Race Across the West 2019 Route

• Pacific Coast, Peninsular Range, and the Salton Trough
  • Oceanside Pier
  • Lake Henshaw
  • Salton Sea
  • Imperial Valley
• Sonoran Desert
  • Algodones Dunes
  • Chocolate Mountains
  • ​Parker Valley
• Mexican Highlands
  • Yarnell Grade
  • Skull Valley
  • Hull Canyon
  • Jerome
• San Francisco Plateau
  • Happy Jack
  • Flagstaff
• Colorado Plateau
  • Moenkopi Plateau
  • Monument Valley
  • Forrest Gump Point
• San Juan Mountins
  • McElmo Canyon
  • Montezuma Valley
  • Cortez
• Durango

Pacific Coast, Peninsular Range, and the Salton Trough

Oceanside Pier

The July 1964 opening of the "Glass Elevator" down to Borrego Springs. Credit Borrego Sun ( https://www.borregosun.com/photos/big/1038/12)

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• The route begins on the Pacific Coast in Oceanside California and traverses the coast mountains, the Peninsular Ranges, a region characterized by a series of mountain ranges and long river valleys formed by the multiple fault lines that branch from the famous San Andreas Fault.  We pass south of Palomar Mountain and the 200" Hale Telescope, once the largest telescope in the world.  Then we climb the San Luis Rey River Valley, passing Lake Henshaw and descend Montezuma Valley Road into Borrego Springs.  The descent drops 3600' in just 12 miles and is one of the classic climbs (going the other way) in North America.  The nickname "Glass Elevator" was memorialized in the feature story in the Borrego Sun when the route opened in 1964 and refers to the unique desert view motorist had from their cars descending into the desert. (88.3 miles so far, 842.2 miles to go.) 
• From Borrego Springs, the terrain changes dramatically as we descend the Lower Borrego Valley  to the irrigated farmland of the Imperial and cross the irrigated farmland of the Imperial Valley surrounding Brawley CA.  This region, the Salton Trough, is the northern extension fault system that created the Gulf of California.  We pass just south of the Salton Sea and through the lowest point on the RAW and RAAM course near the Elmore Desert Ranch at 190 feet below sea level. (145.3 miles so far, 785.2 miles to go.)
• The challenge through this section will be the transition to the desert.  During the descent of the Glass Elevator, the temperature soar well over 100 F.  You can feel the temperature go up as you go down.  Many riders will use hybrid cooling vests with special cooling gel inserts to help prevent overheating.  The successful rider must not only be able to survive the desert, but get through it in good form, ready to ride another 600+ miles to Durango.

CA-78 near the lowest point on the RAW/RAAM route, 190 feet below sea level.

The Sonoran Desert

• Continuing east from Brawley, the first 14 miles crosses irrigated farmland before crossing the Algodones Dunes, a 45 mile long, 6 mile wide sand dune field with dunes as high as 300'.   We will almost certainly cross the dune field in the dark, passing through the mostly ghost town of Glamis shortly before midnight.   
• After emerging from the basin, the route climbs steadily for 30 miles and over 1100' into the Chocolate Mountains, and obscure range once known for numerous small gold mines and the Bradshaw Trail, a historic overland stage route from San Bernardino to La Paz, Arizona.  Our plan is to arrive in Blythe about 3 am, and decide if I'm ready for a sleep break, or if we should push on through the night another 50 miles to Parker.
• The desert crossing continues as the route heads north up the Parker Valley.  The first 7 miles heads north across irrigated farmland.  To the east is the Colorado River and the irrigated farmland that fills the valley.  Visually from the road, we are still surrounded by desert. 
• This part of the route will stress both the RAW and the RAAM riders and crew.  Most will be attempting to put as many miles in the first night to get through as much desert before the heat of the second day.  For many, this will be the longest stretch without sleep.   Sunrise (5:25 am MST) should be just about the time we cross the Colorado River into Arizona.   After crossing the river, we have just 14 miles on into Parker, Time Station 4 at the Circle K, and the crew will hit the local 24 h Walmart Supercenter  (286.0 miles so far, 644.5 miles to go.)​
• Following Parker, the route heads southeast, completing a long detour to avoid I-10 through Quartzsite, ending up in Hope AZ before resuming the generally northeast journey towards Durango.  The firs 56 miles is pretty featureless as we climb slowly up the Bouse Wash and Ranegras Plains,   The Arizona and California Railroad runs alongside the highway out of Parker, a small regional short line railroad.  There is not much out here.   
• Along this segment, coming into Blouse AZ, we pass "Hoodoo Point"--the point during RAW where I have now ridden more than ever before.  I remember the equivalent point at Hoodoo, the 203 mile point which represented the distance from my prior longest race, the Dirty Kanza.  It too was a nondescript point on the road. Bouse was originally a small mining camp founded in 1908 and has a population of about 1000 people.

The Chocolate Mountains

The Parker Valley.

"Hoodoo Point", 309 miles into RAW along AZ Highway 72.  This is the point where I have now riden farther than every before--Hoodoo 300 was 309 miles.