Sunday, June 29, 2008
day 30
28 June 2008
We made it to Missouri today! It rained again last night, but not nearly as much as the night before, and then drizzled and rained on us for most of the ride.
About five miles into our ride I got a flat tire. I've had a spare tire on the back wheel of my bike since just before we got to Utah. It was a cheap tire, and it was basically worn out. That was why I got a flat. So we patched it and put the new spare tire on. It's a much better tire, and won't wear out.
We had a little shorter than normal ride today. We went 68 miles. And we had a tail-wind for much of the ride, so it was a fairly easy day. We rode to Golden City, MO, but we're staying in Lamar, because it's bigger, and has a church.
We made it to Missouri today! It rained again last night, but not nearly as much as the night before, and then drizzled and rained on us for most of the ride.
About five miles into our ride I got a flat tire. I've had a spare tire on the back wheel of my bike since just before we got to Utah. It was a cheap tire, and it was basically worn out. That was why I got a flat. So we patched it and put the new spare tire on. It's a much better tire, and won't wear out.
We had a little shorter than normal ride today. We went 68 miles. And we had a tail-wind for much of the ride, so it was a fairly easy day. We rode to Golden City, MO, but we're staying in Lamar, because it's bigger, and has a church.
day 29
27 June 2008
Last night it rained like crazy. The playground at the park was a lake, the ball park was completely flooded, as well as all the streams we saw along the way. We passed a farm where the lane to the road was completely covered in water. We also saw a bunch of cows that were stranded on an island surrounded by flood waters. At a couple of different places on the route the water was just inches below the level of the road. We were very fortunate that none of our roads were flooded.
We though it might rain on us while we were riding, but it cleared up. We rode 89 miles to Walnut. The city park in Walnut had no water (it had restrooms, but the water was shut off). We had to drive off route to Crawford State Park. We are staying next to a reservoir. It's really a nice camp site. And it has showers! The weather says we may get another big storm tonight.
Last night it rained like crazy. The playground at the park was a lake, the ball park was completely flooded, as well as all the streams we saw along the way. We passed a farm where the lane to the road was completely covered in water. We also saw a bunch of cows that were stranded on an island surrounded by flood waters. At a couple of different places on the route the water was just inches below the level of the road. We were very fortunate that none of our roads were flooded.
We though it might rain on us while we were riding, but it cleared up. We rode 89 miles to Walnut. The city park in Walnut had no water (it had restrooms, but the water was shut off). We had to drive off route to Crawford State Park. We are staying next to a reservoir. It's really a nice camp site. And it has showers! The weather says we may get another big storm tonight.
day 28
26 June 2008
We rode 73 miles to Eureka, Kansas today. The wind was straight from the South, so one section of South that we had went pretty slow. We are staying at the city park in Eureka. There are 5 other bikers staying here. A group of 3 going West together, 1 going West by himself, and 1 going East like us.
We rode 73 miles to Eureka, Kansas today. The wind was straight from the South, so one section of South that we had went pretty slow. We are staying at the city park in Eureka. There are 5 other bikers staying here. A group of 3 going West together, 1 going West by himself, and 1 going East like us.
day 27
25 June 2008
Yesterday really wore us out, so we planned a short day for today. We rode 52 miles to Newton. We left early so we could go see some sites in Wichita with the family. The city park had no showers, and we decided to stay in a motel for a break. We drove down to Wichita and went to the Exploration Place, which was kind of a big kids museum. The kids really liked it.
Yesterday really wore us out, so we planned a short day for today. We rode 52 miles to Newton. We left early so we could go see some sites in Wichita with the family. The city park had no showers, and we decided to stay in a motel for a break. We drove down to Wichita and went to the Exploration Place, which was kind of a big kids museum. The kids really liked it.
day 26
24 June 2008
We left fairly early today, but the winds started even earlier. It was mostly a cross-wind, but for some reason even a wind from the side is tiring. We stopped at Fort Larned for a bit and walked through some of the buildings. We spent about 7 hours on our bikes today. That's possibly the longest time on the bike so far. We rode 95 miles, and we are staying at a city park in Nickerson. Kansas doesn't have many camping areas, so city parks are often the only option. They haven't been too bad, but don't have showers.
We left fairly early today, but the winds started even earlier. It was mostly a cross-wind, but for some reason even a wind from the side is tiring. We stopped at Fort Larned for a bit and walked through some of the buildings. We spent about 7 hours on our bikes today. That's possibly the longest time on the bike so far. We rode 95 miles, and we are staying at a city park in Nickerson. Kansas doesn't have many camping areas, so city parks are often the only option. They haven't been too bad, but don't have showers.
day 25
23 June 2008
Today's ride went smoothly. We reached our planned stop early, so we decided to ride further. We rode to La Crosse, which was a few miles off the route, but had a nice park to stay at. We rode 92 miles.
La Crosse also claims to be the barbed wire capitol of the world! They have a barbed wire museum which has, among other things, rows and rows of display cases showing hundreds of different types of barbed wire that have been invented.
Next to the barbed wire museum was the Post Rock Museum. When Kansas was first being settled, there were not enough trees around to make fence posts out of, so they dug down to the rock layer (limestone, I think), and made fence posts out of stone. We actually saw quite a few fences along the ride today with rock fence posts. I thought that was very interesting.
Tonight, for the first time on the trip, we saw fireflies. There were hundreds out over the grass in the park. The kids have never seen fireflies before, so they really loved it. And Dallin caught a toad.
Today's ride went smoothly. We reached our planned stop early, so we decided to ride further. We rode to La Crosse, which was a few miles off the route, but had a nice park to stay at. We rode 92 miles.
La Crosse also claims to be the barbed wire capitol of the world! They have a barbed wire museum which has, among other things, rows and rows of display cases showing hundreds of different types of barbed wire that have been invented.
Next to the barbed wire museum was the Post Rock Museum. When Kansas was first being settled, there were not enough trees around to make fence posts out of, so they dug down to the rock layer (limestone, I think), and made fence posts out of stone. We actually saw quite a few fences along the ride today with rock fence posts. I thought that was very interesting.
Tonight, for the first time on the trip, we saw fireflies. There were hundreds out over the grass in the park. The kids have never seen fireflies before, so they really loved it. And Dallin caught a toad.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
day 24
21 June 2008
We finished off Colorado today, and entered Kansas! As we were riding through the super-flat, super-dry plains of Eastern Colorado, we passed a couple riding the TransAmerica the other way. We asked if this was what Kansas is like, and the lady said 'No, Kansas is flat.' :)
We rode 103 miles, from Eads, CO to Scott City, Kansas. And yes, Kansas is flat! Fortunately we had a tail-wind most of the day, so even though it was our longest ride, it wasn't our hardest. I really enjoyed riding through all the corn fields. Every town that comes up has a grain elevator (I think that's what they are called), and you can see the next one from the previous town. So you can always see the next town, even if it's an hour's ride away!
We finished off Colorado today, and entered Kansas! As we were riding through the super-flat, super-dry plains of Eastern Colorado, we passed a couple riding the TransAmerica the other way. We asked if this was what Kansas is like, and the lady said 'No, Kansas is flat.' :)
We rode 103 miles, from Eads, CO to Scott City, Kansas. And yes, Kansas is flat! Fortunately we had a tail-wind most of the day, so even though it was our longest ride, it wasn't our hardest. I really enjoyed riding through all the corn fields. Every town that comes up has a grain elevator (I think that's what they are called), and you can see the next one from the previous town. So you can always see the next town, even if it's an hour's ride away!
day 23
20 June 2008
We rode against a bit of a headwind today, also, but not nearly as bad as the day before. The wind really does seem to pick up around noon. We rode 60 miles to Eads, CO. Another storm rolled in after we got there, and the wind was really blowing. We turned on the radio weather alerts, and there was a thunderstorm warning in our area, and a tornado warning 10 or 20 miles to the South-East of us. Another place a little further away was getting golfball size hailstones. So we took the tent trailer down and went to a motel :)
We rode against a bit of a headwind today, also, but not nearly as bad as the day before. The wind really does seem to pick up around noon. We rode 60 miles to Eads, CO. Another storm rolled in after we got there, and the wind was really blowing. We turned on the radio weather alerts, and there was a thunderstorm warning in our area, and a tornado warning 10 or 20 miles to the South-East of us. Another place a little further away was getting golfball size hailstones. So we took the tent trailer down and went to a motel :)
day 22
19 June 2008
Today we rode from Pueblo to Ordway, CO. We decided we wanted to take a bit of a break, and planned a shorter ride than normal. We went to the Pueblo Zoo in the morning, and left for our ride after lunch. That ended up being a bad idea, because right as we were leaving a storm came up, and the wind blew against us the entire ride. We got rained and hailed on a bit, but mostly we just fought the wind. So our easy day turned into a hard day. We're leaving early tomorrow. No more afternoon rides for us :) We rode 59 miles.
Today we rode from Pueblo to Ordway, CO. We decided we wanted to take a bit of a break, and planned a shorter ride than normal. We went to the Pueblo Zoo in the morning, and left for our ride after lunch. That ended up being a bad idea, because right as we were leaving a storm came up, and the wind blew against us the entire ride. We got rained and hailed on a bit, but mostly we just fought the wind. So our easy day turned into a hard day. We're leaving early tomorrow. No more afternoon rides for us :) We rode 59 miles.
day 21
18 June 2008
We finished off the last of the Rockies today. It was a very hot day. We stopped with the family around lunch time and took a detour to see the Bishop Castle. It's this castle that a guy is building by himself as a hobby, I guess. It was this huge rock castle that you could walk through on these scary metal walkways that hung out over the sides.
We ended up in Pueblo, which finishes off the Western Express section of our ride. Now we'll be starting on the TransAmerica trail. We rode 74 miles, and stayed by a reservoir just outside of Pueblo. The Rockies sure ended quickly. Everything is very flat already.
We finished off the last of the Rockies today. It was a very hot day. We stopped with the family around lunch time and took a detour to see the Bishop Castle. It's this castle that a guy is building by himself as a hobby, I guess. It was this huge rock castle that you could walk through on these scary metal walkways that hung out over the sides.
We ended up in Pueblo, which finishes off the Western Express section of our ride. Now we'll be starting on the TransAmerica trail. We rode 74 miles, and stayed by a reservoir just outside of Pueblo. The Rockies sure ended quickly. Everything is very flat already.
day 20
17 June 2008
It's Haley's birthday! We climbed Monarch Pass today - 11,312 feet. That's the highest we get on our ride. We were basically up at the tree line, and the views were amazing. We rode a little gondola ride up to the peak next to the pass. We could see for over 100 miles in every direction, pretty much. We rode 91 miles and ended up in Cotopaxi, CO.
It's Haley's birthday! We climbed Monarch Pass today - 11,312 feet. That's the highest we get on our ride. We were basically up at the tree line, and the views were amazing. We rode a little gondola ride up to the peak next to the pass. We could see for over 100 miles in every direction, pretty much. We rode 91 miles and ended up in Cotopaxi, CO.
day 19
16 June 2008
Today we were basically riding between the two major passes through the Rockies. We did Lizard Head Pass on Saturday, and we'll do Monarch Pass tomorrow, and today's ride was basically a flat spot in between. We went over two smaller passes and ended in Gunnison. For a lot of the ride we were next to Blue Mesa Reservoir, which I think is the largest body of water in Colorado. Dad and I actually beat the van to the camp spot today, since they had to do some shopping and things. We rode 90 miles.
Today we were basically riding between the two major passes through the Rockies. We did Lizard Head Pass on Saturday, and we'll do Monarch Pass tomorrow, and today's ride was basically a flat spot in between. We went over two smaller passes and ended in Gunnison. For a lot of the ride we were next to Blue Mesa Reservoir, which I think is the largest body of water in Colorado. Dad and I actually beat the van to the camp spot today, since they had to do some shopping and things. We rode 90 miles.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Saturday, June 14, 2008
day 18
14 June 2008
As much as I like the Utah mountains, I have to say that the Colorado Rockies are amazing. We rode from Dolores to Ridgway, over Lizard Head Pass (10200 feet). The mountains were unbelievable. There were 3 peaks over 14000 feet, as well as Lizard Head Peak, which was 13113. We followed the Dolores river up to the pass, then down the other side past Telluride. We rode 94 miles today.
As much as I like the Utah mountains, I have to say that the Colorado Rockies are amazing. We rode from Dolores to Ridgway, over Lizard Head Pass (10200 feet). The mountains were unbelievable. There were 3 peaks over 14000 feet, as well as Lizard Head Peak, which was 13113. We followed the Dolores river up to the pass, then down the other side past Telluride. We rode 94 miles today.
day 17
13 June 2008
Today we rode through a lot of farmland, and rolling hills. We seem to be in a bit of a flat section before we hit the Rockies. We crossed the Utah/Colorado border a little outside of Monticello. 3 states down, 6 to go. The area of Colorado we rode through claims to be the pinto bean capitol of the world! So that was pretty exciting, as you can imagine.
We saw a mountain lion cross the road about 100 yeards in front of us. That was a first for me.
We rode from Blanding to Dolores, CO. Total milage was 89.
Today we rode through a lot of farmland, and rolling hills. We seem to be in a bit of a flat section before we hit the Rockies. We crossed the Utah/Colorado border a little outside of Monticello. 3 states down, 6 to go. The area of Colorado we rode through claims to be the pinto bean capitol of the world! So that was pretty exciting, as you can imagine.
We saw a mountain lion cross the road about 100 yeards in front of us. That was a first for me.
We rode from Blanding to Dolores, CO. Total milage was 89.
day 16
12 June 2008
The road went South quite a bit again, today, so we make another early start to try to beat any winds. Again we were very fortunate, and had winds at our backs for much of the time. The scenery was amazing yet again.
We rode from Lake Powell (Hite) to Blanding, UT. We met up with the family about half-way through the ride and went in to Natural Bridges National Monument, where they have 3 spectacular natural bridges. That was fun, and a nice break. We rode 75 miles.
The road went South quite a bit again, today, so we make another early start to try to beat any winds. Again we were very fortunate, and had winds at our backs for much of the time. The scenery was amazing yet again.
We rode from Lake Powell (Hite) to Blanding, UT. We met up with the family about half-way through the ride and went in to Natural Bridges National Monument, where they have 3 spectacular natural bridges. That was fun, and a nice break. We rode 75 miles.
day 15
11 June 2008
We had a lot of South to ride today, and the winds have been from the South a lot, so we were worried about having a tough ride and left very early in the morning to try to get some miles under us before the winds picked up. We went East over to Hanksville, and then South to Hite, at Lake Powell.
We were very fortunate to have winds from the North, so most of the ride was better than anticipated. The worst part was just getting to Hite. The rode had to go on this huge detour to get to good spots to cross the Green and Colorado rivers that feed Lake Powell. And Hite was not a pleasant place to camp. We ended up camping in a parking lot. And the water was so dirty and full of debris that we didn't get to go swimming.
But as always, the scenery was super. Today we rode 91 miles.
We had a lot of South to ride today, and the winds have been from the South a lot, so we were worried about having a tough ride and left very early in the morning to try to get some miles under us before the winds picked up. We went East over to Hanksville, and then South to Hite, at Lake Powell.
We were very fortunate to have winds from the North, so most of the ride was better than anticipated. The worst part was just getting to Hite. The rode had to go on this huge detour to get to good spots to cross the Green and Colorado rivers that feed Lake Powell. And Hite was not a pleasant place to camp. We ended up camping in a parking lot. And the water was so dirty and full of debris that we didn't get to go swimming.
But as always, the scenery was super. Today we rode 91 miles.
day 14
10 June 2008
We rode some crazy ups and downs today. Some of the ride looked a lot like Slickrock. It made me want to have my mountain bike. Again, the scenery was amazing. We rode over a section of road called the Hogsback that seemed like it was up on top of the world.
We rode over Boulder Mountain, and ended up in Fruita, UT, which is in Capitol Reef National Park. The total miles for today was 77.
We rode some crazy ups and downs today. Some of the ride looked a lot like Slickrock. It made me want to have my mountain bike. Again, the scenery was amazing. We rode over a section of road called the Hogsback that seemed like it was up on top of the world.
We rode over Boulder Mountain, and ended up in Fruita, UT, which is in Capitol Reef National Park. The total miles for today was 77.
day 13
9 June 2008
My mom rode with us part of the time today. She rode through Red Canyon, which had some amazing Bryce Canyon style rock formations. At the very end of our last climb for the day, we went up this switchback section that must have been the steepest section of road we've ridden yet. From the bottom you could see it going almost all of the way up. I tried to get a picture of it, I'm not sure how well you can see it, though.
We rode 68 miles today, from Panguitch to Escalante.
My mom rode with us part of the time today. She rode through Red Canyon, which had some amazing Bryce Canyon style rock formations. At the very end of our last climb for the day, we went up this switchback section that must have been the steepest section of road we've ridden yet. From the bottom you could see it going almost all of the way up. I tried to get a picture of it, I'm not sure how well you can see it, though.
We rode 68 miles today, from Panguitch to Escalante.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Saturday, June 7, 2008
day 12
7 June 2008
The scenery was amazing today. We rode from Cedar City up to Cedar Breaks, and then down into Panguitch. We climbed about 4500 feet, to 10500 or so. The only disappointing thing of the day was that there was no summit sign to take a picture of :) There was a summit at 9900 or so, with a sign, but nothing at the very top. We rode 59 miles today.
The scenery was amazing today. We rode from Cedar City up to Cedar Breaks, and then down into Panguitch. We climbed about 4500 feet, to 10500 or so. The only disappointing thing of the day was that there was no summit sign to take a picture of :) There was a summit at 9900 or so, with a sign, but nothing at the very top. We rode 59 miles today.
day 11
6 June 2008
Our ride today was supposed to be an easy 54 miles into Cedar City. The wind decided to make things difficult. It was blowing against us at about 20 MPH the whole day. So the downhill felt like uphill, and the uphill felt like uphill, too :) I'm beat. We rode 56 miles today.
Our ride today was supposed to be an easy 54 miles into Cedar City. The wind decided to make things difficult. It was blowing against us at about 20 MPH the whole day. So the downhill felt like uphill, and the uphill felt like uphill, too :) I'm beat. We rode 56 miles today.
Friday, June 6, 2008
day 10
5 June 2008
Today was a bit longer ride than average. We crossed the Nevada/Utah border a few miles out of Baker. We rode in to Milford, UT. The ride was very similar to what we've been riding through in Nevada - long straight roads across wide valleys, with summit passes in between. We've crossed a lot of passes. Our favorite part is seeing those green summit signs, because then we know we're almost over :)
Today was pretty tiring, and the wind blew at us quite a bit, especially during the last downhill into Milford. We had to pedal downhill :( We rode 82 miles today.
Today was a bit longer ride than average. We crossed the Nevada/Utah border a few miles out of Baker. We rode in to Milford, UT. The ride was very similar to what we've been riding through in Nevada - long straight roads across wide valleys, with summit passes in between. We've crossed a lot of passes. Our favorite part is seeing those green summit signs, because then we know we're almost over :)
Today was pretty tiring, and the wind blew at us quite a bit, especially during the last downhill into Milford. We had to pedal downhill :( We rode 82 miles today.
day 9
4 June 2008
We rode to Baker, NV today. Baker is right next to Lehman Caves, and we wanted to go take a tour, so we started earlier than normal so we could get there in time. The weather forcast said it might rain, so we took all our rain gear, and it was a good thing. Going up the last pass we were racing the storm. The wind was at our backs, which was good, but the storm caught us right after we started downhill. We started getting hailed on, and the van was close, so we had them pull over and we got inside for a bit to see if the hail would stop. I leaned my bike against the van and crawled inside. Either it shifted, or I just set it too close to the door, but when I shut the door it hit my back tire and knocked my bike over. When we started out after the hail turned back into rain, my back tire went flat. I had somehow gotten a large slice through my tire, probably from the van door hitting it. So we had to change the tire and the tube. I was glad we could change it in the van for warmth. We rode the rest of the way in to town in the pouring rain. My toes and fingers were freezing.
It was snowing hard, with an inch of snow on the ground when we got into the campground. We left the trailer in the snow and went to the caves. The cave tour was awesome. I took my camera, but got so caught up that I forgot to take any pictures inside. So I snapped one of the family at the visitor center.
We rode 59 miles today.
We rode to Baker, NV today. Baker is right next to Lehman Caves, and we wanted to go take a tour, so we started earlier than normal so we could get there in time. The weather forcast said it might rain, so we took all our rain gear, and it was a good thing. Going up the last pass we were racing the storm. The wind was at our backs, which was good, but the storm caught us right after we started downhill. We started getting hailed on, and the van was close, so we had them pull over and we got inside for a bit to see if the hail would stop. I leaned my bike against the van and crawled inside. Either it shifted, or I just set it too close to the door, but when I shut the door it hit my back tire and knocked my bike over. When we started out after the hail turned back into rain, my back tire went flat. I had somehow gotten a large slice through my tire, probably from the van door hitting it. So we had to change the tire and the tube. I was glad we could change it in the van for warmth. We rode the rest of the way in to town in the pouring rain. My toes and fingers were freezing.
It was snowing hard, with an inch of snow on the ground when we got into the campground. We left the trailer in the snow and went to the caves. The cave tour was awesome. I took my camera, but got so caught up that I forgot to take any pictures inside. So I snapped one of the family at the visitor center.
We rode 59 miles today.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
day 8
3 June 2008
We rode from Eureka to Ely, NV. We rode 80 miles. But the real news is that this morning, probably as my dad and I were going over Pancake Summit, both Haley and Dallin learned to ride their bikes without their training wheels!! The biking future of our family is looking bright! They are riding around like pros.
We rode from Eureka to Ely, NV. We rode 80 miles. But the real news is that this morning, probably as my dad and I were going over Pancake Summit, both Haley and Dallin learned to ride their bikes without their training wheels!! The biking future of our family is looking bright! They are riding around like pros.
day 7
2 June 2008
Today we rode from Austin, to Eureka, NV. I didn't take many pictures today. Both Austin and Eureka are pretty cool towns. Every town we have been through came into being because of some gold or silver rush. Many are now a fraction of their former size, but all of them have fun old buildings. We also occasionally see old mines and random partial rock walls from old houses or who knows what. The history here is very fun. We rode 71 miles.
Today we rode from Austin, to Eureka, NV. I didn't take many pictures today. Both Austin and Eureka are pretty cool towns. Every town we have been through came into being because of some gold or silver rush. Many are now a fraction of their former size, but all of them have fun old buildings. We also occasionally see old mines and random partial rock walls from old houses or who knows what. The history here is very fun. We rode 71 miles.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
day 6
31 May 2008
Today was our first real century! My trip meter reads 100.07 miles. We rode from a little outside Fallon, to Austin, NV. We rode a part of what is called 'The Loneliest Road'. There were huge sections of long flag straight road, with little passes in between. We were very fortunate to have a slight tail-wind most of the time, so we averaged just over 16 miles per hour.
Today was our first real century! My trip meter reads 100.07 miles. We rode from a little outside Fallon, to Austin, NV. We rode a part of what is called 'The Loneliest Road'. There were huge sections of long flag straight road, with little passes in between. We were very fortunate to have a slight tail-wind most of the time, so we averaged just over 16 miles per hour.
day 5
30 May 2008
We got off pretty early this morning, which was nice. We rode from Carson City to Fallon, NV. Mary and the rest of the family weren't there yet, so after checking out the campground we rode a bit further to get a head start on tomorrow. They came and picked us up about 10 or 12 miles out of Fallon. We rode 77 miles today.
We got off pretty early this morning, which was nice. We rode from Carson City to Fallon, NV. Mary and the rest of the family weren't there yet, so after checking out the campground we rode a bit further to get a head start on tomorrow. They came and picked us up about 10 or 12 miles out of Fallon. We rode 77 miles today.
day 4
29 May 2008
We did a lot of downhill today. We finished the last of the climb up to Carson Pass, and then down the other side. We stopped in Carson City. We had hoped to go further into Dayton, but we were pretty tired and the wind was blowing us all over the road. At one point we just stopped and hid behind a sign for 15 minutes or so to let the storm pass a bit. We rode 58 miles.
We did a lot of downhill today. We finished the last of the climb up to Carson Pass, and then down the other side. We stopped in Carson City. We had hoped to go further into Dayton, but we were pretty tired and the wind was blowing us all over the road. At one point we just stopped and hid behind a sign for 15 minutes or so to let the storm pass a bit. We rode 58 miles.
day 3
28 May 2008
This will probably be one of the best days of the whole trip. Since the campground we stayed at was so far off the trail, we decided to try a shortcut on a road called the Mormon Emmigrant Drive. Not only did it cut some miles off, it avoided a big downhill section (which would have meant more uphill for the day). The Mormon Emigrant Trail was 25 miles of straight up, but was an amazingly pretty ride. The mossy trees and snow were beautiful. The weather was pretty stormy, but we seemed to follow a lull in the storm the entire way, and didn't get very wet at all. All in all a super day.
We rode 32 miles, and climbed from 3500 to 8000 feet, and then back down a bit to 7300.
This will probably be one of the best days of the whole trip. Since the campground we stayed at was so far off the trail, we decided to try a shortcut on a road called the Mormon Emmigrant Drive. Not only did it cut some miles off, it avoided a big downhill section (which would have meant more uphill for the day). The Mormon Emigrant Trail was 25 miles of straight up, but was an amazingly pretty ride. The mossy trees and snow were beautiful. The weather was pretty stormy, but we seemed to follow a lull in the storm the entire way, and didn't get very wet at all. All in all a super day.
We rode 32 miles, and climbed from 3500 to 8000 feet, and then back down a bit to 7300.
day 2
27 May 2008
The first half of todays ride was awesome. There is a bike trail following the river all the way through Sacramento. It was very nice to be away from traffic on a bike route. We rode somewhere around 25 miles on bike trails getting through Sacramento.
After that we had a horrible map day. The directions were very confusing, and we had to backtrack multiple times. The road were busy and the shoulder non-existent, too. When we finally got into Placerville, we were very frustrated and tired. We talked to a really nice guy, Jeff, at Pizza Pro, and he recommended a different route for us. Our campground was quite a ways off the trail, and Jeff said we could take a bike trail and then another road that would take us to the campground and would be shorter. I was sick of the maps by that time, so we decided to try it out. The bike trail was super ... until it turned to dirt. After that we tried to use the GPS to figure out how to get the rest of the way there. Before we could figure it out the batteries died. We were fairly frustrated by then, so we just got on the freeway and rode it because we knew it would get us there. It started pouring on us just as we got to the campground.
So our day started great, and ended not great. We rode 79 miles and climbed to 3500 feet.
The first half of todays ride was awesome. There is a bike trail following the river all the way through Sacramento. It was very nice to be away from traffic on a bike route. We rode somewhere around 25 miles on bike trails getting through Sacramento.
After that we had a horrible map day. The directions were very confusing, and we had to backtrack multiple times. The road were busy and the shoulder non-existent, too. When we finally got into Placerville, we were very frustrated and tired. We talked to a really nice guy, Jeff, at Pizza Pro, and he recommended a different route for us. Our campground was quite a ways off the trail, and Jeff said we could take a bike trail and then another road that would take us to the campground and would be shorter. I was sick of the maps by that time, so we decided to try it out. The bike trail was super ... until it turned to dirt. After that we tried to use the GPS to figure out how to get the rest of the way there. Before we could figure it out the batteries died. We were fairly frustrated by then, so we just got on the freeway and rode it because we knew it would get us there. It started pouring on us just as we got to the campground.
So our day started great, and ended not great. We rode 79 miles and climbed to 3500 feet.
day 1
26 May 2008
Today we biked from San Francisco to West Sacramento. We dipped our back tires in the Pacific (the bay, really), and then we took a ferry from San Francisco to Vallejo and headed out from there.
We only took one wrong turn :) which added 16 miles to our total for the day. We ended up going 98 miles.
Today we biked from San Francisco to West Sacramento. We dipped our back tires in the Pacific (the bay, really), and then we took a ferry from San Francisco to Vallejo and headed out from there.
We only took one wrong turn :) which added 16 miles to our total for the day. We ended up going 98 miles.
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