Day 52...Sand Dunes

Today was a tough day. Really tough.

Start of Day 52

We started today's ride 22 miles east of Glamis, CA on a calm, partly cloudy morning. We rode through Glamis, Brawley, El Centro, Seeley, Plaster City and, finally, into Ocotillo, CA.

Riding through Glamis, CA

In Glamis we entered the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreational Area where dune buggies, quads and dirt bikes zipping over and through the dunes. Glamis has no real structures apart from a few stores which sell supplies for the recreational visitors. Hundreds of thousands of people visit these dunes each year!

Sand Dunes
Glamis, CA

Sand Dunes
Glamis, CA

Today is Sunday which meant there was a TON of traffic. Kevin and I hugged the shoulder tight and essentially held our breath for the 20 miles into and out of Glamis. This was NOT fun. The roads that passed through the sand dunes, as you can imagine, were rollers. Up and down and up and down. What a terrifying roller coaster ride. Six Flags has nothing on Route 78.

Fifty miles later we finally entered Brawley (phew) and stopped for lunch. We refueled and set off for Ocotillo, where Jim (and the RV) were. This was another 40 miles away but if we could make it there we would be perfectly positioned at the base of tomorrow's climb.

Check out the road....

Just a few cracks!

Little did we know how awful the roads would be. These were the worst roads we have come upon in this entire journey, including Texas roads! At one point, when I was nearly at my braking point, Kevin started laughing. So did I. We were being rattled, shaken, bounced and beaten by the roads and all we could do to get through it was laugh.

89 rough miles in the saddle. We are now at the base of tomorrow's 4,500 foot climb over the Jacumba + In-Ko-Pah Mountain ranges. I guess a few days of tough riding will make reaching San Diego that much sweeter.....