February 28, 2012
Day 3: To Anza Borrego Desert State Park
I got up at 6:30 AM when the rain stopped. Everything outside was wet and dripping. The temperature was 35F and I could see snow on the surrounding hills. Today will be a long hard day, so I was all packed and ready to go at 8:15 when it started raining again. So I waited in the clubhouse until the rain stopped. Finally on the road at 9:25.
To compound the delay, I took a wrong turn that added 4.5 miles to my route. The climbing began at the I-8 entrance ramp.
I had to ride 3.5 uphill miles east on I-8 to the next exit. Snow was visible on the surrounding hills and snow was on the ground by the time I climbed to the highway 79 exit.
I followed the ACA Southern Tier route out of San Diego, but now I detour north of the ACA route to visit Anza Borrego Desert State Park.
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Highway 79 was plowed, but only just to the white line. So I had to share the lane with motor vehicle traffic. Fortunately the traffic was light because most motorists have the good sense to avoid driving in the mountains immediately after a winter storm.
The temperature dropped noticeably when I got into the snow zone. The sky was mostly cloudy. The temperature was pleasant for climbing during occasional periods of sunshine, but cold when the sun wasn't shining. Cold enough that I didn't want to stop for more than a minute or two.
Less than two miles north on highway 79 I stopped for an early lunch at the only restaurant in the vicinity.
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The snow got steadily deeper as I climbed to Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. The snow appeared to be 10 inches deep at Paso Picacho, 5200 feet elevation. The state park campground entrance is at the pass.
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After Paso Picacho the road stays near 5000 feet elevation for 15 miles, past Lake Cuyamaca to the town of Julian. The scenery is great, but it was cold because of the snow cover.
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Lake Cuyamaca looked very different when I saw it for the first time on May 1, 1998. It was my first tour on a recumbent bike.
Julian is a charming little mountain town but I didn't stop because it was so late in the afternoon. I was concerned about getting to my destination before dark. Days are short this time of year. I was also eager to descend out of the chilly snow zone.
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It was late enough that the descent on highway 78 was in the shade of the mountains. 38F until I got out of the snow and it finally warmed up. It felt good to escape the snow and have a bit of sunshine.
The vegetation changes from oak forest to scattered junipers to creosote bushes and cactus. I always enjoy seeing such a dramatic change in scenery.
After the long descent is a 500 foot climb up Yaqui Pass. It looks very steep but isn't as bad as it looks. Then the final descent to the Borrego Valley.
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It was past sunset when I got to the tiny town of Borrego Springs. I continued another 3 miles uphill and upwind to the Palm Canyon campground at Anza Borrego Desert State Park. I arrived at 6:15 PM and had difficulty finding the hiker/biker site in the fading twilight.
The elevation is 1000 feet and the temperature was 51F in the evening. Much warmer than it would have been at the Cuyamaco Rancho campground at 5000 feet in deep snow.
Today was a long hard day, but I don't mind because I will take the day off tomorrow to hike into Palm Canyon.
Distance: 70.1 mi. (112 km)
Climbing: 4342 ft. (1316 m)
Average Speed: 10.2 mph (16.3 km/h)
Today's ride: 70 miles (113 km)
Total: 153 miles (246 km)
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