promise to post pictures, (if I can ever get fluent at that!). More to come!