SoCal Mountains 2.13.08

[BigTom]

It is with some hesitation that I publish this. I really am trying not to Pi$$ our northern brothers and sisters off with my "Weather is Perfect in Yuma" drivel. Don't ask me why I am being considerate. It's not like it was a New Years Resolution or anything.

Milage: 394
Elevation
Low: -20 El Centro, CA
High: 6100 Mt. Laguna, CA
Temp
Low: 49? F Mt. Laguna, CA (1:30 pm local)
High: 88? F El Centro, CA (3:30 pm local)

Left Yuma at 9:00 am MST, slab 8 to California 98. Through Calexico and the Yuha desert area to Ocitillo Wells. S2 through Ocitillo and Shelter Valley, State 78 to S22 and Borego Springs. Coffee and gas, don't go to Juicintos in Borego Springs for the coffee Up the hill to Ranchita on S22. Back on 78 to Santa Ysabel and the State 79 and Julian.

Lunch (includes pie) in Julian, on to the Sunrise Highway to cross Mt Laguna. Low temps and SNOW beside the road. Bad routing choice. Back to the 8 slab and the ride home.

Interesting that we saw our low and high for the day within 2 hours, 75 miles and 6000 feet elevation. It was really cold and windy on top of the mountain, got warmer as we got lower (4? per 1000 feet), but it stayed windy, gusts in the 50's.

All in all, this was a really good ride for the first outing of the year. I could see Ray thinking as we went through the junction of State 78 & 79. Less than 20 miles to MT Palomar. I'm glad we left it, that's over 7000'. It would have really been cold there before lunch

 

[Mark]

Sounds like a great ride.

That high seems a little high... I might have to come over for a visit...


Mark

 

[motomac]

:worthless

 

[tommyboy]

El Centro must have experienced some sort of upheaval since I lived there. It used to be -43ft elevation (marked on the side of the Holly Sugar silo)

 

[kempco]

It's a good thing you didn't try that on the 14 th because you would of got all white with a foot of snow

 

[Shuey]

You're sure right about the snow. I left Tucson for Deming on 15 Feb and the gentle rain turned into a blizzard just West of the Texas Canyon. I pulled over for about an hour and a half, scraped the 1/2 in. of ice off the windshield and lights, then sat inside the gas/subway station and listened to the reports of the 6 vehicles upside down on I-10. Only one left to be recovered when I continued on to DesertSToc.

Earlier, the week before, I was heading West on I-8, through Yuma to San Diego and loved the sunset ride through the mountains. What's with all the water stops for overheating along the road in the mountains? Must get hot in the summer.

 

[BigTom]

Uh, yeah. It gets hot. The highest my recording thermometer shows is 122?F in the shade in 2005, routinely gets to 115?. We will have more than 100 days over 100? this summer. It does warm up around here!