We soaked in the hot springs, showered, had dinner and a beer at the hotel diner, and set in for another good night's sleep.ĭay 3 - Jacumba to Glamis (A to B, map 2)
Not a lot of mileage, but after all that climbing and not enough preparation, we were happy to splurge a bit at the Jacumba Hot Springs Hotel, right next to the Mexican border. That night we made it into Jacumba, after completing only a mere 40 miles. After a solid meal and a serious mental pep talk we headed out. We labored uphill until we peaked at around 4200', then cruised into Pine Valley for some lunch. The morning started in much the same way that it ended - with an uphill climb. I was a bit slow in rising due to the cold and some sore legs, but eventually we made it to the campground store for some snacks, and then were on the road again. Though the chilly mountain air made waking up difficult, the wild turkeys and their noises made waking necessary. There was no dinner to be had anywhere, so we snacked on what was in our packs, set up our tents, and were quickly off to sleep.ĭay 2 - Alpine to Jacumba (B to C, map 1) It wasn't quite dark yet, but being that it was late April and were at an elevation of a few thousand feet, it got chilly quick. We were too late to check in, as the office had already closed, but we saw someone cleaning who let us slip in on the agreement that we would pay our dues in the morning. Our last 20 miles were a serious uphill battle, and around the time our weary and not yet road accustomed legs nearly gave out, we had completed 50 miles and reached the Ma Tar Awa RV Park just east of the Viejas Casino. We made some good progress, stopped for a pizza lunch, then hit the road again. We left at about 9:30am from Crystal Pier in Pacific Beach after a few goodbyes, and were riding a high heading out of the city. Less than $250 later I was offically ready.ĭay 1 - San Diego to Alpine (A to B, map 1) So I bought city tires to put on my mountain bike, got a pair of cheap and used saddlebags on Craigslist, and then purchased the minimal gear I'd need (shoes, clips, riding shorts, backpacking tent/sleeping bag). I, however, didn't want to spend much money since I'd only be going for a week. He purchased a new touring bike, new waterproof front and rear saddlebags, cycling shoes, gloves, tent, sleeping bag, and an assortment of smaller, useful items. But it just goes to show that it doesn't take as much prep as you would think to do something like this.Īs far as cycling gear goes, my friend had decided to spend some money on some quality gear, and justifiably so, since he was prepping for a 4000 mile ride. Needless to say we were worn out that night. To put this in perspective, on our first day of the trip we rode about 50 miles, all uphill, heading from the coast up to about 3000' feet. We rode 2 or 3 days a week for the month leading up, starting the first ride with less than 10 miles and maxing out with a ride at about 30 miles a week or so prior to departure. The entire trip plan was finalized a mere month before departure, so we didn't really do much training. The point where we were to depart each other's company was still uncertain. The tentative route was to parallel the 8 Freeway from the coast towards El Centro, then head northeast where we could meet up with I-10 at the CA-AZ border, then head east towards Phoenix. The route was chosen using Adventure Cycling Maps. My friend was going to continue on across the United States. The plan was to start at the beach in San Diego and head towards Phoenix where my girlfriend would pick me up a week later and drive me back to San Diego. Jump To: The Plan | General Route | Training | Preparation/Gear | Daily Details | Photosīy Day: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 He was quitting his job and taking 2-3 months to make the trip, so I took him up on his offer and decided to ride the first week with him to send him off. A friend of mine actually had decided to ride cross country, from San Diego to Massachusetts (somewhere around 4000 miles), and I was offered the opportunity to accompany him. Also, just to be clear, I didn't just get up one day and decide to ride my bike 400 miles. APRIL, 2009 - I briefly wrote about my bicycle trip from San Diego to Arizona here, but I've been thinking for a while that a trip like this really warrants a better write up and more photos.
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