At 7:30am, John and I headed out for a ride “around the block”, which included climbing 3500’ of vertical on Montezuma Grade.  After cresting the grade, we refilled our water bottles at the store in the unincorporated area of Ranchita:

Portions of the ride were pretty dicey as we were passed by dozens of toy hauler RVs on their way to OHV areas.  By the end, I was really tired.  This was my last ride with John, and I’ll miss my newfound biking buddy.

While I packed up the RV for our reposition to Salton Sea, Trish started riding towards Salton Sea by bike.  The idea was that by the time I got the RV hitched up and ready to go, we would both arrive at the Salton Sea at the same time.  Unfortunately, Trish had a catastrophic tube failure about five miles into the ride that resulted in a crash and a shattered cycle computer screen. By the time she got off the road, the tube had somehow spilled out of the rim.  We put the bike on the RV rack and continued on to Salton Sea.

For the first time on this trip, we’re staying at a private RV park to spectate at a powered paragliding fly-in.  I have been interested in powered paragliding since high school, so it was exciting to get to see this highly portable form of aviation in person.  When we arrived, both foot-launched units and trike buggies were in the air:

The solitude and quiet of dispersed camping it aint, but we are 50 feet from the flight line, which is a plus, and with forecasted highs at around 90 degrees, we’re happy to have an electrical hookup.

We spent 16 days in Anza Borrego State Park, and I’m sure we will go back again someday.  It’s a wonderful place!  To see today’s drive, consult the trip map.

Good Shabbos from Salton City, CA!