Fontana to Barstow April 12, 2026 Day 2

We knew we were going to have a hard day today. There was a good chance of rain in the morning and we had to climb at least 3,000 ft in the first third of the ride. I was optimistic at first because the rain was so light it was just a mist.

The grade was not severe, but we were climbing from the moment we headed north from Fontana. The mist turned to drizzle, then over 30 minutes it graduated to rain. We both tried to add another layer to keep our skin dry. My fingers were getting numb and my arms were cold as my light windbreaker got wetter. For the most part we had a tail wind, but when it was in our face it was even more chilling. The passing cars created spray to make sure the rain hadn’t missed any spots. We never found relief until we made it under an I-15 overpass. We determined that there was a McDonald’s 2 miles up the interstate and rode like mad as the cars and truck sprayed us as we rode the shoulder past the weigh station to our safe haven. We had a final climb off the interstate and then a descent into the parking lot. We were there at least 45 minutes, shivering while we had a hot coffee each. We traded turns going to the rest room to dry our clothes with the hand dryers there. With each trip we would warm ourselves while we worked our way through the jacket, shirt, vest and/or gloves.

The rain had finally passed and the sun had been out for awhile before we jumped back on the interstate for the final 7 miles of climbing and another 2 to exit to a frontage road to Victorville. We were finally going downhill. While the shoulder of the interstate was actually smooth, the frontage road was jarring us with its delapidated pavement. The fast speed of the downhill made the bumps even worse. There was not much shoulder and some of the cars got close when passing.

By the time we got to Victorville, the road had been continually improving. We had been going downhill with a tailwind, so our average speed had gone from 7-9 MPH to 14-18 MPH, topping 20 MPH often. There were lots of places we could have had something to eat, but due to my poor judgement, we had to stop at a gas station for a hot breakfast sandwich. We knew there would be nothing for many miles if we didn’t take it.

Once we got past a stretch of bumpy shoulder and climbing, we seemed to be going downhill with a tailwind again. The miles were going by faster at a 15-30 MPH clip. I was using high gears that I normally wouldn’t touch. There were only a few tiny towns now in the final 35 miles to Barstow. Most were only identifiable as a town by a roadside sign.

We were both making good time as we approached Barstow. The sun was bright, we had tailwind, but were not usually in sight of f each other. Depending on what we saw as interesting for a photo op, we would leapfrog each other.

We did finally merge at the outskirts of Barstow. We only had just over 3 miles to make it to the hotel where Carol had our panniers waiting for us.

Details of the 80 mile ride can be found here.

After cleaning up, we finally ended up at a Foster Freeze for dinner. Both Ron and I had our eyes on it from the moment we rode by into town. It was a good end to long day that had its misery and amazing sights. Lots of ups and downs. Even at its lowest points, we kept a good attitude. It was the rain that tested our resolve and made it “part of the adventure”.

The Not So Lone Rider