1st Corner San Ysidro – and the north

Visalia, CA Saturday Jun 11, 2011

Yesterday I headed west from Yuma, AZ,  in a heat that is hard to describe, even to those accustomed to HOT.  There were times when it was uncomfortable to breathe through my mouth, like the air was just too hot.  I kept thinking, “This is the stuff that can kill you.”  The world was beautiful in addition to being hot – mountains, enormous rock formations, rolling deserts.  There were also stretches in which I could see the wall stretching along the desert, a wall designed to separate two countries.

Too soon I was in the hellacious traffic of Southern California.  I’d much rather sleep in a room with a boa constrictor than ride through that!  At times there were 7 – 9 lanes in each direction.  As you follow my journeys, you’ll realize I’m directionally challenged.  Add to that inconvenient reality the fact that generally I can’t see the screen on my GPS because of sun glare; I wear a full face helmet with ear plugs (plus I’m hard of hearing), so there’s no chance I’ll actually hear it.  Ergo, getting around can be a bit messy.  Wrong turns are not much fun in Southern California.  But I finally made my way down to the first of four corners – San Ysidro, CA, at mile marker 1A.  And I have a picture to prove it.  Then I gladly headed north on I-805!  The traffic remained impossible for several hours though I opted for I-15 to bypass San Diego and Las Angeles.  I stopped at Rainbow, CA for a very late lunch and decided to spend the night next door, in the village of Fallbrook.  I woke this morning to a heavy mist that was cool enough to require a long sleeve shirt and jacket liner – a great change from yesterday.  I rode through hills and traffic, and then I missed my western turn to Pearblossom.   When traveling long distances like this, it often doesn’t matter which road I take so long as it’s heading north or west.  So I turned left/west at Victorville on Hwy 395 and soon found myself in the Mojave Desert.  It was a delightful “mistake” –  though I had to shed my long sleeves.  Boron, CA, on Hwy 58 is home of the 20 Mule Team Borax.  What do they use borax for now?  I climbed out of the desert at Tehachapi and the world changed again.   I passed several semi’s pulling mesh trailers loaded with garlic and rode through mile after mile of grape vineyards, fruit trees (apricots, peaches, olives, oranges, cherries) nut trees (walnut), onions, and garlic.

I stopped for the night and set up John’s tent.  Tomorrow I’ll head up into Sequoia National Park, and stop for the night close to Sacramento.