Day 5: To Five Palms warm spring

March 1, 2012

The second night at Anza-Borrego was warmer than the first. The month of March started with sun shining on my tent at 6:30. It felt warm before I even got out of bed. On the road at 8:36 heading southeast on Borrego Springs road starting with 15 miles of rolling hills. Elevation about 700 feet, in the Anza Borrego desert.

I had a bike lane most of the way across California.

Roadside sculpture near the town of Borrego Springs.

Borrego Springs road ends at highway 78 which I followed east to the Imperial Valley with a downhill trend and a strong tailwind. The landscape becomes steadily more barren as I descend towards sea level.

Without irrigation, not much grows in the Imperial Valley.

When going east, the tailwind was so strong that I could frequently go 25 mph without pedaling. The temperature steadily climbed, into the 70's for the first time on this tour. Highway 78 has a bike lane and light traffic.

Sadly, the 2-lane highway 78 merges with highway 86 which is a busy 4-lane divided highway that runs the length of the Imperial Valley from Indio to El Centro. The wide shoulder had huge cracks and was strewn with truck tire debris. Traffic was very loud. The terrain is flat, below sea level.

Distant view of the Salton Sea, California's largest lake. 227 feet (69 m) below sea level, saltier than the ocean. Created by accident in 1905 when a Colorado river flood washed out irrigation canal headgates. Every year it gets slightly smaller, saltier and more polluted.

The highway runs along the Salton Sea but has only occasional distant views of water. Irrigated farms begin south of the Salton Sea. The Imperial Valley is an arid basin with no streams, but it's easy to divert water to a valley that's below sea level. A vast network of canals supply the valley with water diverted from the Colorado river.

The Imperial Valley has many irrigated farms.

Irrigation canal in the Imperial Valley.

I had lunch in the town of Westmoreland, then rode through Brawley which is the biggest town along my route through the Imperial Valley. I bought groceries and a gallon jug of water.

At 113 feet *below* sea level, Brawley is the lowest town I passed during the tour.

In Brawley the busy highway 86 turns south and I continue east on highway 78 which becomes pleasant again. 2 lanes, light traffic, past miles of farms and a few dairies.

I'm back on the ACA Southern Tier route for 13 miles to get from Brawley to Five Palms Warm Spring. The ACA route goes northeast to Blythe, California but I will go southeast to Yuma, Arizona.

All the Imperial Valley dairies have shade structures to keep the cows cool. This dairy uses sun-tracking photovoltaic arrays.

15 miles east of Brawley I crossed the Highline canal, the main water supply to the area. Farms sprawl up to the canal, but east of the canal is desert bushes.

East Highline canal. Farms on the left. Desert on the right.

A mile east of the canal I turned south on an unmarked dirt road. After two miles the road goes straight into the oasis of Five Palms Warm Spring. The palm trees appear out of nowhere in the desert.

The spring flows out of the sandy bottom at 92F (33C), but sunshine can make the pool a bit warmer. The pool is 3 feet deep.

Camping is prohibited near the oasis, so I camped 1/4 mile south. Two motor homes were camped in the distance, but I had the desert to myself.

I had a nice soak just before sunset, while the air was still warm. The temperature rapidly dropped into the 60's after sunset.

Today's distance was long but it was an easy day of cycling because of the strong tailwind and gentle terrain. Average speed was much higher than usual. High of 80F in Brawley.

My tail flasher was missing at the end of the day. I think it broke off when parking the bike at my lunch stop.

Distance: 87.4 mi. (140 km)

Climbing: 1247 ft. (378 m)

Average Speed: 14 mph (22.4 km/h)

Today's ride: 87 miles (140 km)
Total: 249 miles (401 km)

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	1
Comment on this entry	Comment	0