March 5, 2023: Alpine to Jacumba, CA. 52 miles, 4,934 climbing elevation

Last night, the chefs prepared a pretty good meal of steak and asparagus, along with mushroom risotto. While the meal was good, eating anything with plastic forks and knives while seated at a picnic table out in the parking lot of our hotel in 42 degree weather added a few complexities, which resulted in the relatively short amount of time we spent enjoying our food. With all activities for this trip being outside (for the most part), a debrief meeting followed the meal. There we sat, huddled in our ski jackets, parkas, and winter hats, listening what we did right, what we did wrong, and what was in store for us in the next day.

Today was supposedly the toughest day of the tour. It consisted of only 51 miles, but the course elevation climbed a total of just under 5,000 feet for the day. With some very long and slow climbs, I think we only averaged about 8 miles per hour, though on a few downhills, my speedometer registered 32.5 MPH. It may have been even more, but I was so scared to look after seeing the 32 MPH mark, I simply held on for dear life and prayed that I would maintain enough visibility to keep the bike on the road.

The weather was pretty cool most of the day, with temps in the low 40’s in the morning. Climbing the up hills made thing seem almost too warm, but the descents felt like you were riding through a walk-in freezer. Saw a fair amount of snow on the ground in the higher elevations, and also witnessed the results of a lot of land and rock slides along the road. We even had a little less than an hour riding on the interstate, (I-8), but fortunately the shoulder was protected by concrete barriers. The mountains here in very Southern California are very dramatic and impressive. They consist of primarily rocks and bluffs in the distance, with sagebrush, some cactus, and small trees that required little or no water to survive. We even got a very up-close and personal view of the Border Wall, which separates the US from Mexico. The part we road close to spans for miles, over very rough and rugged terrain. On top of the steel structure are endless miles of razor wire, which should provide a significant “dis-incentive” for anyone to pass from one side to the other.

After climbing and descending for most of the day, our Ride with GPS app pointed us to DeAnza Springs Resort in Jacumba, a “clothing optional” facility consisting of a number of RVs and a very small hotel. The road in was on a dirt road with a fair amount of sand, making the final 2 – 3 miles quite challenging and a little treacherous. The nudist aspect of things at the Resort probably explains why none of the rooms have very large closets. I’m sharing an RV with Rick, one of the riders, who has done a number of rides in the past, but none as extensive as one across the country. The 2 minute shower was refreshing, at least until the hot water turned off completely, making it more of a “polar plunge”. Tonight promises to be another interesting one, with temperatures appearing to dip into the 30’s overnight in this desert location. Given the lack of warm weather, I can only imagine 24 people crowded around one picnic table, in order to stay warm. I can’t tell you how thankful I am for packing my ski jacket! Alas, tomorrow is another day, though nearly as much climbing as today’s adventure.