Day #50, 51 & 52 - California Here I Come!

VETERAN'S DAY 11.11.11
On Friday Kevin started probably the most meaningful day of this ride - Veteran's Day.  How appropriate that a ride dedicated to Wounded Warriors included Veteran's Day.

Since the day was 11.11.11 Kevin wanted to ride 111.1 miles in honor of and with deep gratitude to all our Veterans.   Emi wrote about the history of Veteran's Day on her blog: Veteran’s Day commemorates the unofficial end to World War I on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.  Though the war did not officially end until June 28, 1919, it was on November 11, 1918 that the fighting ceased and an armistice between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect.  On Armistice Day President Wilson proclaimed, “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…”

Veteran's Day began in Surprise and ended in Quartzsite, AZ.

SATURDAY 11.12.11
A beautiful blue sky greeted our riders early Saturday morning as they left Quartzsite and began their last day in Arizona.

By mid-day they entered the final state - California!  I could not believe it when Kevin sent me this picture.  It just seems like these past few days they have been flying through the miles.  I'm sure it's different from their perspective but all of a sudden this incredible journey is almost complete.  All that separates them from the end is a desert and some mountains... They ended the day on Saturday, after 75 miles, in Glamis, CA.

SUNDAY 11.13.11
The desert.  I've always seen pictures of the desert with massive sand dunes and on Sunday, Kevin and Emi rode through them - well rode on the road than ran through them!  This is within the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area.

Evidently riding through the desert on a Sunday isn't such a great idea as all the weekend dune buggy, quad, dirt bike, and 4-wheelers pack up their campers and head back home with little regard to human powered 2-wheelers...

In addition to nearly being run off the road, Route 76 was actually the worst road they've ridden on during this entire trip.  That's really saying something after the awful roads in Texas.  

Through the desert, past Brawley and across El Centro, they stopped for the night in Ocotillo, CA after pedaling 89 tough miles.  Ocotillo, only 98 miles from the Pacific Ocean, is situated at the foothills of the Jacumba and In-Ko-Pah mountain ranges.  

The mountains.  Monday should be the 2nd to last day of the trek and will include approximately 4,500 vertical feet of climbing before the final descent on Tuesday!  

Stay tuned...