March 8:

Overnight there was a big storm with high winds. Sadly that was not the end of the rain or the wind. Our breakfast had to be served indoors, as the threat of rain was too great. We also had to have our luggage weighed – 2 bags allowed, total 50 pounds with no one bag over 30 pounds.

We gathered before 8 am to ‘parade’ to the beach. The sun was shining….

It was 3 miles from the hotel to the beach, with considerable commuter traffic, such that our group became divided between traffic lights. Within a mile of the beach, the rain began. That didn’t stop us from trooping through the sand to dip our rear wheel in the surf.

We zeroed our computers and took off down a bike path. Gladly the rain had stopped, for the time being.

Riding in morning traffic was nerve-wracking, with merging traffic, turn lanes and on ramps for several miles. We were glad to get away from most of the cars until we faced more than 3 miles of uphill on Mission Gorge Road North. Just as I arrived at the sag stop at mile 13, it started to rain again, with increasing intensity, plus wind.

After the sag stop, we climbed further then a step downhill in driving rain, the rumble of thunder, and then we biked out of the city of San Diego.

With the rain and wind, I was quite chilled and stopped at a Circle K where I bought and microwaved some soup – warm on the inside if not on the outside. The rain had stopped for the moment. I also stopped to visit with some ostriches, who seemed quite interested in my bike.

Just before getting to Alpine Blvd and more climbs, Parm appeared along the road to check up on me and bring me a delicious energy bar. That certainly helped with the last climbs into Alpine, again with drizzle.

Total miles 39, 9 mph average. According to those with GPS, climbed over 3000 feet today, now at about 2000 feet with another 2000+ feet tomorrow, possibly with snow!

Overnight hotel: Ayres Lodge. My roommate tonight is Pat Calchina, age 70, strong rider, from Madison, WI, a retired high school history teacher.

“Stray info: 3 flats, one trip to the emergency room (Bell from Colorado hit her shoulder hard when her bike slid out from under her on wet metal plates in the road; hopes to be back riding by Phoenix in a week).