Wind will be a constant

This is my first post about why I'm riding and why donating to Water Life Hope will give you more shopping days before Christmas.

Carol and friend at the Wigwam Motel

March 15: 28 miles or so, Ontario to someplace in San Bernardino, then Devore

Carol, Steve and I rode out together along the Pacific Electric Inland Empire Trail in the morning, enjoying riding together until Carol got a call from the hotel.  A truck driver said he couldn't leave due to the position of our bus.  So Steve dutifully headed back.  The problem was somehow solved before he arrived but no matter -- he was gone -- Carol and I continued.  Somewhere around Fontana a Santa Ana wind rose up, bending trees and blasting us.  We struggled against it, then made a turn and got a tailwind.  When I wasn't pedalling I was going 15 MPH, when I was pedalling I was going 23 MPH.  We persisted, finding the wigwam motel, a Route 66 landmark.  We thought we had the ride in the bag, despite the wind.

Then we stopped at a 7-11.  Should have been a simple water stop.  Carol kickstanded her bike properly but the wind had other ideas.   The big, heavy bike took a violent dive to the pavement so quickly I just couldn't get to it.  Her phone was livestreaming on FaceBook when it happened.  The video goes black and you can hear the crash.  Some passing young people helped gather Carol's scattered possessions, and we thought for a minute that all was well.  Then we found her broken brake lever.  It wasn't just broken, it was the lever for the more powerful front brake.  It was Friday afternoon and we were planning to go over the Cajon Pass the next day.  This could easily be a show-stopper.

Redlands Cyclery, who saved the day
(along with Steve and Ed the bus)

Steve and Ed the bus rescued us.  We met at Eddie's Bike Shop, just a few blocks away hoping they could help.   Not a chance.  They don't work on hydraulic brakes.   Steve spirited us to the Cyclery in Redlands, a Trek dealer a few miles away.  They knew all about Carol's bike and had the right parts.  They'd solved it in about 30 minutes, including putting on a more effective kickstand.   The next day's ride was saved.

By that time it was getting on towards 5 PM and the Southern California freeways were thickening.  We grabbed some salad at Sprouts for our Warm Showers hosts and headed to Simon and Karen's house in Devore.

Lucy the very lucky rescue pig

Their profile on Warm Showers described the house as a small farmhouse.  We were prepared for the house (charming), but not for the reality of the farm.  Simon and Karen are both elite athletes and each holds a demanding job.  That should be enough to do, right?  Simon and Karen somehow make room and time to keep an amazing garden and rescue a bewildering mix of animals.  There are rescue cats and dogs, all of whom have taken on the amiability of the household.  There are chickens.  Then there are the rescue pigs, Wolfgang and Lucy.  Lucy being, incidentally, a wild boar of fierce countenance that has bonded to Simon, known locally as the rescue pig guy.  The place is awash in love.  Even the roosters appear to sport quizzical grins.

We left in the morning with clean clothes and happy hearts.  And gratitude for Steve.

March 16: 34 miles, Devore to Apple Valley

Carol and I headed for Route 66, starting our ascent to Cajon Pass into the maw of the Santa Ana wind.  The force of the wind was such that it was difficult to keep the bikes upright.  The front wheels leaned one way and another, and we weren't really in control of our bikes.  A couple of times I got off and walked.  It was just too scary to be that far from the ground.  We weren't setting any land speed records, but we were making progress between stops.  We got a donation (thanks!) and stopped before we entered I-15 to send a thank-you note.  The gusts died down to a normal headwind.

There's only one way up the Cajon Pass, and that's the freeway.  Out west, bicycles are allowed to ride on the shoulder.   We were fortunate that there was a massive traffic jam so no cars were passing at frightening speeds.  Neither of us had ever attempted a freeway before.  It prompts questions we'd never thought about before.  How do you get through the line of trucks headed for the weigh station?  Lots of visual communication, and reliance on the good nature of the truckers.  It worked.  How do you handle exit only lanes when you're not exiting?  Sort of like dealing with the truckers, but with more care.  As we came close to the summit we found the source of the difficulty, and yet another question.  How do you pass a massive truck accident?  The answer turned out to be that you work with the California Highway Patrol officer on the scene.

I was the first to reach the CHP officer, and he was a classic of the type.  Calm and authoritative, he offered to escort us past the trucks.  It couldn't have been as much as 100 feet, but I readily agreed.  The thought process went, I believe, something like this.  This is a place where people drained of patience are going to be changing lanes.  They might hit these women.  Then I, the cop on the scene, would have to clean it up.  Not good.  Carol arrived and we rode in the lane ahead of the officer, flashing his lights as he went.  We waved as we were able to get to the shoulder, and heard "No Problem" from the loudspeaker.

Carol and I stopped at a Starbucks for lunch, and navigated to our new Warm Showers host in Apple Valley, Anita.  The welcome was warm.  Anita's dog, Archie, was an indicator of his owner.  Happy and loving, he lightened our stay.  Anita kept us entertained with stories of a life well lived.  Great stay.