Day 1 - 60.6 miles - Pine Valley, CA

I biked an extra 7 miles this morning just to get to the start at Ocean Beach, also known as Dog Park. The first 5 miles followed a river with a bike path. Then it all changed. I climbed 4,000 feet in the 60.6 miles I pedaled today. The worst part, and what worries me most is the temperature. It reached 94 degrees today. It doesn't sound like the heat is going away. The long range forecast is not good. Highs between 97 and 101 degrees. I must be honest, this worries me. I have had issues in the past with cycling in extreme heat. In 1997, which was my first cross country trip. I got heat exhaustion and had to be rushed to the hospital by ambulance after passing out on a families front porch after they gave me 3 large glasses of ice water. Where this happened in 1997 is only a days ride from where I am now. I felt the signs of heat exhaustion this afternoon, but I was able to wobble myself to the very small town of Pine Valley. I arrived very weak, light headed and had many body aches. Not a good sign after just the first day. To be fair this is a very difficult place to start a bicycle tour due to the mountain range that sits just outside of San Diego. I knew this because I cycle this part twice before, once in 1997 and once in 2006. More climbing tomorrow, but I just hope it's better than today. Extremely hard day today!

Photo - "Mile 0" of the Southern Tier Bicycle Route at Ocean Beach Park in San Diego, CA