Day 16: California (not) Dreaming

I’ve arrived in California! I ventured out today on my ride from Kingman, Arizona to Big Bear Lake, California early in the morning, leaving about 5:45 AM to take advantage of the relatively lower temperatures in the morning. (80-90s)

I rode 265 miles today now over 4000 miles total. 4118 miles so far.

Today’s ride was again a mixture of highway and gnarliness. I cruised from Kingman, AZ on I-40 again and arrived in California not too far into the trip. Welcome to $7/gallon gas! 😁 (I get Premium so pay that high, regular at $6.50). The first part was just getting through the desert of AZ and CA to get to the mountains. The temperature difference was striking as I climbed up to Big Bear Lake, CA elevation 7500 ft. From the +100 to a comfortable 80. Tomorrow morning the temp here will be 54! I’ll have to bundle up and then shed the layers as I drop down the San Bernardino National Forest mountain I’m on. This map image is part of what I’m riding tomorrow morning.

Tomorrow is the day I arrive at the West Coast to complete my coast to coast journey!

Todays ride up the mountain was excellent and my hotel is a great respite from the last few days of arduous riding. I also experienced a beautiful desert sunrise this morning.

Btw, I have a bunch of video I’ve been unable to upload due to poor Wi-Fi and marginal cell coverage. When I get to decent coverage, I’ll post a video post for those interested.