Sunscreen and Leg-Elbow Grease

Thursday, June 30th
Porterville, CA to Bakersfield, CA

Woooo-hoooo yeah! I completed a 50 mile trip on a 105F day. Began at 9 am from a Holiday Inn breakfast and ended at 2 pm to have lunch at Golden Corral buffet.

Every half hour the temperature went up and my drinking water supply went down. Not much in the way of gas stations or bathrooms to replenish vitality. I saw many instances of bottled piss on the shoulder of Golden State highway.

Are we there yet? No. Are we there yet? No. Are we there yet? Just a little further. How much longer???

I got into the California State University at Bakersfield after lunch and to my delight, managed to steal a reinvigorating shower. The security door to a locker room was resting slightly ajar. Most big universities lock their gym facilities, so I felt lucky. Washed over two hundred miles out of my skin.

July 4th is fast approaching. I have four days to get ready. It would be nice to arrive at San Diego in time for fireworks celebration to cap off my California bicycle cruise. But it's another 350 miles = at least 7 days at my speed (that's your tax dollars hard at work supporting STEM standardized edu-testification right there).

Still, I might get somewhere if I keep receiving a healthy five hour prescription of sun radiation on the road. Malibu, Santa Monica, Long Beach - any place nice, you name it.

Ok, now to repeat today's effort. Good job, do it again and again. Bargh! The next leg of my trip will be mountainous with city amenities few and far between. I need to make two more 50 mile hops, crossing over a national forest before I reach the southern coastline.



Lunch with Ulix

Morning camps

Breakfast camp