Well, it's great to hear your upbeat comments....you just went through your 'trial by fire', and although it might have come close, it didn't defeat you, good Job! I personally haven't ridden that section from San Diego, but have driven it many times. Sure, you'll have more hills, but none as severe, and you'll fight more strong headwinds, just use your gearing while maintaining your sustainable output, and if you find you're barely making headway, wait until the winds subside a bit. Quite often, if they're a daily problem, you might have to ride very early or late for awhile. When riding through southwestern Yukon, that was the situation for me....I had to do most of my daily riding before 10:am because of the very strong headwinds during the middle of the day. Once I was well past Kluane Lake, everything was back to normal. Enjoy your tour!