Weekend Winter Storm

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-13-2004
Weekend Winter Storm
17
Sat, 02-24-2007 - 7:33pm

Anyone else shut in this weekend due to weather?

I'm just sitting here next to the fire with nothing much to do.
DD is having her BF and two other couples over for dinner and and fondue dessert.
They had plans to go out to dinner tonight, but I wouldn't let her out on the roads in this weather, so they're all coming over here.
I do find it odd that apparently I'm the only parent that takes "freezing rain" seriously...

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iVillage Member
Registered: 11-13-2004
Sun, 02-25-2007 - 2:44am

Well...
DD adjusted to the change of plans quite well.
My wife on the other hand......

By the way, in case anyone's interested, it was Colonel Mustard in the Conservatory with a revolver... :-)

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-06-2006
Sun, 02-25-2007 - 2:16pm

I'm in Alpine, Daddio! So am very familiar with the route you took. Alpine seems to be quite a popular beginning/ending/mid-way stop for bicyclists -- on just about any day of the week they can be seen pedaling up and down Alpine Boulevard, stopping for a coffee and pastry at Janet's Cafe.

There are a couple bike rides/races each year that begin and end in Alpine at the Community Center. It's also a very popular stop with Harley riders and classic car caravans.

We have horses that we board in Descanso, which is north on Route 79, off I-8. There are nearly always cyclists on that road (and it's pretty dangerous!) going to and from Julian.

What route did you take from Alpine? We've driven the I-8 to Arizona numerous times and I can't imagine anyone riding a bicycle through there, though I've seen a few cyclists huffing and puffing there way up the hills on I-8 ... some pulling little carts behind their bikes with what I assume is camping gear.

Sounds like a really great experience. What a sense of accomplishment you must have felt at the end of the trip!




Edited 2/25/2007 2:17 pm ET by hydrangea_blue

 

 

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-13-2004
Sun, 02-25-2007 - 3:56pm
OMG!! This is too cool. What a coincidence. I wish I had known so I could stop and say hello. I actually had a "police escort" through part of Mission Gorge. Maybe you know Sargent Jim Seal (on a bicycle rather than a patrol car). He said it was too congested, so he led me through. I got the feeling the locals were very used to him. He rode right down the middle of the road with me following and just "pointed" to cars. They immediately pulled over. He was riding (and I swear I'm not joking) a "Smith & Wesson" bicycle.
Huffing up the hills was tough. I took route 79 and stopped at the Descanso Junction Restaurant. I'll bet you know the owner, Tammy Cooker.
From there I just followed 8 to Ocotillo. Stayed at the "Ocotillo Motel". (Lordy....what a dump.)The Glaris sand dunes were a challenge. Riding through a live bombing area was a bit disconcerting. They said I'd be fine...just DON'T pick up anything that looks like a beer can...
Frankly, the biggest challenge was to keep MOVING! I wanted to talk with everyone. People seemed to have a lot of questions too, for this goofy guy going from ocean to ocean. The police, the store owners, the border patrol, the locals... EVERYONE was so nice and I had a million questions about that part of the country.
I met a Federal Judge around Sanderson who would not "let" me ride a certain stretch there. He was adamant (and you know they ALL carry guns there...:-) It was 104 degrees with apparently no water resources so he gave me a ride in his truck to the next town. I swear I could have talked to him for days. He was a big fan of Roy Bean!
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-06-2006
Sun, 02-25-2007 - 4:15pm

Oh wow ... it would have been so very cool have had the opportunity to say hello to you during your travels. So ... did you stop for a coffee and pastry at Janets?

I have eaten at the Descanso Junction, but only a time or two and have never met the owner. DH has breakfast there with his farrier after most every shoeing appointment. I am happy to hear that you were treated well, and kindly out here!

I can't believe you stopped in Ocotillo!!! That place is, without at doubt, the armpit of that particular stretch of I-8. Ugh ... it's just gross and I can well imagine the charm of the Ocotillo Motel.

I think the Glamis sand dunes are particularly striking with the red sand. It is a VERY popular weekend haunt of the ATC and quad set. If you saw a beer can along that route, well, it probably WAS, just a beer can!

How long did it take you to ride from coast to coast?

 

 

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-13-2004
Sun, 02-25-2007 - 5:56pm
It took 42 riding days plus 3 layover days.
Unfortunately, I didn't stop at Janets. Looks like I missed a good spot.
Couldn't agree more about Ocotillo. Along with everything else, the showers were broken.
Have you been to Glamis? (sorry..Glaris is in WI..lol I get confused)
The "town" consists of one shack of a store. LOL What an experience!
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-06-2006
Mon, 02-26-2007 - 10:53am

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And were 22 of those days spent pedalling through Texas? lol Do you have a favorite place?

What a great adventure ... did you photograph and journal your experiences? I hope so! Future generations of 'daddios' will undoubtedly appreciate your memoirs and accounts of the country 'way back when'.

 

 

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-13-2004
Tue, 02-27-2007 - 9:53am

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Texas is so flat it went surprisingly fast.

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I didn’t really have a favorite place.
Everywhere I went brought such a unique experience with the locals, their town and culture. A bicycle is by far the best way to experience it.
If I were to pick, I’d say Silver City NM.
I spent a layover day there talking to everybody from morning to night.
Authentic cowboys, ranch hands, aged hippies, artists, rough looking motorcycle guys, retirees, gay couples, rednecks, etc..etc..etc….
This was such a small rustic looking town, yet everyone with vast differences, cultures and experience all seem to co-exist peacefully. Maybe there’s something in the water…

I did take lots of pictures and journaled the entire trip on a DVD for the future grand kids.

“If you DON’T take out the garbage this instant, I’ll make you sit down and watch grandpa’s bike trip!... AGAIN!”

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