Day 81 – Californication

23 Jul Day 81 – Californication

So here we are last state border crossing and into our last week! I can taste that beer at the end of the trip!

Border

I set off first thing so we could get the border done and dusted. It was about 5 miles to the Colorado river and the van headed down there when I left to make sure they had the right shots. I was walking down California Avenue on my way to the border. It was amazing feeling that I was so close. The bridge where the border is has a small sidewalk on it so it was difficult to film but I am pretty sure we got the shots we needed. When I got to the sign I hugged it is was so happy! After a short interview I headed off into my final state.

Bushwacking

A term that Shaun brought to my attention for track walking. We had to get the van to meet us at the end of a 7 mile stretch which was fine. After this we then had another 10 miles. In 45 degree heat it was going to be tough as I usually have the RV stop every five miles to fill up water. So Shaun and I set off. Sometime the track go so rough we had to walk down the railroad tracks to keep the pace up. It is mentally shattering walking and trying to concentrate on not drinking as much water. It is imperative to conserve as much water as possible. Five miles in we stopped under a bridge to try and cool of a little, we listened to a bob dylan track then headed off

Calling more support

About 7 miles in Shaun told me he wasn’t feeling too good. He had a headache and was tired…the bad signs of heat exhaustion. So we decided if we couldn’t see the van at the next mound we would call them. It was a dusty and some sandy parts. When we called the van Shaun stated not to try and get across any sandy parts, the sand was too deep. When Chris was driving the van to us, he described how the sand started getting deeper then it was fine then all of a sudden it just changed. At this point you can’t stop you have to try and get through it. Unfortunately the sand just got deeper and before he knew it they we in deeper than they could handle…After three attempts of digging the wheel out we gave in and called a 4×4 tow truck. We manged to get out unscathed but I was going to miss out on 8 miles! Not ideal so close to the end!