{"id":492,"date":"2017-05-10T20:20:31","date_gmt":"2017-05-11T03:20:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pididu.com\/wordpress\/bike2017\/?p=492"},"modified":"2018-01-13T09:04:25","modified_gmt":"2018-01-13T17:04:25","slug":"ocotillo-ca","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/pididu.com\/wordpress\/bike2017\/ocotillo-ca\/","title":{"rendered":"Ocotillo, CA"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"wet
The fog from last night turned into a drizzle that wet everything. It was still drizzling when I went out to breakfast at the diner next door. The locals as well as myself agreed that overcast weather is a blessing for cyclists in the desert.\u00a0 I left Pine Valley at 8:37<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"HPIM4037s.jpg\"
The first two climbs were in drizzle and fog. I had turned on my rear flasher light just in case. But soon, the road dried out. It was still cold. I kept my jacket on all day, even in the desert.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"PCT
At Boulder Oaks Campground, the Pacific Crest Trail crosses the Southern Tier Route. I was taking a picture of the landmark location when Soren walked by. He started his hike 2 days ago, and has gone 26 miles. Our encounter was brief, because we both had to make miles.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"puddle\"
At one of the early summits, there was this puddle. At the diner, they told me that it was raining in Ocotillo, my destination for the day. Apparently, I was chasing the storm. I hoped it would outrun me.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Tecate
Taken with the self-timer. Yes, there is some altitude, here.\u00a0 Still overcast, and the road is dry.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Boulevard
I stopped at this grocery store in Boulevard just before noon, and had a microwave burrito for lunch. Wished they had hot chocolate or something, as the day was cold, but no. Nice hand-painted lettering on their signs, whoever did it.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"angels
I had this image in my head of an angel on a bike going before me, pointing out the hazards in the bike lane.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"border
That brown line to the right is the border fence. Beyond it is Mexico. The fence seems to be quite tall. Along the road in this section, I noticed one, small, not very fresh onion on the ground. Wonder who dropped it? There are the kinds of things I can contemplate when navigation isn’t demanding all my time.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There was a 3-mile, 6% descent, then another 6-mile, 6% descent down Interstate 8 into the valley. The shoulders were wide and clean. But the wind was fierce in places.<\/p>\n

\"main
It only took about half an hour to get to Ocotillo after entering Highway 8. Rather small town, and it really feels like the desert.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Ocotillo
I didn’t see the Motel right away. It was just a few rooms, combined with an RV park. I saw Ed working on the sign, outside, and asked if there was room for one cyclist. At first, he thought I was a different cylist who had made a reservation.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Just then, a woman on a fully loaded touring bike pulled up. It was the other cyclist.<\/p>\n

\"Louise
Louise (L), who was traveling with her friend, Mike McGhee (R). They are not a couple, Louise has a partner back in Quebec, and Mike’s wife is in Georgia. Louise retired from a government job in Canada, and Mike is a retired veterinarian.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ed told us that we could get settled into our rooms, and his sister would be back to check us in. And also that the only grocery store \/ cafe closed at 3 pm, and it was 2:15, so we went over to get supplies. Louise found out that there was the Lazy Lizard Bar next door, that stayed open until 9 pm, and served pizza. So it wasn’t necessary to buy dinner.<\/p>\n

When Ed’s sister, Margaret, checked us in, it was just a matter of charging our credit cards. $50 for my room. She didn’t even ask us to fill out a form or anything.<\/p>\n

\"Mike's
Mike rides a recumbent. He’s making the perimeter tour of the entire USA, and blogging at http:\/\/www.crazyguyonabike.com\/doc\/18866<\/a> I’m pretty sure his bike costed more than our car.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"guy
Mike carries a guitar and set of harmonicas on his bike. He’s riding to raise awareness for the Fender Music Foundation, which helps get instruments and materials for kids in need.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n