Day 6: Thursday, 3/10/16, Dateland, AZ to Gila Bend, AZ

Day 6 distance:  52 miles

Total miles:  326.5 miles

Elevation Gain:  760 feet

Map of today's ride:

There was a pretty sunset last night in Dateland but it came too late to make yesterday's blog, so I am including it today:

Sunset at Dateland, Arizona on March 9, 2016.

Today's ride was almost a repeat of yesterday, with the only difference being it was about 19 miles shorter at 52 miles. We woke up this morning to a temperature of 50 degrees so arm warmers were worn for about the first 15 miles while the sun warmed the air. After that, is was short sleeves and a lot of water consumed to stay hydrated. Currently in Gila Bend, our day's destination, it is 86 degrees at 2:20 pm. We are staying at a KOA Campground tonight that has a large air conditioned activity center with a TV, pool table, and tables that we will be seated for dinner (meat loaf). By the time we go to bed (around 9 pm) our tents will be cool enough for sleeping. And by midnight, long johns, a long sleeved top and stocking cap will be on my head, as it really cools down on the desert at night!

Today we rode for 35 miles on the shoulder of Interstate 8. It is legal to ride on the shoulder when there are no alternative parallel roads, which is usually the case when riding across vast expanses of deserts. Today more time was spent on the interstate than will be for the entire remainder of the C2C ride. I don't mind riding on the interstate as I believe it is much safer than many of the shouldered secondary roads we travel. The traffic is only going one direction in wide lanes, and there is a rumble strip to warn drivers and bicyclists if a car is entering the shoulder. However, there is a downside, and that is  the high speed noise of continual traffic passing does wear on one's nerves.

Because we did spend so much time riding in the desert today, I only took two pictures as more would just be a repeat of the same thing:

This picture was taken from our first SAG stop at a Rest Area on I-8, about 17 miles east of Dateland.

These are the first Saquaro cactus I have observed on this trip. In the days ahead, they will become much more common. 

 

 

Since today's blog is short, I will add a couple miscellaneous pictures: 

Two fellow coasters standing in front of the welcoming sign at the city limits of Gila Bend. On the left is Kurt Frederick from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and on the right is John Ilenin from North Olmsted, Ohio. Note on the welcome sign behind Kurt and John, it states there are 1917 friendly people in Gila Bend and 5 Old Crabs  ("Crabs" is hidden behind Kurt.) The interesting part is that on the blue square below the "And 5" are the names of the 5 crabs.

 

This is Margie Skaggs, our traveling massage therapist from Louisville, Kentucky. She has been with Bubba since 2012.  Not only is Margie a great massage therapist, but she is also a great hugger!

 

Tomorrow we will ride 81 miles from Gila Bend to Casa Grande, Arizona. Our longest ride to date.

LINK to Day 5 of my 2015 C2C blog.

Day 5: Wednesday 3/09/16, Yuma, AZ to Dateland, AZ

Day 5 distance:  71 miles

Total miles:  272 miles

Elevation Gain:  1049 feet

Map of today's ride:

Today was another great day of riding! We left Yuma this morning with blue skies and a temperature of around 50 degrees. Early this afternoon when we arrived in Dateland, my phone said the local temperature was 80 degrees. Even better, we had a mild tail wind throughout the ride.

The ride was uneventful for most riders, although one rider caught her husband's rear wheel in a wind gust and tipped over. She cracked her helmet when she hit the concrete of the freeway, but says she feels fine although a little sore. Another rider's rear derailleur hangar broke on a one year old electronic shift bicycle. Fortunately, he had a spare derailleur hangar in his spare parts bag, so the bicycle was repaired this evening and is ready for tomorrow. He was given a SAG support member's bicycle to ride the rest of today so did not lose an inch of his C2C ride.

We are tent camping in Dateland, Arizona tonight. Most riders stopped at the local travel center to try their famous Date and Cactus milk shakes. Most liked what they tried, but I didn't hear of anyone trying to obtain the recipes so they could make them at home! I am still undecided if I will walk over for a milkshake after dinner, but since I have tried both kinds in the past, my choice if I do go would be a good old chocolate shake!

Tomorrow we will ride 52 miles to Gila Bend, AZ. The Gila Bend weather forecast is looking good with a low of 52 tonight and a high of 84 degrees tomorrow.

Today's pictures:

Beautiful morning as we head away from the Yuma National Guard Armory where we spent the night.

The scenery was beautiful for most of today's ride. This scene was about ten miles out of Yuma, shortly before entering Dome Valley, the "Salad Bowl" of America.

This is representative of the farmer's homes in Dome Valley. It appears that farming salad ingredients is a profitable venture!

For a considerable distance and depth along side the Dove Valley road, this farmer was growing something protected from the the elements and animals. I don't know what the crop was (strawberries?), but if one of the readers of this blog knows, please leave a comment so we will all know.

This individual was flood irrigating a field planted with some vegetable. He did not understand English, but understood the camera and posed for the picture. I always ask the person if it he will agree to be photographed.

These workers were harvesting cabbages.

This is the bicycle that experienced the broken derailleur today. The broken derailleur is being held up from the ground by the chain.

This individual was riding in the ditch alongside the road next to a field of cabbages. I do not know why the shotgun was hanging on the bicycle, but it does makes a good case for asking permission before taking someone's photo!

Some coasters riding through Dome Valley.

A pretty scene as we were exiting Dove Valley.

This roadside diner in Tacna, Arizona is closed on Wednesday, but opens up each year to serve lunch to Bubba's riders when they pass by. The food is top notch, but better yet, is the fact that the diner should be on the list of the Historical Register. The inside is like traveling back in time but is exceptionally clean and in like-original condition. A spot to stop if ever traveling down Interstate 8 to or from San Diego.

Pretty flowers with a pretty mountain in the background. Located off I-8 about 15 miles before Dateline.

Link to day 5 of my 2015 C2C blog.

Day 04: Tuesday 3/08/16, Calexico, CA to Yuma, AZ

Day 4 distance: 65.5 miles

Total miles: 202.5 miles

Elevation Gain: 1113 feet

Map of today's ride:

Unknown planting about 10 miles east of Calexico, California.

I started today's blog with the picture above to show you what a beautiful day we had today! We woke up to blue sky and much warmer temperatures which reached 76 degrees by the time I arrived in Yuma, Arizona. It was very nice to be able to bicycle in normal temperatures for this area for this time of year, and we all have already forgotten about the last two days fighting of cold, rain, sleet, and high winds!

The 65 mile ride today was very pleasant and mainly uneventful. For most of the ride we had a good tailwind to make the ride even more pleasant. The only issue we faced were some very rough roads. The first section of extremely bumpy road was along most of a 20 mile stretch on the shoulder of Interstate 8. About every 8 to 10 feet, the road's shoulder was split open as wide as 4-5 inches with lips projecting upwards on both sides of the split a couple inches high. Then, about 20 miles from Yuma, we rode a 4.5 mile stretch of Araz Road which was full of cracks and pot holes. For most of that section of the ride, speeds were limited speeds to just a few miles per hour. The following is a picture taken of the Araz Road surface. Of course on any long ride one should expect sections of rough roads so one just accepts it and rides on!

Road surface of Araz Road, 20 miles from the end of today's ride.

 

Following are a few miscellaneous pictures from today's ride:

Fellow Coaster Tom Coe looking at a crop of corn that had just been flood irrigated near Calexico.

Interstate 8 crosses the All-American Canal near Yuma. This is the life blood of the desert.

The Imperial Dunes Recreational Area as seen from Interstate 8.

The Church of Felicity at Felicity, California, also where the Center of the Earth has been legally declared.

A twenty foot section from the Eiffel Tower, now located in Felicity, California. It was purchased in 1989 when the original stairway was replaced. This monument is called "The Stairway to Heaven."

This driver was driving on the dry Colorado River at the border between California and Arizona at Yuma. The back end of his pickup apparently sunk in the sand.  It looked like he had a hole dug in the sand about 2 feet deep by one back wheel, but the effort was looking hopeless.

I was riding alone as I entered Arizona so I had an opportunity to try out the selfie stick I bought for the ride. The stick worked although it appears the picture taker did not want his picture taken. :)  Also note that my name on the vest is not only for strangers but also comes in handy for me once in a while.

I was cramp free last night so I am assuming that my normal early ride cramp episode is behind us just like the bad weather!

LINK to Day 4 of my 2015 C2C blog.

Day 3: Monday 3/07/16, Live Oak Springs to Calexico, CA

Day 3 distance: 63 miles

Total distance: 138 miles

Elevation Gain: 1533 feet
Elevation Lost: 5435 feet

Map of today's ride:

We woke up to rain showers but the weather didn't look too bad until we were transported to Live Oak Springs, where our bicycles had been stored at the end of yesterday's ride, about a 30 minute drive away. When we arrived, it was very cold and extremely windy but at the time it was not raining.

Getting our bikes ready to leave Live Oaks Springs this morning. As you can see, it had been raining but had stopped when the picture was taken. What you can't see are the high winds present at that time.

The total distance of today's ride was 63 miles. We rode rain free for about 15 miles to our first SAG stop so I was able to get some pictures without rain. Although very cool, it looked like it might be a nice day.

This is a typical scene along Old US Highway 80.

Our first sighting of the wall between the US and Mexico. Along Old US Highway 80.

This is a picture of the first SAG stop just before we started our descent out of the Sierra's to the Yuba desert. 

The wind had increased significantly as we approached the first SAG stop. (Note how Chandler, one of the trip's bicycle mechanics, is hanging on to his hood to keep it over his head along with his vest blowing open.) Just as we left the SAG stop, to begin an 8 mile descent with a 6% grade, heavy rain also started falling. The ride down this grade was very treacherous to say the least. Not only did the wind gusts come close to tipping bicycles over, but the rain, at times turned to sleet, made braking the bicycle extremely difficult. With my brakes held down as tight as possible, the slowest speed I could achieve was about 20 miles per hour. All one could do was try to ride it out, as on the steeper grades, it was impossible to come to a complete stop. It was a very stressful ride down the grade, but fortunately, everyone made it down safely. 

The rain continued for several miles and then stopped as the front passed. I got a few more pictures at that time:

The rain front had just passed over these wind generators as can be seen by the cloud line.

The three other Coasters I rode with today, form left to right: Gerald Allard, Gene Ice, and Tom Coe.

I liked the old buggy and old pickup in front of what appeared to be an old abandoned homestead.

Time to get moving! Another rain front is coming!!

Look at the support that appears when a Coaster has a flat tire! Three other Coasters and one of our traveling mechanics! You can't say we Coasters aren't pampered!

Shortly after the flat tire the rain and wind hit a second time. We were drenched once again. The only good part was that the wind was a tail wind that pushed us along at 26-30 mph for the last 20 miles to Calexico!

We arrived in Calexico about 90 minutes before we could get into the school so we found a cafe for some pastry, hot chocolate and coffee. From left to right: J.T. Turner, Tres Smith, and Gerald Allard.

Overall, we encountered many weather changes today, most of them not good- rain, sleet, strong winds, and gusty winds! Temperatures ranged from low enough for sleet to the low 50's, but when your gloves are wet and you are wet, it seems much cooler than the air temperature. We are happy that we are staying at the Calexico Mission School gym tonight which is heated and has warm showers. The senior class at the school prepared a very good Mexican dinner for us along with hot chocolate chip cookies for dessert. We also got to share a birthday cake that had been prepared for one of the coasters celebrating his birthday today.

Tomorrow the weather is forecast to be changing for the better. No rain and highs in the low 70's. It sounds like a perfect day for another day of travel to Yuma, Arizona.!

Cramp update: One upper left leg cramp right about bed time last night. Tonight I used another Coaster's muscle roller on my legs, in hopes that it will help eliminate the cramps.

Link to Day 3 of my 2015 Blog

Day 2: Sunday 3/06/16, Alpine, CA to Live Oak Springs, CA

Day's Distance:  32 miles

Total Distance: 75 miles

Elevation Gain: 4475 feet

Map of today's ride:

Fortunately the first day of this year's C2C the weather was beautiful, as a weather change overnight resulted in today's conditions being terrible. During the night, I could occasionally hear rain drops hitting the tent. This morning at breakfast and when we started riding it was dry, however, only a few miles out it started pouring. Not only was there no let up, but as we gained elevation, we encountered either a strong tail-wind (the good kind), or a very strong and gusty side-wind (the bad kind.) Then toward the end of the ride, the rain turned into sleet. I was glad I had put my bicycle fenders on last night but in a continual downpour such as we encountered today, fenders will not prevent a rider from becoming thoroughly chilled and soaked.  For some riders, climbing over 4400 feet along with the weather conditions, they could not complete today's ride. Today's conditions were much worse than any encountered during the 29 day's I rode last year's C2C.

Today's ride destination had proven too cold in the past to camp this time of year, so our bicycles were put in locked storage and we were shuttled back to last night's camp at Alpine, California. Everyone felt a lot better after a warm shower and changing into dry clothes.

Due to the inclement weather, I only took two pictures today, so if you are interested in seeing the terrain of the country we rode thru, please open the link at the end of this post to last year's same day on last year''s C2C ride.

Similar picture was taken last year when leaving our Alpine, California camping site, taken before the rain started, but showing the dark cloudy day. Look at the same picture via the link for a comparison to last year's conditions.

We had one SAG stop today at about 20 miles. It was a mistake to stop as being drenched by this point and even though it was a short stop, the impact of chill to our bodies became overpowering.

Followup to last night's cramp discussion: Everything that was discussed yesterday to counter my cramping problem at the start of long rides failed. About two hours after going to sleep, I woke up to cramps in both of my upper legs. Then about an hour later I woke up to a cramp in my left calf. If this is a repeat of last year, I will have one lesser cramp tonight and then none the rest of the journey. (Or so I hope!)

Link to Day 2 of my 2015 Blog 

Day 1: Saturday 3/05/16, The Pacific Ocean at San Diego to Alpine, California

Day 1 Distance: 43 miles

Total Distance: 43 miles

Elevation Gain: 3530 feet

Map of today's ride:

Day 0: Friday 3/04/16, Bubba's C2C Clothing and Pre-Ride Meeting

Coast to Coast Clothing:

On the morning before departure, Bubba and his staff give each Coaster several items of C2C clothing.

Bubba giving clothing pickup instructions to the riders.

The items each rider received were the following: A rider's jersey, a short sleeve riding shirt, a long sleeve riding shirt, a fleece jacket, a fluorescent riding vest, a rain jacket, and a backpack.

Clothing items each rider received to commemorate the 2016 C2C ride.

In the afternoon an informational meeting was held where Bubba outlined the rider's daily routine, his expectations of the riders, as well as what the riders should expect from his 19 member staff. All staff members were introduced followed by each of the 37 riders giving a brief introduction of themselves. This was followed by an excellent dinner for everyone.

Tomorrow is the big day when we will be dipping our rear bicycle tires in the Pacific Ocean and we start our bicycling journey across the United States.