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My setup is all set up and I have no worries but to strap on helmet, grab water bottle provided, and load up on nutritious snacks. Oh yeah, and several cookies that Heidi baked earlier!
Evan, with his incredible cycling skills, leads way and Heidi follows in SUV. This is so awesome—food, drinks, and safety trailing behind me and all I have to do is set a pace that’s superb for impromtu exploring of desert discoveries around me. Hot, dry desert frames snow-capped mountain . . . where else but in California! This is a sensory natural experience on a two-wheel steed and not through windows of a car. It’s also an excellent way to fend off those extra calories from Palm Springs ’ fine dining experience.
We make a gradual descend and I’m unaware of 3000 foot decline until, well, until I start doing research for this feature. I know Evan is a speed demon and a little more hardcore, belonging to some extreme cycling group, but he adjusts his speed to canter to mine. I know his heart rate isn’t elevated, but mine is and adrenaline is pumping as I grip handlebars tightly.
The tranquil beauty of expansive desert is a sharp contrast with many-hued mountain background that calms my mind, rejuvenating my spirit. The scenery is exhilarating, balancing out serenity with energy and aliveness.
We stop any time I want to explore and chlorophyll green of a plant growing in dessicated solid hardpan is amazing. Heidi plucks a leaf here and there and tells me to feel it, smell it, or crush it. She announces name and medicinal uses for each herb; I picture Indians who used to live here. Read this entire feature FREE with photos at: http://www.jetsettersmagazine.com/archive/jetezine/sports02/bike/bigwheel/bigwheel.html
By Lena Hunt Mabra, Cozumel Correspondent, Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.com
Lena Hunt Mabra,Jetsetters Magazine Correspondent. Join the Travel Writers Network in the logo at www.jetsettersmagazine.com