The Sun was Shining and So Was Greg!

Day 4 began at 6:40 AM as the sun rose in Brawley.

It was another chilly morning with a temp of 33 degrees

but it turned into a gorgeous day and was 66 degrees

 in the afternoon! Perfect cycling weather.

Another ride shirt for Glenn on Day 4

This one was created for the Seattle to San Francisco

ride in 2014 and was designed by my sister

Laurie Beaty

Greg is all set for this long day on the road!

And they are off...with hopes that the day will be

a good one despite a 3000 foot climb!

The Salton Sea

The town inside the orange square is Brawley,

our stopping point last night.  We didn't get to

see this area but thought that it was interesting

enough to share.  The person behind the desk at

our hotel said that we weren't missing anything 

because it was very smelly there :)

The Salton Sea has the second highest count of different species of wildlife in the nation; the Gulf Coast of Texas holds the number one position. It is presently 25 percent saltier than the ocean. There are an estimated 500 million tons of salt in the Salton Sea.   The fishery at the Salton Sea is one of the most productive in the world.

Today, approximately 1.3 million acre-feet of water flows into the Salton Sea from agricultural lands. This inflow is about the same as the amount of annual evaporation at the Salton Sea, thus maintaining the necessary volume of water to preserve the fishery, wildlife, and recreational resources.  The Salton Sea is a “terminal lake,” meaning that it has no outlets. Water flows into it from the Whitewater, Alamo, and New rivers, but the only way water leaves the sea is by evaporation.

Land around the Salton Sea is used to raise seasonal crops. Alfalfa, asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, citrus, lettuce, onions, romaine, and summer squash are harvested from January through March. From April through June, alfalfa, artichokes, asparagus, cantaloupes, eggplant, flax, garlic, grapes, honeydew, okra, onions, peppers, sudan grass, sugar beets, summer squash, sweet corn, tomatoes, watermelon, and wheat are harvested. Between July and September is the time for alfalfa, banana squash, casaba, flax, okra, onions, sugar beets, sesbania, sorghums, tomatoes, watermelon, and wheat; broccoli, cabbage, cantaloupes, carrots, casaba, cucumbers, dates, honeydew, lettuce, okra, onions, rapine, romaine, summer squash, and sorghums are crops for October through December

At the peak of the floods that formed today’s Salton Sea, started by accident in 1905, the newly-created Salton Sea rose 7 inches a day.

The Salton Sea, at elevation 225 feet below sea level, is the second lowest spot in the United States. Death Valley contains the lowest elevations.

Imperial County’s Importance · In 2006, Imperial County farmers produced 1,870,000 tons of hay, including alfalfa, Bermuda grass, Sudan grass and klein grass hays, making the region a vital producer of food for the state’s vast dairy industry. Dairy is the number one agricultural commodity in California, with 20% of the nation’s dairy production. · Imperial Valley is one of California’s top five producers of spinach, potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli and onions. · Imperial County is home to California’s only cheese processing plant producing Swiss and Muenster cheeses. · There are more beekeepers per capita in the Imperial County than anywhere else in the nation. One of our local beekeepers, Bryan Ashurst, was recently named California’s Young Beekeeper of the Year by the California State Beekeeper’s Association. · Imperial County is California’s number two producer of aquaculture, and is home to the largest catfish farm west of the Mississippi. · Imperial County Farm Bureau is celebrating 90 years as an integral part of Imperial Valley’s rich agricultural heritage. · Imperial County is the nation’s top sheep and lamb producing county. Approximately 200,000 sheep pass through the county each year.

We came across another sandy area but yesterday's 

dunes were much more impressive!

We discovered another way to tell how windy a day is!
The winds today were calm as detected by these
wind mills at the Ocotillo wind power plant.
Most of the blades were absolutely still!

Greg taking photos of the above wind mills 

as observed by Glenn

This was the site of our first meeting with Glenn and 

Greg this am at 9:52 AM.  Maybe we should pick

up these hitchhikers!

Today was a challenging day, not because of weather or wind but because of exhaustion.   After riding 36 miles, 16 of them on a dangerous rough road with deep crevices, Glenn was “toast” so we thought that it was best for Glenn and Greg to join Melissa and I in the van for the steep 2000 foot climb to the Desert View Tower.  Three long days on the road have taken their toll on Glenn….he’s not sick or injured….just exhausted.   He did persevere for 16 more miles after our stop at the Lookout but it was decided that he would retire for the day and that Greg would take the road for the team on his own.  The SAG vehicle stayed nearby as he finished the final 34 miles.  Greg’s total number of miles today was 88!  Greg and Melissa are now official members of I Care I Cure I Cycle, an elite group of people who have pedaled for the cause!   We are so proud of them.

Our stop at the Desert Lookout Tower

The Desert View Tower is located on Interstate 8, near Jacumba and Ocotillo, in western Imperial County, Southern California. It is at 3,000 feet (910 m) in elevation, in the In-Ko-Pah Mountains.

The stone tower was built from 1922 to 1928 as a roadside attraction by Bert Vaughn, a real estate developer who owned Jacumba. The three story tower houses a museum and has an observation deck on its upper level. The gift shop at the base of the tower is a later addition.

The views were spectacular

The Sag Mobile worked extra hard today, 

at times carrying all three bikes!

An assortment of cacti surrounded the tower

Sending Glenn and Greg off after our 

steep climb in the van and rest stop at the

Desert Lookout Tower!

On the Road Again!

Check out the blue route line.  Maybe we should 
have brought passports!   On the map, you can see
just how close we were to Mexico and, in the photos
that follow, you can clearly see the border fence! 

This time I avoided suspicious behavior and did 

not have an interaction with the Border Patrol, 

although it was obvious that they were nearby.  

 

 We were thrilled to see a much more bike 

friendly area....bike lanes and share the road signs!

I don't think these are stops for our kind of bike,

but fun to see anyway!

Check out the elevation for today on this map!

I think this is the moment when the decision was

made that Glenn would retire for the day and 

Greg would continue to finish this segment.

It was a very difficult decision but, with so many

miles remaining, it seemed like a smart idea!

Glenn continued to check the maps and 

give Greg advice

Phun With Photos

Coach Melissa talks directions and hydrating!

And here I am....in my usual seat!

Greg is off to complete today's ride!

Greg didn't mind this downhill at all.

He clocked his descent as 40 MPH!

Just a section of today's crazy topography

Almost to Alpine!

One of our many times passing Greg as he 

pedaled on toward Alpine.

Here is the moment Greg finished the

 ride today at 3:50 in Alpine, CA!  

Click here to see what one fan thinks of Greg's ride today!

From a text from Melissa and Greg's friend, Dave!

As this day comes to an end, so does our time

with Melissa and Greg.  We are so grateful that they

decided to join us on this part of the ride and 

we truly could not have done it without them!

Greg's total for the trip is 224 miles and

Melissa logged 165!  Amazing!

We miss them already!

Alpine is a very cute town about 30 miles
northeast of San Diego.  The name was suggested 
by a resident because the environment reminded
her of her native country of Switzerland.
Tomorrow morning, we will meet up with the
Alpine resident, Lynn, who found us while
listening to Phlash Phelps on Sirius/Radio!

Today's Stats from Greg

From Glenn's Computer

With and without Glenn on it, his bike

tracked our day!

TRIVIA ANSWER

No one answered the question but Lucie Haskins 

responded so she gets a t-shirt! Congrats Lucie!

The Oregon Dunes are a unique area of windswept sand that is the result of millions of years of wind and rain erosion on the Oregon Coast. These are the largest expanse of coastal sand dunes in North America. Some dunes tower up to 500 feet above sea level.

Jim Beaty poses at the Oregon Dunes

in August 2014 as we traveled from

Seattle to San Francisco

It's getting late and it has been a long day so I'll say good night!

There will be a blog tomorrow night but December 25 and 26 are

off days and we'll return on the 27th!

Click here to donate to give Glenn extra energy tomorrow!!

Memories of past rides

August 12, 2013

Completing the East Coast Greenway Ride

from Key West to Maine at the Canadian Border

All of our kids and grandsons 

joined us as they will on December 29, 2017!

Click here to email us!