12. Fontana to Barstow, CA, USA

Today was a particularly epic ride, replete with a summit climb, a field of feline apparitions, a turbo-powered tailwind, a bottle-tree ranch, and golden hour in the Mojave Desert.

I spent the first part of the day climbing on empty country roads, including a spot that looked like where the San Bernardino County street-stripers clean their brushes. Alone in my head, I reckoned the electrical towers to be cats with heart-faces, which made me both miss Julia La Gata Fantastica (my deceased little-old-lady girl-cat) and feel at home in this biome.

Then the route put me on a massive and noisy freeway to climb Cajon Pass (elevation 4190 feet). Eighteen-wheelers put on their hazards and trundled next to me. Some tough kids in a muscle car honked their horn and threw shaka signs, which lifted my spirits immensely. A port-a-potty arose from a mirage at precisely the moment I needed it. I can already tell that the kindness of strangers and well-timed pees will be the keys to my success on this voyage.

Halfway through my long, steep slog, the wind put her hands on my back, giving me a great push. The tailwind only grew as the day wore on, so that by the time I hit Hesperia (where I had a video conference with my therapist over an In-N-Out grilled cheese), I was flying without pedaling and getting pretty cold.

I put on a layer and cruised the remaining 45 miles to Barstow, stopping only at Elmer's Bottle Tree Ranch, an art installation on Route 66. Other sites to behold included the ginormous Oro Grande concrete factory, which looked like it had been lifted from a Looney Tunes cartoon.

The sun took its time going down, bathing the Mojave in the most beautiful light. As I glided into Barstow, a fella at a bus stop saluted me. A motorcycle gang then greeted me at the Route 66 Motel, and all felt right in the world.

Distance: 79.09 mi / 127.28 km

Climbing: 3996 ft / 1218 m

Totals: 643 mi / 1,035 km; 24,925 ft / 7,597 m

Sleep Spot: Route 66 Motel, Barstow, CA

Song: "Free Falling" by Tom Petty

Route:

012_Fontana2BarstowCA.gpx

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