May 5, Day 41 cycling Brawley to Jacumba, CA

Wow only one more day cycling tomorrow when we’ll see the Pacific Ocean! Gorgeous coolish day but for the big winds. Headed south in the big Imperial Valley ag region. Brawley is below sea level so when we got to Calexico 22 miles south at +1 elevation(!), I had already gained 203’ of climbing!! We did keep cycling turning west into the wind on hwy 98 along the border. Massive solar farms and wind farms. Didn’t see any of those in AZ or TX but would have been good places for them. Very black long border wall was visible not far to the south along the edge of the very big rugged mountains.

I stopped just before the Yuma Desert with 33 miles & 322’. Just too much gusty headwind even with Tom’s drafting help. The boys continued on across the desert into Ocotillo. Wind turbines were spinning if that tells you anything! Steven and Tom stopped with hard won 55 miles and 970‘. We headed in the car with Jody for the last 16 miles on Interstate 8 into the Jacumba Mountains rugged, boulder filled, steep mountains and down to Jacumba on the border with Mexico’s Baja California. Steven booked us a night and dinner at the hot springs which had been closed the past few years. It’s quite the place! https://jacumba.com/pages/about