20 Feet doesn't sound too high. It's less than 4 of me stacked one on top of the other. But it was high enough to shatter my ankle and put me off my feet for 6 months. And standing on a bridge, looking down 20 feet into a pitch black river bed, it could be 100 feet.
We rode in to Provo today, or at least everyone else did. I drove the van from our Utahian oasis in Delta, the land of change back into the real world where buildings have more than 2 stories and highways have more than one lane. I also finally got acces to a Chase bank which means for the first time since California I've had access to my own money.
We were met in Provo, after a series of mix ups and turn arounds, by a group of guys in their 20s that run a bike collective where people in town can access a rudimentary bike shop, and have access to spare parts and assistance for a reasonable price. After a dinner of vegan chili and PBR we were able to give a presentation to some locals in the bike community, and set up camp for the night in the garage that houses their collective, or in our case outside of the garage.
Excited to meet people our own age for the first time in weeks, we esily agreed to accompany some of the guys on the most exciting thing Provo, Utah, home of Brigham Young University and the strictest liquor laws in the US, had to offer. We followed them on a midnight bike ride to the middle of nowhere, climbed a few fences and took off most of our clothes, and found ourselves standing on the edge of a 20 foot bridge. It took me a few minutes and a little bit of coaxing, but I did finally jump. Hey, you only ride your bike across the country once. So why not?
30.6.12
29.6.12
Delta stands for change
Today was our second rest day, and it was much needed. We stayed today at an RV park in Delta, Utah, a town of about 3,000 that had WiFi, a grocery store, movie theatd all the other things we've been missing this past week. We took the day to go to the library, and to clean out our vans which was MUCH needed. Off tomorrow to Provo!
28.6.12
the loneliest road
They say 50 is the loneliest road in America. While the past few days were far from action packed, they did not compare to today. We went 83 miles from Border Inn to the small town of Hinkley without seeing so much as a gas station or a shack.
I didn't think that Utah would be vastly different from Nevada, but it does seem to be slightly more colorful and there are a lot more plateaus in Utah than I saw in Nevada. Today also saw my first salt flats, and an extremely convincing mirage of a lake that we debated over weather it was real or a reflection for over 10 miles.
A flat tire and a photo op at the new shoe tree (the old one got cut down in an act of vengance from some spurned ex husband) rounded out our afternoon. We are calling Delta, UT home for the next two days and are staying at yet another RV park. A few of us walked to a bar for dinner in hopes of catching the Olympic time trials for swimming, but learned first hand how strict Utah's liquor laws are when were kicked out of the bar for having under-21s with us.
We caught dinner at a local diner, but returned to the bar after dropping off the under-agers back at camp. Colin, Casey and I played a game of darts and talked to the locals for a bit, and as closing time approached we took shots with a couple for last call. And second last call. And third and fourth. When the bar finally closed we were invited out to hang out with the couple back at their place and we followed them home to play more darts, pool and air hockey.
We got back to our campsite well into the early hours of the morning with a stray dog in tow, after a jog through sand dunes, ready to pass out and sleep in tomorrow.
I didn't think that Utah would be vastly different from Nevada, but it does seem to be slightly more colorful and there are a lot more plateaus in Utah than I saw in Nevada. Today also saw my first salt flats, and an extremely convincing mirage of a lake that we debated over weather it was real or a reflection for over 10 miles.
A flat tire and a photo op at the new shoe tree (the old one got cut down in an act of vengance from some spurned ex husband) rounded out our afternoon. We are calling Delta, UT home for the next two days and are staying at yet another RV park. A few of us walked to a bar for dinner in hopes of catching the Olympic time trials for swimming, but learned first hand how strict Utah's liquor laws are when were kicked out of the bar for having under-21s with us.
We caught dinner at a local diner, but returned to the bar after dropping off the under-agers back at camp. Colin, Casey and I played a game of darts and talked to the locals for a bit, and as closing time approached we took shots with a couple for last call. And second last call. And third and fourth. When the bar finally closed we were invited out to hang out with the couple back at their place and we followed them home to play more darts, pool and air hockey.
We got back to our campsite well into the early hours of the morning with a stray dog in tow, after a jog through sand dunes, ready to pass out and sleep in tomorrow.
27.6.12
Roughing it
For the most part today was a lot like every other day recently. Long, hot flats through the desert punctuated by hellish climbs and awesome descents. We ended the day at Border Inn. Or at least we were supposed to. A few of us missed that memo and headed straight through to Baker, a town of maybe 500 a few miles out of the way. We realized our mistake when we passed through the entire town (twice) and didn't see any of the vans or any bikes sitting outside restaurants. Without service to call the group we made our way slowly back to the last (and only) turn we had made that day. We didn't make it far before we bumped in to the van drivers who had gone out looking for us when we hadn't showed up at camp and no one remembered passing us.
When we got to the place we were staying for the night it became apparent that Border Inn was just that, an inn on the border. There was a gas station, restaurant, bar and inn all in one small building just feet away from the Utah/Nevada border. Whoever was working graciously let us set up camp in a small field behind the inn and use their bathrooms and showers, which we desperately needed.
26.6.12
The west is on fire
Today was probably the closest I've ever been to a wildfire. At no point were we in any danger of shifting winds or blowing embers, but on our first descent of the day we completely circled an area with a few dozen acres on fire. The rest of the day was long and hot, with smoke blowing around us constantly.
We ended for the day in Ely, NV which was slightly larger than the other towns we've been to recently. We stayed at a KOA, which was more expensive than other nights, but it was nice to have access to showers, laundry and a store with chocolate milk.
We ended for the day in Ely, NV which was slightly larger than the other towns we've been to recently. We stayed at a KOA, which was more expensive than other nights, but it was nice to have access to showers, laundry and a store with chocolate milk.
25.6.12
two steps forward one step back
I started today straight up from the RV park and up a 7% grade into one hell of a headwind. The headwind turned into a crosswind on the descent, making the descent more scary than gratifying. 20 miles out of town the tire that Colin had patched for me the night before gave out and I was stuck more or less by myself on a long, windy stretch of road in the middle of nowhere. I called the vans and luckily for me (unluckily for them) Alice and Manish both had bike issues that needed a shop and the three of us were able to take a van to the nearest bike shop. Unfortunately for us that shop was several hundred miles away, back in Reno.
The round trip drive took us all day, but luckily we were able to all take care of our problems. I got a new tire and a spare, new tubes, and my derailer adjusted so that I had use once again of my larger 2 rings. On the drive back I slept most of the way and we stopped at a castle otside of Austin that was considered a Nevada historic marker.
By the time we rolled up in to Eureka the sun had gone down and everyone had already set up camp. I threw together a dinner of bagels, and set up my sleeping mat in the public park that we had claimed as ours. Around midnight we were woken up by what sounded like tornado sirens, but louder. They lasted for about 10 minutes, then stopped. Like any sane group of people would we just went back to sleep and didn't think about it til the next morning when we found out it was an alarm for wildfires in the area. Whoops.
The round trip drive took us all day, but luckily we were able to all take care of our problems. I got a new tire and a spare, new tubes, and my derailer adjusted so that I had use once again of my larger 2 rings. On the drive back I slept most of the way and we stopped at a castle otside of Austin that was considered a Nevada historic marker.
By the time we rolled up in to Eureka the sun had gone down and everyone had already set up camp. I threw together a dinner of bagels, and set up my sleeping mat in the public park that we had claimed as ours. Around midnight we were woken up by what sounded like tornado sirens, but louder. They lasted for about 10 minutes, then stopped. Like any sane group of people would we just went back to sleep and didn't think about it til the next morning when we found out it was an alarm for wildfires in the area. Whoops.
24.6.12
The Road less traveled
Today was our first century of the trip. Or at least it was going to be. Sadly for me, Cacie and Valerie, the girls I was riding with, we never made it past 80 miles.
The morning was good. The ride out of Fallon was long and flat with a tailwind for most of the ride, however when I stopped to use the batroom at a bar in a podunk town 40 miles out of Fallon a lady knocked over my bike and the derailer got moved. Unable to shift out of my middle ring, I tried to power my way through the rest of the day when I got a flat. Then another. Then finally, 30 miles out of Austin my tire gave up completely and yet another flat blew through the rubber leaving a hole.
Stuck 30 miles from our destination, with no signal to contact the van drivers or other riders, we did the only thing we could think of and started walking our bikes towards a road sign we could use as shade (something thats not overly abundant in the desert). After over an hour in the sun, the vans finally found us and picked me up, unable to finish the day on the trashed tire, and with no spare tubes left to put in the tire anyways.
We pulled up for the night at a Baptist Church/RV park in the town of Austin, NV which could not have a population over 300, and set up for our first night of camping. The park was an interesting place to say the least, and although they graciously let us stay for free the ten commandments posted on every wall and bathrooms labeled "Adam" and "Eve" were a bit much. Unfortunately the town rolled up its sidewalks at 8:30 so we weren't able to explore much. We took some vidoes of our adventure hiking in the desert that I'll try to upload when I reach a place with better 3G service on my phone.
Stuck 30 miles from our destination, with no signal to contact the van drivers or other riders, we did the only thing we could think of and started walking our bikes towards a road sign we could use as shade (something thats not overly abundant in the desert). After over an hour in the sun, the vans finally found us and picked me up, unable to finish the day on the trashed tire, and with no spare tubes left to put in the tire anyways.
We pulled up for the night at a Baptist Church/RV park in the town of Austin, NV which could not have a population over 300, and set up for our first night of camping. The park was an interesting place to say the least, and although they graciously let us stay for free the ten commandments posted on every wall and bathrooms labeled "Adam" and "Eve" were a bit much. Unfortunately the town rolled up its sidewalks at 8:30 so we weren't able to explore much. We took some vidoes of our adventure hiking in the desert that I'll try to upload when I reach a place with better 3G service on my phone.
23.6.12
Break day
Today we had our first break day and finally got to breathe and get off our bikes for a bit. There were five of us staying with Jim and Jane, including 2 of us who slept out in a campr in the back yard. We woke up this morning to a huge breakfast of eggs cooked to order, grits, homemade honey (our hosts keep bees), fruit, yogurt, bacon, ham and anything else you could want to eat. After eating Jim offered to take us out 4 wheeling and three of us took him up on the offer. We Drove out to the edge of town and followed some trails for a while till we got out to some big dunes. We raced a bit, followed a canal, scared off some cows and got stuck on an incline before heading home a few hours later.
For dinner we met back up with the rest of the group and had another potluck dinner of fajitas. After dinner a few of us went out to one of the casinos in town, a shady little place called The Nugget, where I lasted 45 minutes playin video poker with $2. We went next door to an even shadier dive and played pool til midnight, when we returned to our host house.
For dinner we met back up with the rest of the group and had another potluck dinner of fajitas. After dinner a few of us went out to one of the casinos in town, a shady little place called The Nugget, where I lasted 45 minutes playin video poker with $2. We went next door to an even shadier dive and played pool til midnight, when we returned to our host house.
22.6.12
Setting a land speed record
Today was finally the kind of riding that I'm used to. Long, flat and windy. Luckily for us that wind was largely at our backs. We flew through 60 miles in what seemed like no time at all. Sam, Flannery, Valerie and I held a pace right around 23mph and hardly stopped except to fill up our water bottles. And to fix 3 flats.
Our group of four finished all 60 miles in just over 4 hours, including stops for flats which we termed "party flats" as we would crank up our music and dance on the side of the road while we changed our tubes. For most of us these were the first tubes we replaced on our own, so each stop took about 20 minutes after all the patching, inflating, brake aligning and dancing was said and done.
These proverbial bumps in the road could not have come on a better day. Even with our pit stops we still finished the whole day in time for lunch at the Sonic in Fallon (Nevada - we crossed the state line yesterday on our way out of Tahoe).
A host family had us all over, including half of the neighborhood, for a potluck dinner and grilling (don't forget the beer), then we parted ways into five different houses for the night. Five of us (Sydney, Gabi, Augie, Ellie and I) went a few miles down the highway to stay with a couple, and for the fist time since leaving Illinois I got to sleep on a real bed, albeit a small one inside a camper.
Our group of four finished all 60 miles in just over 4 hours, including stops for flats which we termed "party flats" as we would crank up our music and dance on the side of the road while we changed our tubes. For most of us these were the first tubes we replaced on our own, so each stop took about 20 minutes after all the patching, inflating, brake aligning and dancing was said and done.
These proverbial bumps in the road could not have come on a better day. Even with our pit stops we still finished the whole day in time for lunch at the Sonic in Fallon (Nevada - we crossed the state line yesterday on our way out of Tahoe).
A host family had us all over, including half of the neighborhood, for a potluck dinner and grilling (don't forget the beer), then we parted ways into five different houses for the night. Five of us (Sydney, Gabi, Augie, Ellie and I) went a few miles down the highway to stay with a couple, and for the fist time since leaving Illinois I got to sleep on a real bed, albeit a small one inside a camper.
21.6.12
What goes up must come down
Today was the downhill to yesterday's uphill. A (relatively) short 40 mile day, 15 of which were a 6% grade descent in to Carson city. The ride took less than 3 hours, and was a ton of fun. Or at least that's what they told me. I got to drive one of the 16 passenger vans today, and white knuckled the entire way down at a cool 55mph.
We ended up for the night with a family in Carson city who set us up with Chinese food, and more beer and wine, and sat around talking in the kitchen well in to the night. The family had a dog and a ton of cats so a few of us wound up sleeping out on the porch to save ourselves from allergies. I didn't realize the desert could get so cold at night, but falling asleep quite literally under the stars and waking up with the sun was oddly relaxing.
We ended up for the night with a family in Carson city who set us up with Chinese food, and more beer and wine, and sat around talking in the kitchen well in to the night. The family had a dog and a ton of cats so a few of us wound up sleeping out on the porch to save ourselves from allergies. I didn't realize the desert could get so cold at night, but falling asleep quite literally under the stars and waking up with the sun was oddly relaxing.
20.6.12
My first mountain.
Nothing could have prepared me for today. Being from the Midwest where the biggest hills come in the form of highway overpasses, I knew my first day riding on real mountains was going to be interesting. We left Folsom straight into huge rolling foothills, then shortly after into mountains. In the morning Valerie and I stayed mostly on a nice, gradual uphill bike path. After a few peanut butter sandwichesSydney and I took off, hit a 10 mile descent, took a break to swim in a river and then started to do the real work. I spent more time in my granny gear than I thought possible, stayed upright at speeds that were physics defyingly slow, and climbed more vertical feet than I see in a year of riding in Illinois.
By the end of the day, after rolling in to South Lake Tahoe 12 hours later, I was more than happy to inhale a heap of pasta and asparagus, celebrate my first mountain ever with some (a whole bottle of) $3 wine and pass out in the little vacation home about 10 miles off of the lake that some friendly strangers very graciously let us crash in.
I've been to Tahoe more than a few times before with family and friends, but I've always taken on the mountains in a car or bus. While the ride was incredibly difficult physically, it gave me an even greater appreciation for how beautiful that area is. Today gave me an awesome new perspective on one of my favorite places in the world, defined my boundaries as a rider, and left me feeling amazing. I conquered my first mountain ever, and could not feel better. Well, maybe I could with a massage.
By the end of the day, after rolling in to South Lake Tahoe 12 hours later, I was more than happy to inhale a heap of pasta and asparagus, celebrate my first mountain ever with some (a whole bottle of) $3 wine and pass out in the little vacation home about 10 miles off of the lake that some friendly strangers very graciously let us crash in.
I've been to Tahoe more than a few times before with family and friends, but I've always taken on the mountains in a car or bus. While the ride was incredibly difficult physically, it gave me an even greater appreciation for how beautiful that area is. Today gave me an awesome new perspective on one of my favorite places in the world, defined my boundaries as a rider, and left me feeling amazing. I conquered my first mountain ever, and could not feel better. Well, maybe I could with a massage.
19.6.12
Little by little
If anything today shows that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. We started off with a few wrong turns, but by lunch we were 20 miles farther than we were at the same time yesterday and the number of map errors is definitely on the decline. We powered through quite a few miles of flat lands with heavy winds that reminded me of central Illinois, and reminded me that I can, in fact, ride my bike and hold a pace. I lead a pace line for a while with Cacie, Valerie and Katie and made awesome time until an accident a few miles out of Davis. Everyone was fine, but it definitely wrecked the confidence of a few people and slowed us down for the afternoon. It's been frustrating, but there is a definite learning curve, and I think by the end of the week we will have gotten used to riding together.
The house we stayed at was again amazing, and as we finished out 85 miles through Sacramento into Folsom we were met by tacos, guac, a pool and more beers.
18.6.12
And We're Off
Day one done! The good news is everyone is in one piece, the bad news is we have a lot of work to do as a group to make this summer run smoothly. Today our route (which was 106 turns long) took us up and then back down useless hills, out of our way, and lead us in to a few dead ends. We wrapped up the day as the sun was going down lost a few cities away from our host house, no less than 5 flat tires and 50 wrong turns later. The learning curve is going to be a bitch, but hopefully after a few days of practice, and some new ideas we will get to a point where we can plan (and follow) routes, or at least get on long stretches of highways that are easier to follow.
The stay today was at a beautiful house in Fairfield with an awesome host who set us up with lasagne, salad, and some much needed beers. She also had two little boys who were hilariously enamored by the 19 smelly strangers taking over their house, and wanted to help everything from unpacking the roof rack to changing bike tires.
The stay today was at a beautiful house in Fairfield with an awesome host who set us up with lasagne, salad, and some much needed beers. She also had two little boys who were hilariously enamored by the 19 smelly strangers taking over their house, and wanted to help everything from unpacking the roof rack to changing bike tires.
16.6.12
Welcome to San Francisco
Landed in san francisco yesterday for orientation, and happy to say my bike, luggage, and I all landed in one piece. A little 5am sweet talking even got my bike on the plane for no extra charge, which was a life saver since I've come to realize how expensive biking is. Meeting everyone was interesting since I've spent the past 3 months relentlessly staling their facebook profiles and creeping through their pictures, but I'm derfinitely not dissapointed.
San Francisco is a beautiful town with hellish hills that are rough even on foot. There's also an interesting homeless population that we learned about first hand when a midnight subway trip culminated in being approached by a man covered in blood who had just been jumped and wanted help finding a Tony Jones and his jacket, and a toothless woman who thought I was someone named Harriet who was on a committee for the pride parade.
Looking forward to our first group ride and our kickoff from the Golden Gate bridge.
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