#8 First good Weather - 1/3

Tomorrow we cross the border and leave the U.S. until May. E-mails may/will become erratic. The nights and mornings are COLD. So, while the morning shower is warm, stepping outside the shower tent is brutal. Too many of the riders haven't learned to leave camp early enough to finish before dark. At 6:15, 1-1/2 hrs after sunset, 20 people are still out on the route with the sagwagons searching for them to shuttle the slowpokes to camp. Because I was in the San Diego area training, I knew of five reroutes for me to take that the other riders wouldn't have enjoyed as much. They didn't know about the secret viewpoint with a sweeping view of the coastline to the north. They didn't know about the Baskin & Robbins next to the bike shop next to the Rolls Royce dealer. They didn't know about the Trader Joe's with Clif Bars for $.89. They didn't know about the travel store with bags which eliminate the air from clothes and a tyvek jacket with a map of the world on it AND on sale.

They didn't know enough to get in early to get interviewed for local TV. I was interviewed twice, the second time live. They showed the campground and the gear trailers. I was asked why I'm doing this. The simple answer I gave them was, "I've always wanted to bicycle different parts of the world and Odyssey 2000^� gives me the opportunity to cycle all of them."

Happy Trails,
Bruce