March 9, Alpine to Live Oak Springs/Boulevard:

There was the possibility of snow overnight up further in the mountains, so our departure was delayed until 9 am. I was in the last group to leave, as my suitcases were to be among the last to load (explanation to follow).

We started right off with a 5 mile uphill along a frontage road – definitely time to use my Granny gear.

At times it seemed we were climbing into the clouds.

I caught up with Judi from Missouri who was having trouble shifting her gears. Ultimately she was picked up by the van and trailer rather than ride on the freeway. We had about 3 1/2 miles on I-8 going over a pass at 3,000 feet.

Everyone had raved about the pie in Pine Valley, so that was the lunch target for the day. As luck would have it, due to Judi and her gear problems and Flo and her fall (couldn’t clip out when stopping), I arrived after the crowd of cyclists who had engulfed the diner. Did enjoy the chicken noodle soup and apple crumb pie, before heading back on the road.

As I was crossing over I-8 (we had been riding on Old Highway 80), I noticed the elevation sign!

After meeting up with 3 fellow cyclists who were fixing a flat, we rolled mostly downhill. Because of the size of our group, four of us are staying at the Live Oak Springs Resort. The others are 6 miles further downhill in Boulevard (population 1400, 2 liquor stores and not much more). I think the pictures speak for themselves (a bit rustic to say the least).

Total miles today 36. GPS readings showed almost 5,000 feet of climb.

My roommate in the Honeymoon Cottage at the Live Oak Springs Resort is Moira Drennan, a petite woman from central, rural Scotland. She is one of the sag drivers, so will take Monday off to support the rest of us. She loves knitting and is a dog walker back home. She took the Womantours tour of the Mississippi River last year, and has also been a guest at Buckingham Palace!