El Cajon, CA - Oct 3, 2008 - El Cajon, California, United States

My bike is not noisy but it is probably a little louder than most cars. I like to load it up and gear up and start the engine just before I am leaving so as not to disturb anyone that may still be sleeping.

This morning I did just that and when I turned the ignition key, nothing happened. Usually the lights turn on and the gauges do a check and I can hear the fuel pump charging up the fuel system. Today nothing happened. The tell-tale was the clock. It had reverted back to a default time. I knew then what had happened. I had turned the key slightly too far when locking the steering and accidentally lit the parking light. This is a feature to shine the tail light in case the bike is broken down on the highway and needs visibility. I have never done this before but I remembered struggling to remove the key last night.

I asked at the front desk for booster cables but they had none. I called the AAA and told them I needed a boost. They told me that they could not boost a motorcycle and would only tow it to the nearest service centre. I told them I had simply left my lights on and did not need a tow. The nearest motorcycle shop opened at 10 am. AAA could not help me. I asked a few motel patrons for booster cables and had no luck. I saw two bikes parked at the adjacent motel. They were loading up so I asked them for help, but they had no cables. I looked through the Yellow Pages (had to find an English version) and called a tow truck for a boost. I told them it was a motorcycle and they came right away. A few minutes later, the bike was running and warming up. I paid the driver and off I went.

It was cool and clear in the morning. I was surprised how much it had cooled off but I suppose that is what deserts do at night. I rode west and noticed several more Border Patrol cars around. Soon there was a Border Patrol road block. They assumed I was not carrying any illegal aliens and waved me through.

The road was very straight and the traffic was light and moving well. New Mexico passed by quickly. It was much greener that I had expected. The temperature rose dramatically in Arizona. It got hotter as the day grew longer. It may have been the hottest day I have had yet. The highway rose up to some small mountains and rock formations, then down to a stereotypical desert setting with brown grass and cactus.

I stopped for gas early because the road signs do not indicate when the next services are and there can be great distances between stations. The hit rate for entering a ZIP code on the pump is getting much higher and is inconvenient. I gave my card but had to estimate the amount first and charge that, then pump the gas, then reverse the initial charge, then get charged the real amount. I called the number on the back of the Amex card to ask if there was a way to circumvent the ZIP code problem. It was another frustrating support call where I had to answer all kinds of validation questions to eventually find out that there was no fix to the problem. Imagine releasing that kind of information to just anyone.

As I rode west there were all kinds of Border Patrol vehicles around. They have the same lights on the roof as the police cars and so easily get my attention. Further down the road there was a fruit checkpoint and another Border Patrol checkpoint. I was waved through both.

The road side signs said that dust storms may exist. Santa and the Easter Bunny may exist. Dust storms definitely exist. I saw several small ones forming in the high wind. They looked much like the steam rising from a pot of boiling water, with wisps twirling up and around. Some were very far away and could be seen from quite a distance and others were right beside the highway.

It is so dry in the desert that it was hard to imagine any kind of water management is necessary as I rode over all the bridges crossing bone dry gulches. I have seen enough long straight highways and deserts to last for a long time. This is not what motorcycles were made for and I am craving some corners. I am hoping to ride some twisty roads in California.

I took a movie and thought it would be really good. The camera is not left hand friendly and it did not turn out anything like expected. It was meant to show how barren the desert and the highway were today. Oh well, there is room for improvement.

In western Arizona, I rode toward an exit named Citrus Valley. I thought that was a pretty creative name considering all I could see was typical desert. The road took a turn and suddenly there was all kinds of green vegetation for miles and miles. I could not recognize some of the crops but there was a lot of hay. There were several pools and channels visible for an enormous irrigation system.

The closer I got to California the windier and the hotter it got. Soon after crossing the California border the road began to rise from below sea level. I rode through a huge sand dune area. The wind was blowing so hard that sand was all over the highway. The highway rose to over 4,000 feet and it cooled off considerably. The wind was unbelievable and I had to fight to stay in my lane. There were wind warning signs all over and I was wondering where the wind turbines were. I turned a corner and there they were – several dozen massive units dwarfing the horizon.

I was running very low on fuel and had to wake up Australian Karen to find the nearest gas station. The bike is running oddly when decelerating. I am hoping it is a fuel octane problem. I was almost empty again when I pulled into a gas station to fill up. I chose a mid-grade to see if it made a difference. The problem is slightly better but it is early to tell.

I stopped in El Cajon for the night. It is about 20 miles east of San Diego. Tomorrow I will visit corner 3 in San Ysidro to take some photos and gather the necessary documentation to complete the checkpoint. Home is getting closer all the time.

FYI - I was a little pressed for time in Austin and did not update the text portion of the blog for a couple of days. I apologize if this caused some concern. I did update the location and added some photos so that viewers would know I was still active. The website can be viewed any time, so not just when an update has been sent. I often have difficulties with the various motels’ internet access. Last night I had a typo with a city name (did anyone catch it?) that I could not correct until tonight. The internet at my motel just stopped working. If the internet is not available then I will email or text Eileen from the phone. Again, I really appreciate everyone’s emails while I am on the road. I will try to keep up but the blog takes some time to complete each day.