Day 4: Auburn to Trucke, CA -- 72.6 miles

OMG! Today was incredible!!! I am sure most of you could tell I wasn't sounding super excited about today. I was really mentally preparing for a very long hard ride for today. I had heard horror stories that two years ago, on top of Donner's pass that it was whiteout blizzard conditions. I hate snow, and riding down a steep hill with no gaurd rails for 10 miles on wet pavement was really freaking me out. One of my goals is to ride this whole ride without getting on the sag wagon, and it was a long journey. Practically up hill the whole way. For those of you from Colorado, it literally was like riding uphill from Golden to Aspen...just a continuous mountain to climb that was never, never ending!

We started the day at 5:30 am, eating the grand slam special at "Denny's!" (Brings back memories doesn't it Maggie?)... Anyway, I was biking on the road by 6:15am, and the steep inclines, hills and mountains began almost immediately. I was pumped and ready to go. One good thing that I had forgotten was that for every hill you climb, regardless how steep, there is a magnificent downhill to coast down on the other side, so this, in my opinion, made the work worth it. I was also surrounded by scenery I am not used to, so I was enjoying all the great sites of California, mainly mountains...which I had forgotten were so amazingly beautiful...and yes, many parts of it reminded me of Colorado! As one fellow biker shared with me, "another beautiful day in paradise," and it really was!

So as I kept climbing up in elevation...we are up to 8.000 feet now...I found that as I pedal, going 5 mph, if i pump 13 times it = 1/100 of a mile. 130 times = 1/10 of a mile, and 1 mile - 1300 pedal pumps on my bike. If you go 10.9 mph, 1/100 of a mile = 6 pumps. I know you can all rest easy now, knowing this little piece of trivia!

There was construction going on on interstate 80, so the construction crew rerouted us for about a quarter of a mile until got to a safe place to start riding again. Safe on I-80? I know! I think this is where my brother and sister stopped to put chains on the car one winter if I am not mistaken. It really though wasn't super bad, I was just glad to get off the highway, and start up Donner's pass!

Oddly enough, Donner's pass was a piece of cake compared to all the climbing we had done up to that point...probably the last 6 miles was tough. Once we got to the top, it was soooooooo worth it. For those of you who've gone there, you know what I am talking about. It made me feel that all this work was so worth it, just to see Donner's lake from the top of Donner's pass! And, there was no snow, no rain, and we were all so very glad that we did not have to resort to eating one another! Once we got down the mountain and to our hotel, we had pasta, salad, and bread instead. Gearing up for another day!!!

Just a few random thoughts to share with you as I've been biking and seeing the sites the past four days. I did not know that Best Western Hotels still existed....I think I was in kindergarten that last time I had stayed at one, or I've been living in NYC too long! Also, did you know they still make JHIRMACK shampoo, conditioner, and soap? Again, I haven't seen those products in many years! I also was wondering, how many interstates are there in the continental U.S? Does anyone know? I know I-70 in Colorado, and I was on I-80 today...again, just random thoughts as I bike during the day!

I got slightly sunburned today. The first day riding, a fellow rider, John, came up to me to remind me to always reapply to my nose, as he had had 3 seperate skin cancer's to his. Today was a reminder of how the higher elevations make me so much more susceptible to burns!

Well, today is our last day in California, and tomorrow we are off to Nevada, and to Lake Tahoe!!! I have never been, and am very excited to see the sites! Still having a blast, even though I biked for 12 hours today (yes, I am slow)... and even tho I can feel every muscle fiber in my quads, I am still having an absolutely amazing time!

Hope you are all well! Will talk to you later! M

Day 1 San Francisco to Vallejo -

WOW! What an incredibly stimulating day today was!!! I woke up at 5, and we started on the road at about 6:30 am!!! HA! This may have been the only time I've ever had a smile on my face so early in the morning!!! After about 1.5 miles, we started a 600 foot climb that lasted one mile! That was the most challenging part of the day. It was fun riding to the ocean and carrying my bike across the beach, and dipping my wheel into the ocean! I was going at a slower pace because I've only been to San Francisco one time, which was a quick trip. So, I was stopping often to take pictures. One of the highlights (along with dipping our bikes in the ocean) was riding across the Golden Gate Bridge! One street we took to get there was Balboa street.... it was in the heart of San Fran, with those super steep hills going up and down, like we used to see on the Rice- A- Roni commercials. So, of course I had the ROCKY theme in my head going down this street! This organization (America By Bicycle) is very organized. It is the ultra yuppie trip. They provide us with food and water along the way...so this isn't as hard core as other bike trips can be where you are responsible for everything...I've met a lot of great people on this trip in just the first day! This one lady Carole goes at my own pace, so we buddied up quickly. Then we met up with 2 others later on who traveled along with us. The four of us ended up getting lost, taking the wrong highway, and having to backtrack. We had to call for support to find where we had to go...one of the vans came and met up with us, to point us in the right direction. It just happened to be the street the was directly ahead of us! LOL!!! As one other bicyclist told me: the more miles, the better the stories!!!We also rode through a cute town, Saulsilido... (I may have misspelled this), it was just very quaint with a lot of unique shops, and no chain restaurants or businesses.I was super grateful that the weather was so perfect. Not too hot, not too windy, and no fog, so I got great pics...which will eventually be posted!We go to a restaurant together every night, where we all swap stories of stuff that happened. Today was a bad day for many, but as was said by those involved, could have been much worse. In short, there were 3 accidents, 2 flat tires, and a warped bike rim. According to the staff, this is highly unusual that all this happens in one day, let alone the first day! Aside from some scrapes, cuts, bruises, and a dislocated clavical, everyone involved in accidents are okay, but really had made many of us realize how important it is to stay focus while riding these streets!We go through so many neighborhoods, and saw so many different parts of the San Francisco Bay area, which included passing by San Quentin... as I told one new friend, I feel like I had so many different flavors of America in just one day....that is, just seeing and experincing things we don't normally see or do! Overall, it's been a blast, and everyone here is in agreement: that if this is how invigorated and rejuvenated we feel after just one day, we just can't imagine how great the rest of this trip will be! We are all simple giddy!On that note, its time for me to turn in! Thanks again to all of you for your prayers and support!Going to Sacramento tomorrow!!!Adios!!!

Day 3 - Sacramento to Auburn, CA - 52 miles

Hi Everyone!

Today was another glorious day! It was a bit cooler than the past two days, and we had a little head wind, which made it a bit tougher than the past two days. Also, with the miles accumulating, I was dragging a bit today. We had roughly a 1200 foot climb today, which also slowed me down. We had a nice long flat bike trail that we rode on for the first 33 miles, the rest was a gradual climb. It is a climb that is preparing us for tomorrow. We have a 5000 foot climb over Donner's pass! I have to wake up at 4:45 in the morning to get on the rode at 5:15!

We stopped by a beautiful lake, Folsom lake, and yes, Folsom prison is near by, and we passed by the prison. That makes three we passed so far! LOL.

Auburn is a great little town that we stopped and ate lunch at. The rest of the afternoon, has just amounted to a lot of napping and getting mentally prepared for tomorrow. Weather for tomorrow is unpredictable, so I packed my warm stuff while still keeping my pack light!

Even I can tell, my tone has changed just a bit since the past two days. The next two days is going to part of the "challenge" in this cross country challenge. Will write more tomorrow! Gotta get a long nights sleep! Ha ha... this is a first, that I am actually going to bed at 9:00 pm!!! :)

Day 2 - Vallejo to Sacramento, CA - 69.5 miles

Hey all,

Today was another spectacular day. It was a little harder for me to wake up this morning knowing I had nearly 70 miles ahead of me. My muscles were a touch sore and stiff, but nothing to really complain about. We will see if that changes as the days continue! LOL. All the staff yesterday was saying today was going to be "an easy ride." I was a bit skeptical, what is easy for one, is not easy for another. Turns out staff does not lie here at America By Bicycle! We only had 2 really steep hills that lasted less than 0.5 miles each, and then about a gradual incline that lasted about 2 miles, which was a piece of cake compared to yesterdays 600 feet incline in one mile! The rest was flat road with a beautiful tailwind that literally just blew us into Sacramento. So, really we made great time today! Only about 6 hours of riding, compared to the 11 hours yesterday. Of course, there was less stopping today, though the scenery was beautiful, once you've seen a beautiful field, you've seen a beautiful field so there was no reason to stop for a whole lot of photos. We did have to crawl under a few fences, and lift our bikes over the fences to get to our destintations due to construction/road work going on....those pics will also be posted....eventually! LOL!

The weather was perfect again today! And staff says the route tomorrow is going to be better than today, which is great cuz I heard day 4 and day 5 are pretty tough inclines!

Seriously though, I can't think of a strong enough adjective that can describe the "fun" I am having thus far. If I find a word even stronger than spectacular on the thesaurus later, I will defintely blog it here!

There were a few falls today, one which resulted in broken handle bars which were quickly replaced at a local bike shop.

That's all I've got for now. Hope you all are well! Talk to you later! M

My Route

Acknowledgments

I just want to thank all of you who supported me through the "yucky" experience of grad school! Thank-you to all my family and friends who told me to "go for it" when I was thinking of backing out of this adventure. I am sure there will be many days I will be cursing your names in the next 52 days, but for now... ha ha... thanks!!!!

36 hours and counting!

Less than 48 hours to go! I am excited and nervous!!! I am mostly afraid of rain (I hate getting wet, and I hate riding in it!), and afraid of getting lost....what if I miss a turn, and loose the group? I am also concerned...what if I didn’t train enough? Well, I guess time will tell on that one! Just FYI, I do plan on taking pics, but am not super savvy getting them on-line! So suggestions and/or assistance is welcome! :)

Don't forget to scroll to the bottom of the page to view my itinerary!

Today is check in day! I'll get to meet the group, and know more of what to expect...(uhhh, a lot of work?)

Will be in touch!