Ed uses his seniority to turn on all the lights and make noise when he gets up, which wakes Caleb. I can usually wake someone just by being in the same room or building. We pack the bikes by 730 am and have breakfast at a cafe in Lucerne Valley. We continue on the east side of Big Bear and have to wait in the road while a dump truck gets winched off its side around a turn near Angelus Oaks. We turn the bikes off to avoid overheating, and once cleared, enjoy the breeze of movement south through Hemet, Pala Mesa, and Ramona.

Every time Ed visits, we drive to Julian for pie, but we will postpone that trip for today and arrive in Lakeside in the heat of the afternoon. Caleb goes to the grocery store for steaks and beers while we clean up and unpack. I don’t remember what we watched with dinner, but as I dropped off bones at the dumpster, I saw that Ed didn’t remember which door was ours. It had been a long ride, at least for me, as I’ve never spent more than half an hour on the back of a bike, let alone a few days. We are tired and sore and looking forward to a few days’ rest before Ed returns north.