CANTBIRD’25, Day 5: Jacumba to El Centro, CA

(48 miles, 713 feet of climb)

“It was the best of roads; it was the worst of roads.” But I finally made it out of the mountains and into the desert!

My expectation for today was to enjoy a screaming downhill for 15 miles, followed by 40 miles of surfing the tailwinds over a smooth road. Well, one out of three ain’t bad.

First the good part: The downhill was spectacular! I had to climb up 700 feet first, but then all that potential energy I’ve been building up for four days was released in one glorious coast for 15 miles. I was going 25 to 30 miles an hour, and that was riding the brakes the whole time (I don’t want to go too fast with that heavy of a load).

The freeway was perfect — as smooth as glass. And there wasn’t even very much traffic! The road wound its way around mountains and it was just a great time. I don’t think I’ve experienced that long of a descent since Independence Pass on our TransAmerica Trail crossing in 1982, but this time no pesky hairpin turns overlooking cliffs of doom. I also got to do it shorts and T-shirt, because it’s so warm now.

After a great breakfast burrito at the Red Feather Café in Ocotillo at the bottom of the hill, things changed. First of all, the winds did not behave as predicted — I now had a headwind, not a tailwind! It wasn’t strong, but was still annoying.

But the bigger problem was the route I chose. The ACA (Adventure Cycling Association) route goes south on Old 98, but I took the advice of the Warmshowers host that I met last night in the hot tub, and I took the Evans Hewes Highway a little bit north of the interstate through Plaster City and Seeley. It was awful.

Yes, the bridge was out, so there was zero traffic. And of course, I could get my bike over the fence after unloading the panniers . But the road surface was like a lunar landscape. It was like riding rumble strips the entire time. Actually not the entire time, but a good 15 miles of it. I was literally limited to riding 6 to 8 miles an hour, because my bike was bouncing so much.

For a while I rode along an adjacent narrow concrete path, which was smoother, but still had huge bumps every 30-40 feet. And several crossings of sand that was too deep to ride in, so I had to get off and push.

So my dream of flying along on a smooth road with a tailwind was shattered. I did eventually make it all the way to El Centro, although it was after sunset by the time I checked into my hotel.

I was suprised how much water I went through today. I filled all four bottles in Ocotillo, and I was still on the verge of emptying them when I came up upon a gas station 8 miles before El Centro.

I checked out one hotel by the interstate that was really cheap, but it looked like a real dump. I wanted a hotel by the mall so I could walk there tomorrow on my rest day, but they were super expensive.

So I went for the middle ground and got a Best Western for a more reasonable price but that still has a spacious clean room. The funny thing is that I can see a hot tub right outside my window –– but it’s for the hotel next door that didn’t have any rooms for tonight.

I set a new high mark for miles (48) and hours in the saddle (4:41), and finally broke into double digits for average average speed (10.2 mph). And the best part is that tomorrow is a REST DAY! My rule for rest days is no biking at all.

When I was riding to the Best Western, I was delighted to see a Home Depot right across the street. That might be more fun than a mall to walk around in! Not only that, but also across the street is a bike shop, and right next to the hotel, in the same parking lot, is my very favorite restaurant: PANDA EXPRESS! So I ate there tonight, and I’m sure I’ll eat there again tomorrow. After a giant hotel breakfast of course.

Other tidbits of the day:

I turned my bike around this morning when I saw the first sign of a rattlesnake! Sure, it was only the skin after shedding,but still looked like it would be worth another look. I had to go back a ways, and when I finally found it, I wanted to get a close-up picture. And I did –– and the photo shows, in all its brilliance…a discarded strap.

Tomorrow (Tuesday) is my coveted rest day. This comes at a good time, since my nose is still running nonstop and my throat is very sore. I stopped at CVS in town to by NyQuil and Kleenex and throat lozenges. I’ll hit the road again Wednesday, refreshed and with clean laundry and ready to go into the heat. And hopefully with my cold subsiding.

Route overview video: https://youtu.be/sEVoNOoV6dk?si=EC8F-wmcFw6CI-ez