Ride - Day One

The morning started out great. Ben Vassantechart showed up and rode with me for 25 miles. Robert McAtee showed up in his car and went back and forth along the route making sure everything was OK, taking pictures and video. I got to see quite a few Lopers out on the course as we rode by and took a few by surprise I think. I'm not sure Sandy Wible knew who I was, judging by her reaction when I called out, "Hi Sandy." I'll forgive her! I'm not usually wearing a helmet when she sees me.

After about 3 hours we stopped at a Starbucks and Robert bought me a Frappaccino Mocha! Very refreshing! Then Ben's wife showed up to take him back home and I took off again. Robert and Ben both followed a ways and I only got a few blocks away when I noticed I had a flat rear tire. They both graciously stopped and helped me repair the tire and soon I was on my way again.

Five miles later, one of the streets I was supposed to take was blocked off by a gate and Robert helped me find a way around. Two miles later, I found I could not take another road, I had planned on taking, and lost some more time trying to figure out a new route. After some frustration, Robert and I decided to stop and eat lunch at what I think was a Pioneer Chicken place. We met two gentlemen, one in his late 50's and the other 61 who were doing the Pacific Crest Trail. They had run into each other on the trail and joined up as a team.

Robert took off scouting some more for me, while I continued to eat and talk with the hikers, and found that I could get to an old abandoned service road from the on ramp to the freeway. From there he left me on my own. About 9 miles later I again had problems with my routing and found that my next street was a dirt road. I backtracked a half mile and walked a good part of it as the wind was becoming outrageous. 50 mph gusts. I could not control the bike when I got into a side wind at all. I went on another 2 miles or so down the freeway, with a tail wind, and found my way to what I thought was my next road and it too was a dirt road. by now I could really not control the bike at all and decided to call my wife. She came an hour later and we drove about 40 miles or so to Twentynine Palms and got a hotel for the night which is where I am presently writing from.

I am hoping that the wind dies down, as the weather forecast predicts, for tomorrow morning. My wife informed me that she is still open to rescuing me tomorrow, if I continue on, but after tomorrow the offer is off the table. I am really quite drained from fighting the wind those last 9 miles. Even with a tailwind the trailer was hard to control because of the gusting which made it unstable. tomorrow the forecast is for 10 to 15mph wind which I can, if that truly pans out.

Not the best way to start out my trip but memorable non the less.

Thanks so much to Robert and Ben for all their help and encouragement! It would have been an even tougher day withou you guys.

Thanks to my wonderful wife who is such an angel and somehow puts up with me!