1st of October: From the Mountains to the Imperial Valley

Garmin says: 112.64 km - 3742cal - 866m ascent

I tried this time really to leave early in the morning, but didn't leave until past 8 o'clock. Today I used my MP3 player for the first time on the bike. The first day on the bike passed through so boring landscape that I decided to try some music listening. It was so much fun. As nobody could hear me, I just sang out loud with all songs.

While still cycling in the mountains there was some more climbing to do but I looked so much forward to the exhilarating descent ahead of me and the time flew by with me hollering "I' a redneck woman" along with Gretchen Wilson. I have no idea how that got even on my computer, but it fits totally cycling through the countryside. I stopped for a breakfast consisting of a three eggs Denver omelet with home fries and some coffee in a place called Posta Inn which had four parking spaces in front, which were all reserved for veterans. And the two guys inside seemed to have been Navy veterans. They were somehow obsessed with the Indian Casinos around, but I didn't follow them into this. The only casino information, which was worthwhile, was that the top of the last big climb would be reached with the Casino standing there. I still had some climbing to do and the temperature was pretty high, but still tolerable, when I came around noon to the entry of hwy 8 at In-Ko-Pah Gorge. I flew down the hill and the sound of the wind did even drown out my MP3 player. The efforts of the federal goverment to limit illegal immigration from Mexico show off a lot. I got the whole day passed by border patrol vehicles. In the montains they had even a street controllpoint. Weirdly they did not even agnowledge me. If you want to come illegal take a bike, a blong wig and you are safe. but in the middle of the pass road down there where two border patrol truck parked. Talking to a young Mexican,who had a bit of a hustler air about him and a lawnchair and an umbrella setup between the rocks besides the freeway in the middle of nothing, about half a mile off the Mexican Border. This was the only time I saw the border patrol actually controlling someone who was obviously suspicious. I was unfortunately so occupied with breaking and going around the scene without being hit by one of the many trucks coming down as well, that I couldn't really see what was happening.

Arriving down in Ocotillo The deadly heat of at least 110 (45 cel.) degrees hit me. It was shortly past noon and not only that I could not stand this much heat, I was burning slowly as well. Sunscreen, even with a factor of 80 which gets reapplied often, goes only that far. So I decided to wait out some of the worst heat in a restaurant. The only one next to the gas station off the Hwy exit was closed and the woman cashier told me there would be a bar and a cafe in town (population 296), she recommended the bar because they had the better air condition. I went there could not refrain from buying one beer and some lays chips, that I wouldn't get drunk. I had taken Picture of this bar, when Andreas and I passed through last Thanksgiving, because the whole town looked so desperate and the name "Lazy Lizzard" was really fitting, The owner is called Lady Lizzard and she seems to be a crack at her own dart championships.

After I voiced my desire to stay until it would cool down a bit from the worst midday heat, she said, than you need to stay at least until 5, but it will not really cool down until night falls. So I took my bike and started out for the last 27 miles to El Centro, I was kind of hungry too and I thought that I could get something to eat in the next town Plaster City. They were like,:There is really not a lot there. Which was the biggest understatement ever, as Plaster City is only a huge Plasterfactory (or mine don't know really) which took up both sides of the road. After real long sufferings with nearly boiling soda and water nleft in my bottles I came to mobilehome which had no car in front but a tree to provide some shade, I sat down and tried to wave down a guy with my empty waterbootle who tried to enter the busy street from the Plaster City to town. As I nearly reached him he took off sarcastilly waving - what an asshole. This didn't go unnoticed: The door off the Trailler opened and an old fat woman in a polyester nightgown and with many open sores everywhere pushed her walker out. I asked her for some cold water, which she got out of her house in only 25 minutes. I paid with listening to her many illnesses and how her Husband is now in the hospital and her kid gets her to visit him. When I asked her whether she was feeling save alone this far out. She gave me a leery look and said: I got seven guns"" - another even meaner look at me, whom she seemed to have recognized for what I am - "and I got a permit to kill!" On that note she inched back into her house and I mounted my bike with wonderful fresh and cool water.

Finally I reached Seeley which was only about 4 miles from El Centro where I had booked two rooms with the Senior rebate and Justin was supposed to wait for me. I stopped at the store got a Mexican frozen fruitbar, another cold drink and tried to leave but after 100 meter I had a flat front tire. When I came to the motel I jumped first in the pool and than I told Justin that I would not be sure if I could survive more days with heat like that on really ugly and bad roads.