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zrosner
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Name: Zachary
Location:
Gender: Male
Interests: Rap, Basketball, Baseball, Hoodies, MKGB, The human mind
Expertise: Cognitive Neuroscience
Occupation: Student
Message: message me
Member Since:
5/29/2007
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| Day 7: Julian, Ca to Oceanside, CA 24 miles.
Today was the last day! It was pouring rain and 38 degrees, so due to safety again, we had to get a ride to the base of the mountain. A very nice hotel employee named Tera gave us a ride in her pickup truck. You could call it cheating (the ONLY miles we skipped in the entire country were 4 miles over a bridge that it was illegal to bike in Sandusky, Ohio, and up and down this mountain due to safety. However, we have gone at least 100 miles out of our way during the last 10 years, and if you know us, we do stupid and dangerous things all the time, so you know if we thought it was too dangerous, it truly was).
We started in Escondido, and biked through city traffic all the way to the beach.
About one block away, a man ran a stop-sign and almost hit pops. I yelled that he ran the stop sign and he gave me the finger. It was a fitting end as we rolled up to the sand.
It was truly the most glorious feeling as we dipped our bikes and feet into the Pacific Ocean, nearly 10 years after starting this trip in Chicago, and having once dipped our pedals in the Atlantic Ocean in Delaware.
I will post pictures in a few days, because my phone has completely broken, and I cannot access the photos.
It was truly amazing that pops, at 64 years old made it in. now he has to do it again with Tyler, my 14 year-old brother.
As for me, I will never get on a bicycle again in my life.... I am just going to get smashed tonight.
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| Day 6: Brawley, Ca to Julian, Ca: 28 miles.
Today was even the worst headwind.
We left early to try to make it. we peddled our hardest, and every time I thought about giving up, I saw a carrot in front of my nose that kept me going:
Seriously, there were thousands and thousand of carrots on the road the entire way.
We also saw the Salton Sea (It's really not that great):
However, the wind got so strong that it knocked dad off the bike for fall number 2.
Amazing story:
At that point we pushed the bikes through the wind. 2 mexicans in a pickup truck saw us and that we were struggling (and simply not going to make it) and we got in the back of the pickup with our bikes.
This was IMMEDIATELY followed by going through an immigration checkpoint in the middle of nowhere. It appears that they picked us up and put us in the back of the truck so that when the immigration officers looked into the back of truck, and saw a couple of white folk, they would just wave us through. It worked for everyone!
Anyway, We had go get a ride from the base of the mountain up to the top at Julian. Due to extreme high-wind warnings, weather, and no shoulder, we would have surely been killed trying to get up there.
1 day left!!!
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| Day 5: Blythe, CA to Brawley, CA: 94 miles.
94 miles after 104 miles is probably a bit much.
Again, we had just an incredible headwind!
Also, the hills were never-ending and enormous!
Again, we only had one stop during the entire day... the world-famous glamis beach store!
It is famous because the guy the runs the place is a total asshole. They used to charge $2 to use the bathroom, even if you are a paying customer, but now they won't let you use it at all:
Considering they are the only place for 50 miles, that's pretty tough. However, considering it is described as a "horror-movie rape-scene bathroom" that's probably for the best.
They are famous for when a 9 year old girl got lost in the desert, she wandered in the store, and they refused to help her. You can read the yelp review here:
http://www.yelp.com/biz/glamis-beach-store-east-imperial
There were some pretty things to see:
Actually that looked a lot prettier in real life than it does in this picture....
Anyway, the sand dunes were awesome. We saw a few people riding 4-wheelers Napoleon Dynamite style.
 
If you are wondering why I am not in any pictures, it is because pops can't operate a camera...
Anyway, the winds picked up to about 25 miles per hour and we could barely pedal.
We refuge in a tacqueria, where we had delicious tacos, and I also introduced pops to Horchata.
He loved it so much that he drank 2! quarts. He got sick and we had to wait a while and didn't get to the hotel until 10:30 PM. Only 2 days left!
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| Day 4: Needles to Blythe (104 miles)
There really isn't a whole lot to say about this day. I think this picture sums it up pretty well:
It was a very long and tedious trip, with about a 10 miles mountain up, and then a 10 mile hill down.
We did get our first injury of the trip:
Pops fell pretty hard. He got a bit tired I think about about 80 miles of biking. 104 is simply too much.
A few Native Americans witnessed the accident and offered to help, but pride as always got him through the day!
Also we saw a dead coyote.
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| Day 3: Kingman, AZ - Needles, CA (60 miles) We made it to California! So today really had it all. It was supposed to rain all day, we got a clear patch, and we decided to make a break for it at 11am... that is until I got on the bike and realized there was a flat! After a changed tire, we were on our way. But, first, we had to go up this: 
It was really pretty at the top though, this is the town where we came from: 
However, it started to rain on us quite a bit, and even hailed some! Aside from being really cold and wet, the sound of the hail on the helmet is actually quite soothing. Pops just really liked this rock formation: 
Of course, what goes up, must come down... we had a 12! mile 6% downgrade... basically raced down a mountain for 12 miles, dropping 3000 feet: 
Then at the bottom of the mountain, we saw a road runner! (eating french fries outside a mcdonalds though). 
We coasted in, and are about to get up at 6am for our longest day... 97 miles to Blythe. | | |
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