Day 4

By David Freeze

More than expected happened on an important day

I had a plan to attack big heat on the hottest day yet. My goal was to cross the desert at its most famous point, from Brawley to Palo Verde. That is about 70 miles from my motel. Part of my Adventure Cycling map is an elevation description and I didn’t expect today’s ride to be as hard as the last two.

My heat plan was to start riding in the dark at 4am when the low for the night was 87 degrees. I left the motel in Brawley and had ridden a couple miles but wasn’t sure which way to go. I asked an employee for the Department of the Interior, who said, “You certainly are not going now, are you? It’s dark out there and there are cows and plenty of speeding vehicles”. I just told him I was going now because the expected high was going to quite hot.

i rode holding a great little flashlight and just missed hitting a possum, but no cows got in my way. The first 25 miles went perfectly and I saw a wonderful sunrise. Through this area is a big Naval Reservation where I heard planes and gunfire for hours.

I stopped in Glamis when I found a store open that was supposed to be closed. Had a nice talk with the store owner about all the cyclists she has met. The owner gave me a bag of ice too, good for keeping my water cold for about 10 miles as the heat rose.

Just before Glamis was six miles of huge sand dunes, something that locals celebrate with a beach store. And just after were miles and miles of the Chocolate Mountain range. The heat was really up full blast as I pedaled for miles over rollers that the locals signed as “Dips”. Up and down, some hard climbing involved, even though my maps didn’t show it.

Next came my first ever sight of a Border Patrol Station, with all vehicles required to drive through. I stopped after pedaling though and seeing a sign that said, “Don’t stop”. Then I sat outside under the overhanging roof for precious shade.

Thinking it a long shot, I decided to knock on the door and get some cold water possibly. Border Patrol Agent Fraser was most accommodating and filling my bottles with ice and water. He told me that local agents were working hard and were away today while processing illegals and that a very large amount are trying to get in.
On a day that my face and ears were burning out in the desert, I made it though, well sort off. I will explain this tomorrow along with a short ride and part of a rest day.

Let’s don’t forget Skinny Wheels Bike Shop as one of the trip sponsors. They boxed and shipped my bike perfectly this time. No damage! Eric and Scott are a wealth of knowledge concerning all things bikes.