The morning was a relaxed one as Josh, Jake, and I made breakfast and chatted. We expected an easy day with smooth elevation and moderate temperatures… We were correct about elevation and temps but the day was not as care free as intended.
It was Sunday and Sunday is the worst day for riding on back roads. The drivers are awful. In the morning you have churchgoers who rarely yield and seem to be perpetually running late on the way to worship. I can’t even count how many times I was nearly hit by a family in nice clothes darting around the back roads. In addition to churchgoers there are weekend vacationers driving RVs the size of a small country. People who can’t even park a Prius in a handicapped parking spot somehow feel competent to drive monstrosities that look more like a Mack truck than a motor home. They don’t give any room, rarely brake, and are just an accident waiting to happen. Both churchgoers and vacationers seem to have a special hatred for cyclists, these same people will slam on the brakes if a squirrel crosses the road but will gladly crowd out a fellow human.
We survived though and made it through Temecula to Corona where a county park is located. It was smooth riding but I did have some tube problems. The campground was closed when we arrived so we just settled into a spot and had some dinner. Unfortunately we setup in an RV spot and enjoyed a sprinkler attack at about 1am that soaked everything. Still, we woke optimistic knowing that we would be meeting two more friends soon and finishing that’s day of the journey.
I do plan on blogging about the final day (Monday) but it is very likely that will be delayed.
Wandering Oak 