Day 4: Indio, CA to Brawley, CA

 Hats off to the bloggers from last year’s tour who managed to write great blog posts day after day. I don’t know how you found the time! Maybe the difference is my YouTube channel, since putting the day’s video together certainly takes some time. Perhaps on the first rest day I’ll try to put together a recap, or as much of a recap as I’m able to. For now, well, it’s getting close to 10pm, and I have a really long day ahead of me tomorrow. So for now, here are some pics from the day:

And, of course, the day’s video:

Bye for now and I’ll see you tomorrow!

Day 3: Moreno Valley, CA to Indio, CA

 First of all, a HUGE apology for this blog post! There just aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done that needs to be done, so today I’m just going to post some photos from the day and, of course, my YouTube video. Tomorrow is a shorter ride, so hopefully I’ll have time to put together a better blog post!

And, of course, my video:

Now that THAT is out of the way, it’s time for bed.

Day 2: Los Angeles, CA to Moreno Valley, CA

 

The whole group, together at Manhattan Beach

The day started early, with a nice hearty breakfast. I was fortunate enough to be joined at breakfast by my daughter Norah, who saw us off in the morning and headed to the beach for the wheel dip. After breakfast it was time to throw my last few items in my bags and head downstairs for bag drop, getting the bike ready to hit the road, route rap (our daily briefing on the day’s route and what to expect), and then line ‘em up and hit the road!

There’s a comedian in every group - Steve had a little fun with Tanny’s bike when she asked him to watch it for a moment….

A few more pics from getting the bikes ready and lining up to head out

Once we were ready, we headed down to Manhattan Beach for the ceremonial wheel dip in the Pacific.

Once the wheel dip was complete, it was to start our journey eastward toward Boston! As promised, I DID take a FEW pictures along the way.

And, of course, I have a video to share as well:

And with that, it is time to sign off. It’s getting late, and I have another big day ahead of me tomorrow. Onward to Indeo!

Orientation Day

 

This picture wasn’t from today - I meant to include it with yesterday’s blog entry, but forgot to do so. It was hanging on the wall in the restaurant where I had dinner with my daughter.

Today was orientation. I got up early this morning with the intention of riding the same route as I did yesterday after breakfast. When I got downstairs though, there were already several people from my group getting breakfast, and we all got to talking. Four of them (Steve, Tanny, Maggie and Barb) already knew each other and were planning to go for a group ride. They were kind enough to invite Mark and me along, and we took them up on it! So instead of repeating yesterday’s route, we ended up going a slightly different route. Since it was a new route, I decided to make another video!

The video from this morning’s ride

After the ride it was time to get all my electronics fully charged for tomorrow and get myself cleaned up for orientation. Crossroads had prepared a delicious lunch for us, which we enjoyed outside in the hotel courtyard before heading inside for the actual orientation meeting. 

Lunch Reception

Once inside, Paula (one of the two owners of Crossroads) introduced the whole staff to us, went around the room so we could all introduce ourselves to each other, and provided us with a whole bunch of useful and important information. We also got a demo on how to change a tube, complete with some expert pointers to make the process as quick and easy as possible. Anyway, after the meeting was over, it was time to head back to my room to do my laundry from the past few days, get some dinner (In-N-Out Burger - yum!), pack my stuff and get as ready for the morning as I can, and write this post. Anyway, it’s rapidly approaching 9pm and I have an early start planned for tomorrow, so I guess it’s time to wrap this up. I have an exciting day in store for me tomorrow!

California Dreamin’!

 Only two days left until we start to head east! This morning was the first task we had to accomplish before starting our journey. Crossroads Cycling Adventures requires that everyone in the group have their bike inspected by a Crossroads mechanic to make sure their bike is in the proper condition to undertake a 3,400 mile journey. This was a step I was both looking forward to and dreading at the same time. So much so that I’d actually had a nightmare that I got all the way here, only to have my bike fail the safety check and to have Crossroads tell me I couldn’t participate on that bike. From the day I had the bike shipped, I’ve been waiting for this day. 

One of the Crossroads mechanics giving my bike the once-over

Turns out I was all worried and worked up over nothing. Although their mechanic did find one small discrepancy (a slight amount of brake rub in the back brake), all it needed was a minor adjustment and it was good to go. 

Once he was done, I brought the bike back to my room to put everything back on it (lights, bottle cage, sensors, frame pump, etc.). In the process of doing so, I managed to snap the locking tab off of my headlight mount! So I check to see if I can find a replacement, and I found a suitable replacement on Amazon. Initially, Amazon assumed I would be shipping it to my home in NJ and said I could have it delivered tomorrow. Perfect! So I checked with the front desk, and they said no problem. Only, when I entered the shipping address into Amazon’s app, suddenly tomorrow turns into middle of next week. That’s not going to work! So I run back over to the Crossroads staff and show them the part, and Dana (the owner) informs me that he’ll be heading over to Helen’s Cycles in Manhattan Beach a little later and would see if they have one. Worst case scenario, he said I could always order the one from Amazon and have it shipped to our hotel for the first rest day. Well, long story short, Helen’s had the part, and here is the best part - NO CHARGE!

Anyway, now that I had my bike back in my possession, it was time to take it for a ride, to make sure everything was functioning the way it should. So I took it for a short 20-mile ride. That bike rides SO nice right now! I am so looking forward to embarking on this trip!

Today’s ride

Anyway, after my ride, I was able to meet up with my daughter for dinner. She took me to Target to pick up a few things I forgot to bring, and then we had a terrific dinner at North Italia in El Segundo. Some protein, some carbs… and some coffee!

Norah and me outside the restaurant

Anyway, as I write this I look at my watch and it isn’t even 9pm yet. And although I am generally a night person, my body says it is coming up on midnight. So, time for bed. Tomorrow is another big day - a morning ride (most likely the same route as today), followed by lunch and orientation! So, bye for now!

Travel Day!!!

 

The poster in the hotel lobby

I’m finally here in California! It’s been quite a day. I got up early this morning to have breakfast with Teresa before she had to go to work, and I had to get ready to leave for the airport. In the days leading up to today, I discovered that if you check a bag early you get a discount, and if you also check in online for your flight United has a special line for you to give them your bag (I think they call it the bag drop shortcut - and who doesn’t love a shortcut?), so I did both. The bag drop shortcut is well worth it by the way, it was very quick and painless. The only downside was it involved a LOT of extra walking! Facing into Terminal C at Newark, the bag drop shortcut line is on level 3 all the way to the left, but the security line I had to use was on level 2, all the way to the right, and then my gate was all the way over to the left again, all the way at the end of the concourse. So I definitely got my steps in today!

(That’s actually a big positive for me though, as my work started a fitness challenge for the whole month of May. With this trip, winning the challenge might just be like taking candy from a baby….)

I had to take a picture of this in Terminal C in Newark since my son goes to Rutgers!

Anyway, once I got through security, which was pretty uneventful, I made my way to the gate. Found a seat, had some (expensive overpriced) food, and hung out waiting to board.

At the gate - getting close!

When I checked in online, I prepaid for the onboard WiFi, thinking that I’d be bored and would stream movies or shows to fill the time. I stuffed a USB to USB-C cable in my back pocket, figuring I’d have a USB port at my seat to plug into. I was wrong - no USB ports or screens on the plane of any kind! So, after takeoff I activated my WiFi and figured I’d at least try it out before digging a charging base out of my carry-on bag. Good thing I didn’t waste my time finding a base - the bandwidth was awful, and I couldn’t even START a stream in the Peacock app! (I came prepared for this trip with Peacock, Paramount Plus, Netflix AND Prime Video so I’d have stuff to watch should I find myself with downtime while not riding.) Anyway, at one point in the flight the woman sitting in front of me asked one of the flight attendants for help with the WiFi, and she told her that it’s an older plane, and the WiFi was spotty regardless of where we were or what altitude we were at. I found it to be generally pretty slow, and I noticed that other passengers were having trouble with the in-flight entertainment buffering and being unreliable as well, so I think in the future I may pass on the WiFi since it doesn’t seem to be worth it anyway. 

Is WallyPark anything like WallyWorld?

Home for the next few days

The welcome sign in the lobby

Anyway, I’m here, and really excited about starting my ride! Tomorrow morning I plan to go to the early bike safety check to be reunited with my bike, put all my stuff back on my bike (sensors, bottle cage, gps and frame pump mounts, etc.), and take it for a short ride before spending some time with my daughter Norah. Until then, I guess it’s time to get some rest and call it a night!

One month to go….

 It’s getting close. Today is April 1st. My flight to California is on May 2nd. Based on the shipping estimate from BikeFlights, I need to ship my bike no later than April 17th to get it to California in time. (Crossroads said to ship it so it arrives at their bike shop partner no later than April 25th.) So my plan is to get it packed the morning of April 15th and drop it off for shipping. Other than AT MOST 9 more training rides at this point, I plan to spend a good part of this month getting those last few items that I’ll need or want on this trip. 

Since Crossroads is giving us a weight limit of 30 pounds for everything they need to transport for us, the first thing I plan to get is a luggage scale. I don’t want any surprises when I get to California that I didn’t pack light enough and need to ship some things back home. 

Last week’s newsletter went over bike accessories. It gave me some things to consider:

A cue sheet holder? I have one of those somewhere (I think it’s called Bar Map OTG or something like that.) I love my Garmin, so it would strictly be as a backup. I need to dig that thing up. And if I can’t find it, I need to get another one.

Tweezers? They say you need to carry one for pulling bits of wire and what-not from your tires in the event of a puncture. If you can believe it, I don’t even OWN a tweezer. Sounds like a sensible idea though, so I guess I’ll be buying one.

A top-tube bag. Never had one before, as I’ve always carried everything I needed in my jersey pockets or a zippered compartment of my Camelbak. Still, looks like a good idea. I just need to do some research and get the right one.

White arm coolers. Mandatory for crossing the desert. Along the same lines though, there are LEG coolers as well. Those might be a good idea. I definitely need to give them some thought, especially after checking where I’m at in terms of luggage weight. Also in the spirit of protective gear, they recommend some sort of head beanie for under your helmet. Considering I shave off what little hair I have left on my head, and considering the fact that I get tan lines on my head every year from the vents on my helmet (and I’ll be doing a LOT more riding on this trip than my typical summer), it’s yet ANOTHER piece of equipment to consider!

They also talk about bringing either Hammer Nutrition Endurolytes or Saltstick Caps to prevent cramps. Any of you have any experience using either of these products? I don’t. I’ve only had really bad cramps once, and have been using Nuun Sport tablets ever since. If I use the Nuun Sport on the trip, do I really need to ALSO bring these electrolyte capsules? I’m curious what all of you think, especially if you’ve ever used either of these products.

A bike lock? I have a decent cable lock, but I almost never bring it with me because it’s inconvenient to carry. I generally don’t stop anywhere on my rides, and if I do I either keep my bike in sight or have someone I trust watch it. One product they mentioned though is a Burton retractable cable lock. That looks like it might be more convenient to carry with me. And since they recommend stopping at a store to pick up supplies and food BEFORE getting to the hotel each day, I may want to consider it.

Also in one of the early newsletters, they included a suggested packing list. There are a number of items on that list that I don’t currently have (or typically carry with me). Baby powder? I’ve never used it before, but it might help to keep certain areas more “comfortable” after the day’s ride. Various first aid supplies - could be a good thing to keep in the top-tube bag. Zip-off hiking pants? Might be more light wear than a pair of jeans. A very lightweight toiletry bag? Might be useful for keeping my luggage better organized. Tire boots? Again, sounds like a good idea. Extra spokes? I’ve never broken a spoke before. I guess they’d be cheap insurance though. Looks like I’ve got some shopping to do…. (Another thing I may get is a few more long-life batteries for my GoPro, along with another charger so I can charge six batteries at once. It’s something small and lightweight that I may regret NOT getting at some point.)

Also, I have a bit of a comeback story that my son thought I should share with all of you. Back in October of 2022, during my regular before-work ride, a car coming the opposite direction decided that they needed to turn left NOW and couldn’t wait for me to go past first. (She said she never saw me.) In any event, she turned in front of me so abruptly that I didn’t have enough time to stop or avoid her, and I ended up slamming into the side of her car. Lots of damage to my bike, but perhaps more importantly - two broken ribs and a punctured lung. OUCH! For those of you who have never broken a rib, they HURT! Especially when you have to sneeze! In any event, that sidelined me for a few months. But I’m back, and better than ever!

Anyway, that’s probably more than enough for now. My next post will be on May 2nd, the day I fly out to California. And starting with that day, I’ll be posting daily updates. Pre-ride thoughts the first couple of days. Ride recaps (and links to the YouTube video of the day’s ride) each day. Pictures that I stop to take along the way. Thoughts and reflections on the rest days. And at some point after the conclusion of the trip, I’ll post some post-ride thoughts and reflections. I hope you enjoy my blog and reading about my journey!