It was below freezing this morning in Jacumba when we gathered for an outdoor breakfast at 7:15 just as the sun was rising. Most riders were on the road well before eight. Today I drove SAG, so I waited for the last rider to depart before heading out in Little Bo Peep to the first SAG stop.
This was the reward ride for the past two days of hills. There was a steady climb for about five miles out of Jacumba to about 3250’, followed by a drop to below sea level over the next ten miles. The ride continued on flats with temperatures in the mid-70’s through the Yuha Desert, where wildflowers were in bloom, and the Imperial Valley agricultural towns of Seeley and El Centro, where we passed the Holly Sugar Factory where a silo had a sea level indicator painted well above ground level. Most riders arrived in Brawley by mid-afternoon in time to give their bikes a good cleaning or to swim in the heated pool.
The high excitement of the day occurred just outside of Jacumba, a town known for drug trafficking, where both the Border Patrol and local vigilante groups have an active presence. One of our riders came across a couple of pickup trucks driving wildly through the scrub brush. A driver jumped out with gun in hand, pointed to a bush, and said, “Come out! I know you’re there”. The rider rode on by hoping not to get caught in the crossfire. As she attempted to call 911, another group of riders came through and notified a Border Patrol agent patrolling close by who immediately sped off to investigate. Menacing dogs were a minor annoyance today giving riders some practice for the southern states. Apparently, Brawley has the dubious distinction of having the highest unemployment rate in the country. I’m sure it has a lot of company.
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