Day 6 - Middlegate, NV to Petrolgyph State Recreation Area, NV

90 miles / Day 6 of 54 / Middlegate, NV to Petrolgyph State Recreation Area, NV

Today was another big day. After our first century ride yesterday, we continued some great mileage.

We've been blessed by fantastic weather and a nice little tail wind pushing us through the Nevada desert.

We pounded out some mileage in the morning and caught up with our friends, the grandfather and grandson from the night before. What an awesome thing, a grandfather being able to experience such an awesome opportunity with his grandson.

We had two small climbs and planned to stop in Austin for lunch, population 130. The Nevada mountains have been hard and high, but the grade hasn't been too terrible. Pretty much cruise at 5-7 miles per hour for a few miles and we could get to the top. Well, our climb into town completely kicked our butt and made us exhuasted. We were psyched, having already completed 64 miles for the day and it was only 2:30!

We met a  grandpa and his grandson who were going coast to coast on their bikes at the top of our second summit.

After grabbing some grub, Seth and I decided to tackle to rest of the climb, up to about 7500 feet and camp about 5 miles from town, having completed the ascent so we wouldn't have to do it in the morning first thing. Again, the grade was hard, but we made it up and completed about 70 miles. It was only 5:30, so we made a game-time decision. After looking at the map it was decided we'd try to push our mileage while we were still feeling okay. Also, a large portion of our next stretch was downhill.

Talk about exciting, going 40+ miles an hour down some of these descents is truly incredible. Really makes you feel alive. We cruised the last 19 miles into camp for an even 90 for the day and 190 over the last two. Not too shabby! We're about halfway through Nevada and cruising.

We hope that the more miles we can bang out now, the quicker we can get to a bike shop and get Seth's spoke fixed (see yesterday's post). Here's to two great days!

Lesson # 19: Sometimes, it's good to push yourself because you never know where it can take you.

Because we took those extra 19 miles at the end of the day, we're camping in a beautiful petroglyph rock area with sweeping views of the Sierras. Life is good.

Day 5 - Dayton, NV to Middlegate, NV

99.5 miles / Day 5 of 54 / Dayton, NV to Middlegate, NV

We spent the night in the Dayton State Park campground and got chowed by the mosquitoes. We woke up around 7:30 am, packed up, grabbed breakfast and water from the grocery store (it was the last store we would see for 80 miles) and took off into the desert a little after 9 am.

Empty in the desert. Peaceful.

After yesterdays recovery day of covering 40 some miles we were ready to put in work. Luckily the route for today was in our favor, downhill for the first 50 miles.

We pedaled hard and ended up in Fallon, NV by about 12:30 pm. Morning talk revolved around sports (shout out to the Hawkeyes and Buckeyes) and I had the privilege of learning about Jack's senior thesis for his journalism major. Jack went in and broke down the two categories that all sport fans fall into.

We stopped in Fallon, NV and loaded up on that young dollar menu at Macky D's.

Lesson #16: Prioritize water above everything else.

Leaving Fallon we were entering a 300 mile stretch of road on "America's Loneliest Highway" that was broken up in 70 and 80 mile stretches with no water.

No water. No problem. Rock on.

AAA official statement on Highway 50: "It's totally empty. There are no points of interest. We don't recommend it. We warn all motorists not to drive there unless they're confident of their survival skills."

Thankfully Jack had a 3 liter sack that we have been carrying since Fallon. Better safe than sorry.
We biked away from the setting sun and 47 miles into the desert. Around 6:30 pm we arrived at Middlegate, a bustling Nevada metropolis that is home to 17 brave souls.

RIP to #18. 

The Middlegate Station was a bar and 8 room motel with free camping out back. We had found heaven. Basketball, a calm and loving dog, good food, fresh water, a shower, and a sink to wash our clothes in. Everything you could possibly want in this world.

Can't let that hoop dream die. Europe here I come.

Lesson #17: You are never to old to do epic stuff with your grand kids.

We met our first fellow cross-country bikers at the Middlegate Station. A grandpa and his 21 year old grandson were traveling the same route across the country.

At the bar we met Buck, a weathered and reserved older man who used to do century (100 mile) bike rides across New Mexico in his younger days. I had bent my back wheel hitting a pothole on a downhill stretch and Buck offered to true (center) the tire for me. While showing us how to true a wheel we realized that we had broken a spoke. Not good. There was around 30 pounds being carried on my rear rack which was supported by this wheel. Buck centered the wheel as best he could and said a prayer for us that we would make it.

The fastest man on two wheels in New Mexico in 1983. Truing up that back tire.

Lesson #18: No need to stress about things you can't control. It will all work out in the end. It always does.

With the back spoke broken, but the wheel trued as best it could be, there was nothing to do except load up the bikes and keep riding tomorrow morning.

We didn't put the rain fly on top of our tent and fell asleep being mesmerized by the stars. Complete darkness thanks to no city lights and being in the middle of nowhere made for an incredible night time sky show.

Thank you Buck for your help - here's to hoping we make it the next 240 miles with a missing spoke.

Day 4 - Woodfords, CA to Dayton, NV

42.5 miles / Day 4 of 54 / Woodfords, CA to Dayton, NV

Today we woke around 8 am, packed up our tent and gear and were on the road by 9:30 am. We stopped shortly into our ride and loaded up on a big breakfast at a roadside cafe.

1 down. 9 to go.

About 12 miles into todays ride we crossed into Nevada. We were really feeling yesterday's 40 miles of climbing in our legs today. Our route was great today in terms of evelation, barely any climbs, but we didn't put in that many miles as our legs are still recovering.

We met our first headwinds riding downhill out of Nevada's capitol city, Carson City. It was surreal pedaling hard downhill and realizing you're only going 11 mph.

Lesson #15: Enjoy the ride.

No need to push yourself beyond the point of exhaustion. It's beautiful out here, it's always a good idea to take a second to stop pedaling and enjoy the view.

Day 3 - Placerville, CA to Woodfords, CA

51.5 miles / Day 3 of 54 / Placerville, CA to Woodfords, CA

We woke up rested (we got to sleep on beds! - Thank you David and Pam) and departed on full stomachs (Thank you David and Pam).

Packing up the gear at the beginning of the Mormon Emigrant Trail that goes through the Sierra Mountains in California.

Our route called for us to head south to Somerset and then cut back east to meet up with Highway 88 through the California Mountains.Thanks to a few locals at the Raeley's Grocery Store - we diverted off of our maps and cut due east. Our new route had us going on 31 miles of the Mormon Emigrant Trail through El Dorado National Forest. The trail led through the heart of the Sierra's and climbed 4000 feet (!) in 30 miles. And our new route was completely unsupported, not even one water spigot on the route.

Lesson #12: It's never about how many miles you have to pedal.
It's about how many feet you have to climb because of the elevation.

Climbing. Just keep swimming.

David very nicely dropped us off at the head of the trail and we packed up our bikes and started climbing up. Straight up. As we labored through and went 5 mphs uphill on our bikes for 30 miles I was stuck thinking about David. He was nothing but kind and giving. He opened up his house for us, provided us beds / showers, and gave us a great breakfast. David said a nice prayer for us before he left the head of the trail. Not being the most religious person I found great comfort and calm in his prayer that wished us safe travels and encounters with kind people along the way.

We wanted this view to last longer so we took a picture.

Lesson #13: The most important thing is how we treat each other as people.

From a young age I've watched a lot of people including myself get caught up in the nitty gritty specifics of our religious beliefs. David didn't have to tell us what he believed. He showed us. He believed in being kind. He believed in helping others. He believed in being a loving father and spouse. Thank you for being a great role model for us David.

The climb was worth it.

It took us 9 hours to bike 41 miles (including stops and lunch) to go from 2,000 feet above sea level to Carson's pass at 8,500 feet. It took us 45 minutes to ride 10 miles down the other side of the mountain pass. We we're flying. Our sweat dried as we bombed hill after hill. That last 10 miles was better than any shower I've ever had. We went from spending a full day going 5 mph to flying down hills, trees wooshing by with snow capped mountains in the background at over 30 mph.

Started the day a little of 2,000 feet in elevation.

Today was our toughest day yet. We set up camp behind a secluded bluff in a mountain valley.

Lesson #14: Sleep is everything. Go to bed early. In the city I am distracted and resist sleep. Our here I have not distractions. Sleep is wonderful.

Thank you to David for dropping us off at the head of the trail today.

Thank you to our three new friends we met 2/3 through the Mormon Trail, you guys were great inspiration. We didn't want to go any farther. Thanks for distracting us.

I'll climb for days if it means I can grown a mustache like our dude in orange here.

Day 2 - Davis to Placerville, CA

70.5 miles / Day 2 of 54 / Davis, CA to Placerville, CA

After about the best first night you could ask for (thanks again Mike) we were off from Davis with no end in sight. Before we knew it we had made it to Sacramento (I ain't worried about the Sacramento Queens) CA. The American River runs straight through the city and we were lucky to take the Jedidiah Smith National Bike Trail for about 25+ miles around the city.

Met a lot of racing bikers who gave us looks with all of our gear. A good conversation starter if nothing else.

Lesson #9: People are automatically intrigued if you stick out a little bit. Feed their curiousity.

Our normal conversations are like a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure novel. We have the following scenarios:

Scenario A: "Wow, you've got a lot of stuff there! Where are you headed?"
"The Atlantic!"
"That's crazy, you guys live it up! Enjoy the adventure! et cetera

Scenario B: "What are you carrying in there, a dead body?"
"Uh, not quite. We've got all of our gear we need to cross the country by bicycle"
Passerby then proceeds to ask 15-20 questions about our trip, all of which we have rehearsed SEVERAL times

Scenario C: "What are you doing with all of that on your bike?"
"We're from North Carolina and we're headed home"
Passerby gives us confused look, trying to compute if that's a 40 mile ride or a 4000 mile ride.

Any way the conversation comes up, we've certainly met a lot of cool people along the way.

Our day started at the Mormon Emigrant Trail.

We spent the afternoon riding through Folsom and more of beautiful wine country, and made our way to Placerville. We were anxious about that night, as we didn't have the ease and convenience of staying with a friend. So, needless to say we started asking around when we got to town where we could pitch a tent for the night.

Lesson #10: Don't be afraid to ask a favor of someone. The worst thing they can say is no.

We spend the late afternoon in the grocery store asking anyone and everyone where we might be able to stay that night. We got every answer from a Wal-Mart parking lot, the homeless shelter and a park on the edge of town.

Thinking the park might be our best way to stealth camp we chased sunset to the park and were hoping to find a quiet spot and quickly pitch our tent. What we happened upon were adult slow-pitch men's leagues playing under the lights.

We must have looked pretty pitiful as a man came up to us and started talking, asking US if we needed a place to stay for the night. We quickly said we were looking, and he offered up his home for the night.

Lesson #11: People are kind. People go out of their way to help others. Pay it forward.

David was truly a blessing after a long day. A pastor in Placerville, he lives with his wife, Pam, a crazy marathoner and four kids, three dogs and two cats. And they were willing to give us food, a shower and a warm bed for the night. Incredible!

Stayed up late with David talking about his church, his ministry and learned a ton of good lessons about where life can take you. We know you're reading this, David, and we're so appreciative of all the support. A pastor and a mentor, we learned a lot of lessons from David that we will continue to carry with us on our trip and help us moving forward.

David and Jack in David's living room.

California has been good to us. We've been extreemely blessed and look forward to the unknown!

Sidenote: If you ever find yourself in Placerville, check out his church - Cold Springs Community Church. You won't regret it.

Day 1 - San Fran, CA to Davis, CA

61 miles / Day 1 of 54 / San Francisco, CA to Davis, CA

We finally got to bed around 2:30 am last night. Jack got into San Fran around midnight and we spent a few hours packing up our pannier bags for our bikes. We fell asleep feeling excitement and listening to the sounds of a city that never sleeps floating in through the window.

We woke up at 6 am, and rushed out the door to the closet bus stop. Two buses later we were on the east side of the bay putting the finishing touches on our bikes. We struggled to install our front racks and worked on our bikes for a couple of hours but we're off and riding towards the Golden Gate Bridge around 9:45 am.

Square one. The journey begins.

We dipped our tires in the Pacific Ocean and then caught the Bay Ferry for a boat ride across the bay to Vallejo. The boat ride through the bay was about an hour long and absolutely gorgeous.

The ferry went by Alcatraz Prison. (Golden Gate in background).

It couldn't have been nicer weather, almost 90 degrees with bright sun a few scattered white clouds for show. We headed north out of Vallejo and our ride took us deep into the heart of Napa Wine Valley. The route had us weaving back and forth near and around Interstate 80 on bike trails and backroads.

Lesson #6: Get out of the city and go into the countryside. Leave your phone back in the city. Take a deep breathe and enjoy pretty nature.

We stopped in the small town of Winters, CA around 5:45 pm and got to check out the vintage cars at their car show. From Winters we had about 14 miles to go to our final destination of the day in Davis, CA.

Classics.

On the road to Davis we got our first flat tire. Jack's front tube completely deflated, we found a semi-shady spot out of the sun against a fence, right across from a sunflower field. I put my bike against the fence and Jack and about 30 minutes later we had "successfully" patched the tube on his front tire. Back on the road again!

And.....about 20 feet later my back tire completely deflated. Turns out I had set my bike in a thorn bush.   Not to worry, about 20 minutes later (learning is a beautiful thing) my back tube was fixed and we we're ready to roll again.

Lesson #7: Pack more than one spare tubes. There are a lot of sharp things in the road that can deflate tires.

And then.....Jack's front tire deflated. Again. It looked as though we didn't successfully patch it. Slight problem, we only packed one spare tube. Slight problem, we didn't have a new tube. We were on the outskirts of Davis so Jack called his good friend Mike who he had worked with on a mission trip in Peru. Shout out to convenience. Mike came and picked us up. Shout out to Mike.

Waiting to be picked up.

After filling up on a huge plates at Davis's best Mexican restaurant we spent the night at Mike's apartment.

Mike had worked as a teacher in Detroit for two years before moving out to Davis and marrying his wife Crystal. Detroit sounds like a whole different world. Sounds like an incredible amount of people have left Detroit in recent years and the city is stretched thin to provide basic services to citizens.

Lesson #8: If you want to buy a cheap house, go to Detroit. Mike and his roommates bought a 3 bedroom house for $8,000 in Detroit.

Mike recently married Crystal within the past year. Mike's biggest pieces of advice were make the effort to communicate and work through feelings instead of making assumptions, be aware of boundaries by not taking things too personally, and go to marriage counseling.

Side tangent: I wish there was not a stigma about counseling in our culture. Counselors are experts on how our minds work & how and why we make decisions. A good counselor is invaluable. Everyone should see a counselor. And not only reactively to address "problems" but proactively to help make sense out of this crazy world around us. (Because I'm not crazy. The world's crazy.)

An early morning trip to the bike shop to buy a new tube (and three extra to carry along on the bikes) had us ready to leave and depart on Day #2.....

Leaving Davis, CA.

Thank you to Mike and his wife Crystal for hosting us. Thank you Mike for your openness and great advice on relationships / marriage.

Gearing Up

I've spent the last two days exploring San Francisco, waiting for Jack to get in.

Pros: culture of embracing failure, diversity, concentration of passionate people and resources to make things happen

Cons: super expensive to live, congested, hard to get around at times

This is a gorgeous city.

Our bikes we're in boxes waiting for us at the FedEx store in heart of the financial district. The bike lockers to store our bikes overnight were on the other side of the bay. There was one of me and two bikes. San Francisco has great public transit. Multiple trips on the BART and the subway, while putting back together and rebuilding our bikes left me short on time.

Lesson #4: When pressed for time, don't be afraid to run in flip flops, against crowds of financial analysts leaving work.

I met a homeless man name Sean who was about my dads age outside of the bike lockers. He helped me put back together our bikes. He knew bikes well, he said he used to love to ride up and down the coast on weekend trips. He through out his back and could no longer be a carpenter. He told me about his addiction to cocaine in his early twenties and how he went to prison for three years, became sober, and learned carpentry. He said he drifts from city to city up and down the coast and has fallen into a spiral of drinking and depression. He told me that there are two kinds of homeless people. "Good" ones and "crooked" ones. He said "crooked" people will do anything to meet their addiction, and that their addiction comes from a place of deep hopelessness. He was excited about our trip and couldn't believe that we wanted to be in classroom, teaching students for our job.

Thank you to Warm Planet Bikes for helping us get our bikes ready for the ride and letting us store them overnight!

Lesson #5: You don't know what people have been through or experienced in their life. More important than not making excuses, is to not make assumptions. Easier said than done.

Thank you to Morgan at Warm Planet Bikes for helping us install our front racks and getting our bikes ready for the road. Morgan just got back from a bike tour he did across New Zealand and Australia. It's a big world out here. The shop was crazy busy, people were constantly coming in and out. Thank you Morgan for taking the time to help us.

Thank you to George and Rohan for letting us crash with them in their studio apartment in the heart of the Mission Street District. George your going to be an incredible teacher and Rohan your pictures are going to make us question how we live and treat each other.

Mission Street Cultural Center