On Day 34 I was headed over the next summit to Pollock Pines. I took my time in the morning because I wanted to make sure that I passed the summit during midday so it wouldn't be too cold. On my way out of town I had to stop to fuel up at Heidi's, one of my favorite breakfast places in Tahoe. As I proceeded to demolish two regular size breakfasts, the lady waiting on me expressed her astonishment. As usual, that lead to a long talk about the journey I was on and my reasons for doing so. Jane couldn't believe it and wanted to know every detail. She was one of the most fascinated with my story of all the people that I had talked to along the way. In fact, she pledged to make a donation to St. Jude that month! And to top it all off, she even came out of the restaurant to see me off when I left.
And I was off to tackle another mountain pass! Now, there really weren't many ways to get through the Sierras from Tahoe so I ended up sticking with Highway 50 even though I knew it wasn't the safest. For those of you who do not know this route, there are numerous stretches of road with no shoulder to speak of, blind turns, and falling rocks from the cliffs above. Needless to say, I put in a few prayers before setting out.
It was another somewhat easy climb with some beautiful views. When I reached the pass I was ecstatic. Not only had I finished my final major climb but the temperature wasn't going to get any worse... Well, the temperature didn't get any worse but after I reached the pass, I was no longer going 6-8 miles per hour while putting forth a great deal of effort. No, I was traveling at about 30mph and putting forth little effort at all. It was what I imagine being in a blast chiller would be like. Just over halfway down, I forced myself to stop at a hotel where they had a fireplace in the lobby in order to thaw out. To give you an idea of how cold I had gotten, I was there for over a half hour and I was still shivering when I left.
As I made my way to Pollock Pines I knew I was going to be cutting it close with the weather. Sure enough, when I was about 3 or 4 miles out it started to sprinkle. Fortunately, it remained a light drizzle until I rolled into town. I was about a mile away from the hotel when I realized how hungry I was. I also realized that once I got to the hotel I was not going to want to venture back out for food so I stopped to eat. By the time I got out of the restaurant, the weather had turned into a full fledged downpour. Therefore, I had to ride a mile in thirty degree temperatures while I got soaked by rain that was just shy of being turned to snow. By the time I got to the hotel I was drenched and could barely fill out the paperwork for my stay because I was shaking so uncontrollably. I am very glad that I am mostly out of the mountains. When I got to my room, I immediately turned on the heater and spent nearly an hour with my best friend of that night... the hair dryer. Haha
Looking forward to warmer temperatures tomorrow!
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Day 33
On Day 33 I woke up plenty early in the Walmart parking lot even though I didn't arrive there until about 4am. It's pretty hard to continue to sleep when the sun is blaring in your face. Even though I didn't plan on getting an early start it was good for me to wake up a little early because I had a few things to take care of before setting out. First of all, I needed to find a local bike shop to buy some extra brake pads because I wasn't sure if the downhill portions of the Sierras were going to eat up my brakes or not. Also, I needed to allow time for me to reassemble my bike since it was in pieces in the trunk of the rental car.
I'm so glad that I opted to find brake pads because I was on the fence as to which route to take to get to South Lake Tahoe. Fortunately, the people working at the shop told me that the alternate route to Highway 50 may not be the best because there were points that the shoulder disappeared and at the time there was some construction going on which didn't make it any safer. Therefore, I opted to follow Highway 50 to get to Tahoe.
I also asked them about good diners in the area but there was nothing convenient. However, I remember seeing an In-n-Out in the same shopping complex and it was late enough in the day that it would be open. It was the first In-n-Out Burger that I had seen on the trip so eating there that morning was a must.
Once I was fueled up and everything was taken care of I was on my way. I was very excited for this next stretch since it was my first challenge of getting through a mountain range and it was likely to be a very beautiful ride. Don't get me wrong it was a pretty tough climb, especially with the altitude, but I had built it up so big in my mind that when I reached the pass I couldn't believe I had already made it. Let me tell you, the next 5 miles were incredible! I was flying! It was the longest downhill glide that I had come across yet and it made every bit of the climb worth it. Not to mention the fact that when I got toward the bottom I was greeted with some amazing views of Lake Tahoe.
It was a pretty weird experience staying in Lake Tahoe that night because it was the first familiar place that I had stayed in since the start of this trip. I knew which hotels were the cheap ones, I already knew where the good food was, and I knew my way around. It got me very excited because it kept reminding me of how close I was to home. I tried my luck on a slot machine and won enough to pay for my room for the night, dinner, and had just over ten bucks left over. What did I do with the extra money? I definitely bought a chocolate milk and went to the arcade! I just had an urge to get in touch with the child inside me. Haha.
I had a great time in Tahoe but I was definitely looking forward to the concluding days of my journey.
I'm so glad that I opted to find brake pads because I was on the fence as to which route to take to get to South Lake Tahoe. Fortunately, the people working at the shop told me that the alternate route to Highway 50 may not be the best because there were points that the shoulder disappeared and at the time there was some construction going on which didn't make it any safer. Therefore, I opted to follow Highway 50 to get to Tahoe.
I also asked them about good diners in the area but there was nothing convenient. However, I remember seeing an In-n-Out in the same shopping complex and it was late enough in the day that it would be open. It was the first In-n-Out Burger that I had seen on the trip so eating there that morning was a must.
Once I was fueled up and everything was taken care of I was on my way. I was very excited for this next stretch since it was my first challenge of getting through a mountain range and it was likely to be a very beautiful ride. Don't get me wrong it was a pretty tough climb, especially with the altitude, but I had built it up so big in my mind that when I reached the pass I couldn't believe I had already made it. Let me tell you, the next 5 miles were incredible! I was flying! It was the longest downhill glide that I had come across yet and it made every bit of the climb worth it. Not to mention the fact that when I got toward the bottom I was greeted with some amazing views of Lake Tahoe.
It was a pretty weird experience staying in Lake Tahoe that night because it was the first familiar place that I had stayed in since the start of this trip. I knew which hotels were the cheap ones, I already knew where the good food was, and I knew my way around. It got me very excited because it kept reminding me of how close I was to home. I tried my luck on a slot machine and won enough to pay for my room for the night, dinner, and had just over ten bucks left over. What did I do with the extra money? I definitely bought a chocolate milk and went to the arcade! I just had an urge to get in touch with the child inside me. Haha.
I had a great time in Tahoe but I was definitely looking forward to the concluding days of my journey.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Friday, November 4, 2011
The Drive
On day 32 I woke up and got going to get to the car rental place in time to pick up the car I will be in for the next two days.
I rented a full size sedan so hopefully my bike could fit in the trunk. Fortunately it did but it was definitely a tight fit even with the wheels and handlebars taken off.
And I was off! It took a little time getting used to driving a car. I kept feeling like I was going over the speed limit but usually I was under it. Haha one of the best things about being in a car was finally being able to listen to music and they even gave me satellite radio for free. It was AWESOME!
My first stop was Seven Falls. It was an amazing place to see. Unfortunately though a lot of it was shut down because of slippery steps. Also, it was kind of touristy for me. They decorated a lot of it for the holidays but all I saw were ugly decorations blocking gorgeous rock formations. If I'm going to check out nature's beauty I want it to be just that.
Next, I was off the Colorado's Garden of the Gods. It was quite a place to visit. If my bike wasn't all broken down, I would have loved to have ridden around it. Next, I had a bunch of miles to put behind me. I was headed to Cortez, Colorado to stop for the night. I drove well into the night and ended up pulling into a Walmart to crash. For as much as I was paying to rent that car it was definitely going to double as my motel room for the two nights I had it.
The next morning (day 33), I was off to check out Mesa Verde National Park. If anybody is ever near this park I would HIGHLY recommend it. There are some amazing views and the ruins are incredible. It was one of the best things I have come across in this entire journey and one of the major reasons I'm not feeling any ounce of regret for taking a car part of the way because I would have never gotten to experience it if I hadn't. Also, because of the geological makeup of the area, there's no telling how long some of the ruins will be around.
Next, I was on my way to Carson City, NV. Although I did have a little extra time so I decided I would try to stop near Moab, Utah to check out the Delicate Arch.
On my way I saw a large rock formation that looked like it had an opening you could drive through so I wanted to go check it out. When I approached the turnout for it I wasn't sure if I should have been going in there because it was a small opening in a fence that had a gate that almost looked like someone had busted down. But I saw somebody else that had just gone in so I decided to go for it. The road leading to it was a dirt road that definitely wasn't meant for a sedan. At one point I wasn't sure if it would make it. However there was no way of turning around and doing it in reverse seemed impossible so I trekked on. Fortunately I made it but unfortunately the "tunnel" I thought I saw only went about five feet in. It was still pretty cool to see up close though.
When I got into Moab, I stopped by their information center to find out exactly how to get to the Delicate Arch. If I was going to get any sleep that night I was going to have to make this next stop fairly short. When I inquired about the arch I also asked how long it would take to get there. The lady at the center told me it was about an hour drive into the park and an hour and a half hike to the arch. That seemed a bit extreme so I wasn't sure I was going to go. However, I decided to get a second opinion so when I got to the park I asked the lady at the gate. She told me it was only a half hour drive and an hour walk. I decided to go for it!
The drive was very scenic and had a lot of things to stop and check out but I had to make it to the Delicate Arch. The drive was the expected half hour. When I got to the hiking part I was off! Not only did I need to make good time to get some sleep that night but there were also some storm clouds rolling in that looked menacing. I'm proud to say it only took me a half hour to reach the top.
One thing people always seem to do is tell you about the destination and neglect to give any details of the journey. When I was reading about the Delicate Arch, I got nothing but details about how magnificent the arch was. What came to my pleasant surprise was that the trail leading to it was incredible in and of itself. In the end it was totally worth the time to stop and another place I would highly recommend, Arches National Park.
About two minutes after I got in my car it started raining and I was immediately thankful for how fast I was able to complete the trail. On my way out of the park I got an opportunity to pay it forward. A middle-aged couple was stuck walking on the side of the road in the rain so I offered them a ride. They were very grateful and even joked that I may have saved their marriage (the husband had wanted to take the long way around).
Next, it was full speed ahead to Carson City. Along the way I got caught in a pretty hairy snow storm but was able to drop in elevation before it got too bad. At one point I stopped to take a quick cat nap in the middle of nowhere. When I woke up I realized how far I was from any lights and how clear the sky was so I got out to check out the stars. I could pretty much see every last one of them!
Finally, I made it to Carson City and once again slept in a Walmart parking lot. Tomorrow I'm tackling those Sierras!
I rented a full size sedan so hopefully my bike could fit in the trunk. Fortunately it did but it was definitely a tight fit even with the wheels and handlebars taken off.
And I was off! It took a little time getting used to driving a car. I kept feeling like I was going over the speed limit but usually I was under it. Haha one of the best things about being in a car was finally being able to listen to music and they even gave me satellite radio for free. It was AWESOME!
My first stop was Seven Falls. It was an amazing place to see. Unfortunately though a lot of it was shut down because of slippery steps. Also, it was kind of touristy for me. They decorated a lot of it for the holidays but all I saw were ugly decorations blocking gorgeous rock formations. If I'm going to check out nature's beauty I want it to be just that.
Next, I was off the Colorado's Garden of the Gods. It was quite a place to visit. If my bike wasn't all broken down, I would have loved to have ridden around it. Next, I had a bunch of miles to put behind me. I was headed to Cortez, Colorado to stop for the night. I drove well into the night and ended up pulling into a Walmart to crash. For as much as I was paying to rent that car it was definitely going to double as my motel room for the two nights I had it.
The next morning (day 33), I was off to check out Mesa Verde National Park. If anybody is ever near this park I would HIGHLY recommend it. There are some amazing views and the ruins are incredible. It was one of the best things I have come across in this entire journey and one of the major reasons I'm not feeling any ounce of regret for taking a car part of the way because I would have never gotten to experience it if I hadn't. Also, because of the geological makeup of the area, there's no telling how long some of the ruins will be around.
Next, I was on my way to Carson City, NV. Although I did have a little extra time so I decided I would try to stop near Moab, Utah to check out the Delicate Arch.
On my way I saw a large rock formation that looked like it had an opening you could drive through so I wanted to go check it out. When I approached the turnout for it I wasn't sure if I should have been going in there because it was a small opening in a fence that had a gate that almost looked like someone had busted down. But I saw somebody else that had just gone in so I decided to go for it. The road leading to it was a dirt road that definitely wasn't meant for a sedan. At one point I wasn't sure if it would make it. However there was no way of turning around and doing it in reverse seemed impossible so I trekked on. Fortunately I made it but unfortunately the "tunnel" I thought I saw only went about five feet in. It was still pretty cool to see up close though.
When I got into Moab, I stopped by their information center to find out exactly how to get to the Delicate Arch. If I was going to get any sleep that night I was going to have to make this next stop fairly short. When I inquired about the arch I also asked how long it would take to get there. The lady at the center told me it was about an hour drive into the park and an hour and a half hike to the arch. That seemed a bit extreme so I wasn't sure I was going to go. However, I decided to get a second opinion so when I got to the park I asked the lady at the gate. She told me it was only a half hour drive and an hour walk. I decided to go for it!
The drive was very scenic and had a lot of things to stop and check out but I had to make it to the Delicate Arch. The drive was the expected half hour. When I got to the hiking part I was off! Not only did I need to make good time to get some sleep that night but there were also some storm clouds rolling in that looked menacing. I'm proud to say it only took me a half hour to reach the top.
One thing people always seem to do is tell you about the destination and neglect to give any details of the journey. When I was reading about the Delicate Arch, I got nothing but details about how magnificent the arch was. What came to my pleasant surprise was that the trail leading to it was incredible in and of itself. In the end it was totally worth the time to stop and another place I would highly recommend, Arches National Park.
About two minutes after I got in my car it started raining and I was immediately thankful for how fast I was able to complete the trail. On my way out of the park I got an opportunity to pay it forward. A middle-aged couple was stuck walking on the side of the road in the rain so I offered them a ride. They were very grateful and even joked that I may have saved their marriage (the husband had wanted to take the long way around).
Next, it was full speed ahead to Carson City. Along the way I got caught in a pretty hairy snow storm but was able to drop in elevation before it got too bad. At one point I stopped to take a quick cat nap in the middle of nowhere. When I woke up I realized how far I was from any lights and how clear the sky was so I got out to check out the stars. I could pretty much see every last one of them!
Finally, I made it to Carson City and once again slept in a Walmart parking lot. Tomorrow I'm tackling those Sierras!
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Garden of the Gods, Colorado Style!
If you can spot the two climbers in the second picture, it will give you a good idea of how massive these things are. 
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Day 30 and 31
So after a miserable night of trying to sleep in temperatures in the mid twenties I woke up and tried to get going. I say tried because it takes such an effort to do anything when you're that cold. As I was almost done packing up, a semi pulls into the rest stop and as it passes by it gives me a honk. Over the past month I've gotten pretty used to this so I don't pay too much attention and give a quick wave.
A quick tangent... As great as it is to get the support from total strangers when they give me a quick honk, I personally also freak out a tiny bit when it happens. A honk can mean too many different things. It could mean that something fell off my bike, I have a flat that I may not have noticed or that a grizzly bear is charging at me and they're warning me. So each time it happens I tend to run through a quick check to make sure. All I'm saying is, maybe throw a wave out the window just to be crystal clear. Haha
Anyway, back to the semi that was honking at me. Come to find out it was Lance from the previous night! We got to chatting again and he ended up offering me a ride about 20 miles up the road. I was a little bit behind so I accepted. And don't worry I took precautions to protect myself.
It was a weird experience being in a motorized vehicle and traveling so fast. We even stopped to grab some coffee and he still managed to shave about an hour off. Lance was a really great guy and I was so grateful for the ride.
As the day wore on, I stopped for lunch and to charge my phone. Since I was getting closer to the Rockies I decided to take the time to check the weather and try to work out the logistics. Let's just say that I was trying to figure out a way to make it work for about two hours and things weren't looking good.
After that, I got caught up in conversation with a father and son for a while. All this time spent on my "lunch" break meant that I wasn't going to make it as far as I had hoped. I ended up stopping in Las Animas, CO.
When I got there I asked the guy from the motel I was staying at where a good place to eat was. He referred me to a Mexican-American place called Carmen's. They had good food and everyone was so friendly. I swear the staff probably knew everyone's name in the restaurant but mine.
When I got back to my motel room. I was sitting back thinking that the room was REALLY nice for what I had paid for it. I was thinking "what a steal!" and then I was snapped back to reality by two cockroach looking bugs crawling across the ground. I don't know what it is about bugs but out of all the dumpy places I have stayed at during this trip, I found the bugs the grossest thing of everything I've come across. I've even come across a used towel with curly hairs still in it and it didn't bother me as much as the bugs. Haha And these bugs kept popping up. Needless to say, I was very careful when getting into bed that night.
On Day 31 I got off to a really late start but my ride for the day would still be manageable. Before heading out, I stopped for some food and this is where I met Dianne and Gary. They were a really nice couple and we talked for a little while about my adventures. After I was done eating I had to say my farewells because I needed to get on the road.
I was a couple miles outside of town and I was calculating the number of miles I had to put in and how many hours of daylight I had left. I figured as long as I hustled and didn't run into any significant snags I would probably make it to Pueblo just after the sun went down. At most I would have to ride in the dark for maybe an hour. And guess what... That's when I noticed I had a flat. Wonderful!
As I was going through the motions to fix it, I was running through all the possible adjustments I would have to make. Just after I had gotten the wheel off, a truck pulls off the side of the road and who was it? Dianne! She figured it was me and pulled over to see if everything was ok. I was fine with changing the inner tube but I was even further behind schedule now so I asked where she was headed. She was headed 15 miles down the road in the direction I was headed! When I asked if I could get a lift she didn't even hesitate in saying yes. I was elated!
I was now back on track and even gained a little bit of time.
Later on in the day, shortly after stopping for a late lunch, disaster came very close to striking. As a truck pulling a trailer was passing by I heard something unfamiliar. Then, in the corner of my eye, I see a piece of plywood flying at me. It was a sizable piece, measuring about 2 feet by 5 feet. The thing was coming right at my head when in the last second the wind caught it and pulled it down. At this point it was no longer going to hit me but it still could possibly cause me to crash because it was positioned right in front of my bike. I don't know how it happened but it ended up just falling flat, I ran right over it, and all I ended up with was a banged thumb. And it wasn't even hit hard enough to bruise. Talk about a sigh of relief/flip the bird type of moment (I didn't actually flip him the bird).
I got to my destination in Pueblo just as it was getting pretty dark. Thanks again Dianne! When I got to my room I looked over everything again regarding the weather in the Rockies. And with a heavy heart I decided to rent a car. Therefore, the next couple days I will be in a car. I will still keep you all posted but I almost don't want to post anything from those two days since I feel like I'm cheating. Anyway, until next time!
A quick tangent... As great as it is to get the support from total strangers when they give me a quick honk, I personally also freak out a tiny bit when it happens. A honk can mean too many different things. It could mean that something fell off my bike, I have a flat that I may not have noticed or that a grizzly bear is charging at me and they're warning me. So each time it happens I tend to run through a quick check to make sure. All I'm saying is, maybe throw a wave out the window just to be crystal clear. Haha
Anyway, back to the semi that was honking at me. Come to find out it was Lance from the previous night! We got to chatting again and he ended up offering me a ride about 20 miles up the road. I was a little bit behind so I accepted. And don't worry I took precautions to protect myself.
It was a weird experience being in a motorized vehicle and traveling so fast. We even stopped to grab some coffee and he still managed to shave about an hour off. Lance was a really great guy and I was so grateful for the ride.
As the day wore on, I stopped for lunch and to charge my phone. Since I was getting closer to the Rockies I decided to take the time to check the weather and try to work out the logistics. Let's just say that I was trying to figure out a way to make it work for about two hours and things weren't looking good.
After that, I got caught up in conversation with a father and son for a while. All this time spent on my "lunch" break meant that I wasn't going to make it as far as I had hoped. I ended up stopping in Las Animas, CO.
When I got there I asked the guy from the motel I was staying at where a good place to eat was. He referred me to a Mexican-American place called Carmen's. They had good food and everyone was so friendly. I swear the staff probably knew everyone's name in the restaurant but mine.
When I got back to my motel room. I was sitting back thinking that the room was REALLY nice for what I had paid for it. I was thinking "what a steal!" and then I was snapped back to reality by two cockroach looking bugs crawling across the ground. I don't know what it is about bugs but out of all the dumpy places I have stayed at during this trip, I found the bugs the grossest thing of everything I've come across. I've even come across a used towel with curly hairs still in it and it didn't bother me as much as the bugs. Haha And these bugs kept popping up. Needless to say, I was very careful when getting into bed that night.
On Day 31 I got off to a really late start but my ride for the day would still be manageable. Before heading out, I stopped for some food and this is where I met Dianne and Gary. They were a really nice couple and we talked for a little while about my adventures. After I was done eating I had to say my farewells because I needed to get on the road.
I was a couple miles outside of town and I was calculating the number of miles I had to put in and how many hours of daylight I had left. I figured as long as I hustled and didn't run into any significant snags I would probably make it to Pueblo just after the sun went down. At most I would have to ride in the dark for maybe an hour. And guess what... That's when I noticed I had a flat. Wonderful!
As I was going through the motions to fix it, I was running through all the possible adjustments I would have to make. Just after I had gotten the wheel off, a truck pulls off the side of the road and who was it? Dianne! She figured it was me and pulled over to see if everything was ok. I was fine with changing the inner tube but I was even further behind schedule now so I asked where she was headed. She was headed 15 miles down the road in the direction I was headed! When I asked if I could get a lift she didn't even hesitate in saying yes. I was elated!
I was now back on track and even gained a little bit of time.
Later on in the day, shortly after stopping for a late lunch, disaster came very close to striking. As a truck pulling a trailer was passing by I heard something unfamiliar. Then, in the corner of my eye, I see a piece of plywood flying at me. It was a sizable piece, measuring about 2 feet by 5 feet. The thing was coming right at my head when in the last second the wind caught it and pulled it down. At this point it was no longer going to hit me but it still could possibly cause me to crash because it was positioned right in front of my bike. I don't know how it happened but it ended up just falling flat, I ran right over it, and all I ended up with was a banged thumb. And it wasn't even hit hard enough to bruise. Talk about a sigh of relief/flip the bird type of moment (I didn't actually flip him the bird).
I got to my destination in Pueblo just as it was getting pretty dark. Thanks again Dianne! When I got to my room I looked over everything again regarding the weather in the Rockies. And with a heavy heart I decided to rent a car. Therefore, the next couple days I will be in a car. I will still keep you all posted but I almost don't want to post anything from those two days since I feel like I'm cheating. Anyway, until next time!
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