The rain only got worse after the burrito so I checked in to the first motel I could find. I don't do camping in the rain if I can avoid it. The complexity goes up exponentially.
I did have group cooking utensils so I got dry and warm and headed up to the campsite to deliver them.
Though I offered up my floor to all. I had no takers.
Today should have been called the shakedown ride. One guy had multiple flats and didn't bring sufficient spare tubes for his very unusually sized tires. Another had a crank fall off and a rear wheel loosten due to a broken or improperly installed trailer.
The leader lives in this area so he had friends near with a truck to help with the crank and trailer problems. After today it gets more interesting. There are few options for support till Phoenix.
It rained an inch and a half yesterday. Just a fine mist with a 20% chance of rain this morning which should clear by 11:00am. Forecast is for 70s and, as we get closer to Ocotillo, it will get dryer.
I have raingear and covers for most bags. I also have one small drybag for warm clothes if everything else gets soaked.
We are all conscious of the power of flash floods and won't be taking any risks there. After today, I expect the risk to diminish greatly.
For unknown reasons, the drivers seem fairly considerate of bicyclists up here. Hopefully that continues.
Wow that was a rough first day out!! Hopefully it will get much much better as you head east. Have you crossed the PCT?
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