September 29th 2002, bicycling Arizona and California. I had a drink of horchata at a convenience store, and tried to buy a tube at a house with bikes out in front of it. They did not have any. I found my way to the crossroads mission next to the railroad tracks. They had three or four buildings, one for detox. Some there were from the prison system, using the place as a halfway house. Breakfast was at 6:30 a.m., lunch at 11:30, dinner at 6:00 p.m. . I was too late for breakfast. I sat with others talking out front on picnic tables. One black dude, known for hopping trains all over the country, told the stories and it did tricks with playing cards. We ate lunch. I hung around and took it easy. I checked my gear into a locker and a locker room kept by Robert Bob Dole. I chained up my bicycle inside the locker room. Later, at 6:30, we went to chapel and heard a pretty damned good sermon by Roy Collins about the story of Daniel. We ate dinner. We had already showered at 3:00 p.m. . To check in to sleep I had to leave a picture ID and blow into a breathalyzer. What does that tell you about that place? I got pajamas and went to bed 25, top bunk in dorm room. They had at least 30 bunks in that room. And by the way, we had steak for dinner.
I slept only a few short hours, and those fitfully. I decided in the morning to leave the mission even though I could have stayed 10 days. This was a bicycling tour, not an extended layover at a flop house. Breakfast was eggs, potatoes, bacon, and bread. Leaving there I cycled uphill and went to Mr B's bicycle shop. All the way there I saw two men from the mission on their way to get an Arizona QUEST card for food, like food stamps. The bike shop was closed, it was too early, but a woman in the office sold me a tube anyway. I used the bathroom at the office of economic security. I told two men there what I thought of government. I cycled West out of town. I had a 44 Oz drink of horchata at a convenience store. I cycled over the bridge into California into Winter Haven just on the west side of the Colorado River. I bought a gallon of de salted water, a burrito and brownie. At first I used the side road. Interstate 8 had a sign prohibiting bicycles. I got back on 8 farther west. I had to exit interstate 8 at one point and went up a hilly road partially covered in tan sugar sand. Some linemen they're clued me into the fact that the road would soon end. I double back, this was imperial sand dunes recreation area, and got on interstate 8. I had to exit again, but the frontage road was like and occluded jigsaw puzzle. I got back on 8 again. I stopped in a restaurant with a large al fresco outside darning area covered over in camouflage webbing. A woman told me of a free mineral spring 20 miles up the road. I ate the burrito and Brownie and went on. Finally I got to the spring. I took a dip there too. I stayed an hour or so. A Korean vet, his wife and two grandchildren and another dude showed up. We talked a while. The older man told me some of his war experiences. I went on into holtville amidst low-lying agricultural fields, some growing and some just plowed up rich looking soil. I found some kind of mall and ate hamburgers and fries in holtville. I drank Gatorade in the town park. I cycled West to get into El Centro at dark. I went to the Shell station convenience store. I had a drink of RX memory drink and Coca-Cola. I called a Korean man who told me I could spend a night at his place in El Centro. As anticipated, I got a recording and it did not get through. I cycled South along dark roads and then East looking for a place to bed down. There was nothing much there. I found a newly built, unused industrial building and got in a small room under the stairwell at ground level. I looked around at the area at first. I slept okay and came about 59 miles.
