March 6, 2023. Jacumba to Mexicali, CA. 52 miles

We basically undid all of the ascending we did yesterday. Left camp at 7:30 this morning, and arrived in Mexicali just a little past noon. After following the dirt road back to the main road, we headed down I-8. When I say “down”, I mean “down”. The morning’s course was a cross between frightening and terrifying, as we rocketed back down the mountain. While the scenery was absolutely stunning, I didn’t have much time to enjoy it, since the decline was so steep that it took complete concentration to keep the bike on the shoulder. Once we started rolling downhill, we saw absolutely stunning rock cliffs and ravines. Essentially riding on the shoulder of the highway, we were passed by semi trucks and cars probably going 75 – 80 miles per hour. For about a 12 mile stretch, signs along the side of the road warned about cross winds, and several times I felt pulled sharply either toward the highway, or toward the guardrail. There is no doubt that if the brakes failed on this downhill, the choices would be very limited, and the outcome pretty dire. On one section of the road, we were forced to gather and have one of the vans “escort” us down the road, since the shoulder was completely in operable. Sorry for such a lengthy description, but it was truly an experience.

Once we finished the descent, we were emptied out into the desert, where you could see for miles and miles. The terrain was relatively flat, and after an hour or so of descending, it felt good to feel the pedals under my feet. We finished our 50+ mile ride today in Mexicali, and extremely interesting border town of around 35,000 people. We are staying in the gym of a Mission School, run by the 7th Day Adventists. This K-12 school hosts approximately 300 kids, mostly from Mexico. The border wall is immediately to the back of the school, and it truly was heartwarming to see these kids being picked up after school, and driven back across the border. The kids will be hosting our dinner tonight, so it should be fascinating to meet some of them. I’m sure I’ll have more to write soon.