Day 36 Mon. Oct. 20, 2008

From Calexico to Jacumba. I was a bit uncomfortable last night. The manager/owner of the Motel Camino Real suggested the YUM YUM, a Chinese restaurant not too far from the motel. We also noted that Jim Bassett and his group had eaten there 9 years ago and really liked it. I felt like Chinese food. I was thinking Egg Fu Yung or Chicken Fried Rice, but my curiosity got the better of me. I inquired about the Yum Yum special and the waitress recommended it very highly. Somehow I missed the part where the waitress said fried chicken with lemon. I was expecting a Chinese dish with some fried chicken in it and some rice. When my order arrived I saw huge pieces of very heavily coated fried chicken and a bowl of rice. Pam ordered Chicken Chop Suey. She ate around it and left most of it on the plate. I, on the other hand, did my very best to clean my plate. I did not wish to offend the waitress and manager. My stomach responded to the after math of my taste buds. I drank a lot of tea and water and went to bed.

I was off my schedule by a whole hour. When I left the motel, it was almost 9:00 am. Traffic was not too congested and the roads were quite comfortable. My ride was shaping up to be an excellent one. I had a wide shoulder and a favorable wind as companions.

Today my thoughts were filled with images of Brother Dietrich, the President of St. John’s. He is so very personal and open. Not so long ago he sent me a copy of a newsletter produced by the student body. That copy he sent me contained a picture of me winning the 100 yd dash against Gustavus Adolpnus. My opposition was Gabriel, can’t remember his last name. The paper reported that the 100 yd dash was completed in 9.85 seconds. He also sent another copy of my picture in the language lab. The letter was so warm and refreshing, I want to tell him very soon that each day on my ride from Minneapolis to California, I dedicated my ride to him.

The road to Jacumba was filled with border patrol and Californians moving across the state. The elevation was beginning to take its toll on me, but I took more breaks and drew my strength from the many people who were rooting for my success. The wind was soft and the sun glared down on my bike and me. The sweat was pouring out. My face looked white with salty lines of dried sweat. My spirit was sagging, but I persevered. The Spa in Jacumba is an old spa, but still in good shape. They have 2 outdoor pools with sulphuric water from a spring that comes from a volcano that is thousands of years old and is always 102 degrees. It cools down a little in the outdoor pools, but stays quite warm in the indoor Jacuzzi.

The manager/owner said people come from all over the world to bathe in this water. It was especially popular with movie stars such as John Wayne and Marilyn Monroe making use of it regularly. It happened that Jim Bassett and his fellow riders stayed here 9 years ago, too. The Jacumba Spa was a welcome sight to me. I showered and went into the sauna, which was very hot. Then I went into the Jacuzzi. While in the Jacuzzi, a young man and woman came in.. I recognized them as fellow travelers from the road. I had stopped on one of the many mountains I had to overcome to observe the landscape more closely. I was planning to take some pictures of these magnificent piles of huge boulders. As I was refreshing myself with a drink of cold water, a car traveled about 200 feet beyond me and stopped. Two people got out and began to take pictures. They then ran across the highway and began to climb the rocks, like mountain goats. I shouted to them to raise their arms. They responded with shouts and laughter.

About 2 hours later, as I enjoyed the Jacuzzi, those 2 people entered. Turns out, they lost their way and were ushered to Jacumba, which was on their way back to San Diego. He is French and is employed in Montreal and she was born in Russia and attends USD in South Dakota.

Pam and I went to a Casino about 13 miles away. It is located about 4000 feet above sea level. A climb that I will have to make tomorrow. There are 2 casinos outside of Jacumba. We had dinner at the one the was furthest away It was a long and interesting day.