February 8, 2019
Day 1 - Diner in the Desert
Barstow to Victorville
It was a simple procedure to locate the Greyhound terminal and get a bus to Barstow and it only took a few hours. The plan made sense to skip some of the desert as I've done this ride before. It's pretty remote that's for sure but I wasn't feeling in the mood for it this time.
I decided to rely heavily on Airbnb for this trip and I'm glad I did. Not only does it save a lot of money but there's the whole social element of staying with hosts and chatting. I suppose the cheapest option of all is to get a tent and wildcamp but where's the fun in that? Sorry no offense to those who do it but I couldn't see myself in that, first it would get too lonely and second it involves a lot of extra work and carrying stuff around to make it happen. This isn't to say I'd never do it in future but for now the Airbnb option was working just fine.
So it was an easy ride to my first hosts' place who were a couple that settled here from Mexico. Predictably one of the first things they told me was not to go to Mexico because the situation is getting much worse. There is no denying that but I had to go to make peace with the past. This time last year in Tijuana I got thrown in jail for a night due to a misunderstanding of paying a taxi driver. The cops were adamant I didn't pay while I was sure I did but there was no proof, the cops then wanted a bribe to settle the matter. I refused and got thrown in the paddywagon. But now I figured with a bicycle and more brains I could avoid these mishaps and enjoy Mexico more and that was the rationale.
Obviously I didn't tell that to my hosts but I was just polite and said maybe I'll end up stopping the trip in LA or something. Actually the route I wanted to go on was south towards Palm Springs and then the border closer to Mexicali after which point I'd end it in Tijuana. But my hosts brought my attention to the fact a massive storm was coming in from LA and I wasn't expecting this. Last year this time the weather has been perfect. And since when does it rain the the desert? Well apparently it does.
This was a real bummer but the consensus was I could enjoy at least a day while the outer fringes of this low pressure system came in before getting walloped by the center of it. It meant strong headwinds from the south all day so I basically rerouted and aimed for Victorville instead. That way if there was any problems I'd be within bus range of LA.
Today's ride: 133 km (83 miles)
Total: 278 km (173 miles)
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