{"id":19033,"date":"2016-04-23T23:27:25","date_gmt":"2016-04-24T03:27:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tourdebocrie.com\/?p=19033"},"modified":"2016-04-25T11:43:07","modified_gmt":"2016-04-25T15:43:07","slug":"day-1-saturday-april-23-san-diego-to-pine-valley-california","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tourdebocrie.com\/?p=19033","title":{"rendered":"Day 1. Saturday, April 23 – San Diego to Pine Valley, California"},"content":{"rendered":"

We were blessed with a beautiful morning and a cool breeze softly blowing off the ocean. \u00a0Old Town\u00a0was quiet \"IMG_1793\"<\/a>as artists and vendor slowly began their set-up for the Saturday morning market.\u00a0We \u00a0wound our way through industrial parks, hotel row and shopping malls then on to a\u00a0more picturesque \"DSCN9760\"<\/a>and peaceful highway.\"DSCN9761\"<\/a>\u00a0 Though our first few miles were relatively flat, our legs felt the strain\u00a0of our bags’ added\u00a0weight. \u00a0The mild rolling hills were not bad and particularly scenic\"DSCN9753\"<\/a> through Mission Trails Park,\"IMG_1795\"<\/a> but at\u00a0mile 27 the uphill became\u00a0constant and our pace slowed dramatically.\"DSCN9775\"<\/a> \u00a0By 12:30 we reached a small town\u00a0and a chance for\u00a0rest, \"DSCN9780\"<\/a>refreshment and the best Grilled Cheese sandwich ever (cheddar, smoked gouda and parmesan on the outside); hit the spot. \u00a0The climb continued after lunch \"DSCN9791\"<\/a>with a few mile trek on the interstate (the only road available in our direction)\"DSCN9794\"<\/a>and a quick look back at the height\u00a0we had climbed.\"DSCN9804\"<\/a>The day was still cool and breeze had turned to a nice little tailwind. \u00a0The terrain was getting more barren,\"DSCN9799\"<\/a> though still green.\"DSCN9808\"<\/a>\u00a0 The continuous uphill did not quit until mile 45 (18 miles straight up) when we finally got a break from the relentless climb. \"DSCN9810\"<\/a>\u00a0We had another hour of up and down before we crawled into the motel parking lot a little after 4:30, our legs too exhausted to scream, but our eyes not too tried to enjoy the view. \"IMG_1811\"<\/a>\u00a0We had no idea our 53 miles would be over 6000 feet of climbing and require over seven hours in the saddle, but then the map did<\/em> show a pretty steep climb (we are at the top in Pine Valley).\"DSCN9814\"<\/a> \u00a0Dinner did not last long enough on the plate for us to get a picture of the all-you-can-eat spaghetti (only managed one Big bowl). \u00a0Hopefully a good long night’s rest will do wonders for recovery.<\/p>\n\n\t\t