Day 3 was the longest day. It was a 100-mile ride to Palm Dessert. Beginning with a long chilly descent to Borrego Springs where we could leave our unneeded clothing in the SAG wagon. The remaining miles would be warmish. After a second breakfast we took a detour out of town to do some sight seeing. Then on to Salton Sea and a two mile section of road that might be the worst two miles of road in California. Then a long flat ride to Indio on the way to beautiful Palm Dessert. We stayed in a very nice church. The entertainment for the night was a video of the 1987 trip.

Day 4 we road to Hemet. Usually the ride takes the low road, but because of the excellent weather nearly the entire group took the alternative route up Hwy 74 climbing up Pines to Palms Hwy (Hwy - 74). Some people had taken this road the day before to Palm Dessert in order to avoid the 100-mile route. I thought we might take a side trip to Idyllwild, but my friends were in a hurry to get to Hemet. I personally did not find the town that appealing. It was a nice 60-mile ride with nearly 6,000 feet of climbing.

Day 5 was my favorite day's ride. Our destination was Fallbrook. This was the day I started riding with the "Big Dogs." The morning ride was a fast group ride to Temecula where we stopped for a snack. I left before them, expecting to have them catch me. Instead I road pretty much solo the rest of the way, which was preferable, as I could more enjoy the beautiful De Luz Canyon. Fallbrook is a great little town. We stayed at a Spiritual Center. It was warm enough for me to bed down in the garden without a tent. We were close to downtown which had a nice Irish Pub with good food and good beer. This was our last night on the road. People were in a celebratory mood.

Day 6 was New Year's Eve. We left Fallbrook after taking a group picture. Since everyone stayed for the photo we left in mass, over 90 riders rolling out of town taking the entire lane. Once the group broke up, I stayed up with the lead riders and we wasted no time getting to Oceanside. This was a Saturday and along the coast there were hundreds of cyclists out. We stopped at their favorite coffee spot in Solano Beach. I hung out while the locals told their friends about the week's trip. There was one last hill to climb up Torrey Pines to get to San Diego. Finally, at a slower pace, one of the local riders in the lead navigated us to Rubios #1, the original Rubios, for lunch. The finish was just two miles further. Sixty miles covered in about three and a half hours saddle time.

I signed in, grabbed my bags and departed, stopping briefly at my cousins before driving back to Fountain of Youth for dinner with my parents and Max. I stayed three more days. With perfect weather, I was not in hurry and I fell back into my previous routine. On my way home I made a stop in Mission Viejo, outside Laguna Beach to see a guy about a mountain bike. A lightly used Specialized Epic 29er in my size with some real nice upgrades. I decided to buy it but we were not able to complete an online transaction, so I had to spend the night. He showed me the way to a campground nearby. I put up the tent in the dark, and then went out for a burrito and a beer.

The next morning I took the tent down in the dark and headed out for coffee. I found a Wells Fargo that opened at 8 a.m. and, with cash in hand, I picked up the latest addition to my quiver. Had a nice conversation with the seller, Tom, who is a member of the Laguna Rads, a historic group of mountain bikers who are in the mountain biking hall of fame.

Then I drove home, first having to get through LA traffic, which at 10 a.m. was still a problem. I had a nice meal in Los Banos at Hot City BBQ. They saw me walking Max and sent me out with a doggie meal of tri-tip trimmings. I was home by 7 p.m. At 7 a.m. the following morning I was pedaling my Taylor to the hospital.