Slept okay during the first night camping, Ann was restless and didn't get as much sleep (<>). So we slept in and then got up for a leisurely breakfast of steel-cut oats and berry camping cake. After that, we went for a hike up the Panorama Trail by the campground. It wasn't long, but the trail was fairly steep and quite rocky. Ann had her hiking poles and was very cautious on the way up, then even more so on the way down. She didn't make it up to the summit, which had decent views of the campground and surrounding valley. After we hiked down, we walked on the trail over to the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Visitor Center and looked around. We also watched a 15-minute video about a family, led by Marshall South, that lived for a time on Ghost Mountain in the 30s and 40s. It was pretty interesting, the home they built was about as remote as you could get, no water well, so he devised a system to catch rainwater. Eventually, he split from the family and moved down to Julian, so not a happy ending. After the video, we walked back to the campsite and ate some lunch. Then I got ready for a bike ride. Originally, I had planned on riding up the Montezuma grade, but it was really windy, and I was concerned about handling the bike on the descent. So I ended up staying in the valley and riding on roads leading out of Borrego Springs. I rode into town and then headed north on Borrego Springs Rd, right into the teeth of the wind. It had to be 20+ mph, and I was working hard just to make headway. This took me by the metal sculptures that we had seen a couple of years back. To Henderson Canyon Rd, where I had a little reprieve from the headwind turning into a crosswind. Then I got to Di Giorgio Rd and headed south. That stretch was fun, slightly downhill with a strong tailwind. I averaged 29 mph and posted the 6th fastest Strava time on this segment, granted it was significantly wind-aided. I turned left onto Palm Canyon Dr and rode out to the airport, which was desolate, nobody there. When I turned around, I had to deal with a little bit of a quartering wind. Back into town, then I headed south for a bit on Borrego Springs Rd before turning right and riding into the wind again on Country Club Rd. Past Palm Canyon Dr, I took Ocotillo Cir through a nice small neighborhood and looped back. Then I retraced my route back to the campsite. It had been a while since I had ridden in wind this strong, maybe when I was in Amsterdam. I forgot to bring my heartrate monitor, so it didn't get recorded. This ride was a lot harder than the numbers below would suggest.
Avg speed = 15.4 mph. Total mileage = 22.0 mi
Avg power = 134 W. Weighted avg power = 149 W
Total elevation gain = 570'
Training Load = 61
Intensity = 65%
When I got back to camp, Ann was resting in the tent. I got in and read for a little bit. She was talking about packing up and driving home due to the expected high winds coming, but I convinced her to stick it out. I took down the vestibule and staked the rain flap tiedowns to make it more secure. We chilled out until it was time to start dinner, using the Dutch oven to make The Thing. Got the charcoal started with no problem, and the cooking went smoothly. It ended up tasting really good, I ate a lot after a fairly vigorous day. Ann made another fire, but I didn't stick around too long. Was ready to get in the tent and read for a bit before sleep.
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