May 26, 2010, Borrego Springs, CA - Palo Verde, CA
Day 2,
After camping at the Palm Canyon camp ground in Borrego Springs, we woke up early and went through our routine of breaking down camp and preparing for the trip. This was our second day and would be the longest mileage of our whole trip. The trip was schedule for 128 miles of riding. Only a few of us had ever done a ride of 100 miles (termed century day in cycling terms), but we were all still very excited to be riding.
The ride started off great with the roads being mostly flat and even some slight downhills. At one 20 miles section of the ride we averaged just over 20 mph. It almost felt like flying as we soared across the road hearing nothing but our tires rolling on the pavement and seeing miles of desert surrounded by mountains. It truly felt like we were in place painted by our creator especially for us. At least that is how we felt until about lunch time when the heat set in.
As we traveled we went further southeast. At lunchtime in Brawley, CA we were not even 40 miles away from the Mexican border. We ate lunch at a Mexican restaraunt that had everything in Spanish, so Wade and I got to practice a little. However, they had the freshest salsa I had ever tasted.
Following lunch we had 66 miles left and we were all feeling a little bloated from lunch and tired from the constant sun. But, we all reminded ourselves what we were riding for that day. We rode for a young woman’s grandmother who was not diagnosed with Alzheimer’s until much later than she should have. The young woman saw her grandmother change into a different person yet there seemed to be no real reason why until a few years later when she was diagnosed. It is stories such as these of people not just losing their loved one in a matter of life and death, but having their last memories of them be ones of struggle and mental confusion.
Therefore, all things behind us we finished our longest day of 128 miles in Palo Verde, CA. We were blessed once again with my parents to serve us a delicious meal and we prepared for the next day in which we would cross into a different state.
In His Adventure,
Chaz Vittitow
