91 km/57 mi
After sixteen days in the area around the retreat center, I finally moved on to the next stage of the journey. My cousin in San Diego and I finally agreed on a date in a couple of weeks, so I'm going to explore the area around here for a while. A couple of folks from the retreat offered to let me stay with them, so I will most likely take them up on their offer, though they both live in LA, which scares the crap out of me.
But anyway, I made a quick descent into Palm Springs, below sea level. The scenery is quite nice around here, with two tall mountain ranges. It's very warm, nearly 80 degrees today.
Palm Springs struck me as a rich person's playground for the most part. I saw grass for the first time in a month, I think, and impressive palms line the street. Bougainevilleas and other flowers were blooming all over, and I was very pleased to see willows as well.
I guess there is an international film festival at the moment. I didn't find out anything about it, though.
Last night the valve on my rear tube broke, so I made a trip to the bike shop to pick up some more Stan's sealant. I'm also thinking about some new tires; probably a good idea to get some backup for my aging tires before I head out of the country. The shop person wasn't particularly helpful and they didn't have what I wanted, so probably a last minute online order is coming.
Tonight I'm in a county campground near a lake. Nothing special, but it's nice to camp in warm weather. Tomorrow I'm heading into the mountains again; a short day with a steep climb.