San Diego

Highlights From San Diego...

• The performance of the Ritchey Break Away. You would never believe you are on a bike that will fit into a large suitcase. Worth the investment, if you travel with your bike.
• Six days riding in relatively warm weather.
• The ride to the top of Palomar Mountain via Nate Harrison Grade Road. A steep climb of about 12 miles with around 7 miles of dirt road and then the 7 mile descent of South Grade Road.
• Mesa Grande Road on the ride from Santa Ysabel to Lake Henshaw.
• Cheers from a group of teenagers at the bottom of the 3 mile descent from Lake Wolhford to Valley Center Road. I was bombing the descent. They tried but couldn't keep up in their pickup truck. A fun way to end a 6 hour day on the bike.
• The ride to the top of Palomar Mountain via South Grade Road in the clouds, fog and rain.
• The last evening of the trip. We had a great time drinking too much Guinness and listing to a band play Irish music.

Lowlights From San Diego

• The ride to the top of Palomar Mountain via Nate Harrison Grade Road. It hurt so bad.
• Traffic in North County. Cars don't give an inch.
• The clerk at Palomar Mountain General Store who didn't want to give up a brown paper bag. We just spent $15 on food and drink...just give me the bag (we needed it to stuff up the jersey for the decent down South Grade Road). Maybe he was just having a bad day.
• The climb up Cole Grade Road on the way back from Palomar. Its only a couple of miles long but seemed steep as Hell.
• The hangover I woke up with on the last morning of the trip (see the last item in the highlights).