The idea was to get up this morning and ride the 25 or so miles from El Centro to Ocotillo so we'd be set to begin our serious climb. But things turned out differently.
We got up at 6, and with very little packing to do were out of the hotel before sunrise. The wind didn't seem so bad in town, but once we were on the road toward Seeley it was significant.
The last 4 miles into Seeley we were in our granny gears. We stopped at a taco shop for a break, but the winds didn't let up. We actually rode down I-8 and started toward Ocotillo, 17 miles away. But we're soon facing blowing sand and dust and struggling to maintain 5 mph. A half mile onto the interstate we decided it was simply too much and retreated a mile back to Sunbeam Lake County park, where we've spent the entire day.
We are camped here tonight and will arise tomorrow morning and advance toward Ocotillo and the mountains. Fortunately the high winds are expected to dissipate tonight, and already they are significantly diminished.
We tried to return to the taco restaurant for supper, but they must be open for breakfast and lunch only. Instead we stopped at the store in Seeley for lunch meat, cheese, and snacks then returned to the park to eat.
We did get a spectacular sunset tonight, and heard from our young friend Jake, who reached San Diego on Halloween, as he'd hoped.
At least we're well rested.
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