We made it to Nevada!

We last left you in beautiful Davis, California with the Wilkes. We haven't had access to a computer since then--we've been in the beautiful Sierra's! We are currently sitting in the public library in Carson City, Nevada on our first (and much needed) day off. Unfortunately, we won't be able to upload any pictures today because this is a public computer, but we will as soon as we can!

A recap of the past few days:

Loaded up with supplies, including very yummy almond butter and banana sandwiches on bagels, we left Davis and set off for Placerville, California. The first 20 miles of the trek towards Sacramento was a flat, easy ride. Ross and Tony managed to get a bit ahead of Drew and Katherine, and while waiting for them, just happened to come upon a real live taco truck. They felt that even though it was 10 A.M., they could not resist said tacos. Word on the street was that they are the best tacos they have ever eaten.

After passing into Sacramento, we immediately hopped on to the American River Bike Trail, which took us for 30 miles through downtown Sacramento towards Folsom, Ca. The bike trail was great! It had water fountains and flush toilets strategically placed along the route, which was great when we needed a quick break. It was also nice to ride on paved bike trail away from traffic. We managed to stop along the river at a very nice park for lunch. Katherine read on a picnic table while the boys attempted to go swimming in the American River. However, the boys quickly returned and said that the water was way too cold to swim in.

After arriving in Folsom, we turned off the bike trail to head up to Placerville. The foothills of the Sierra Nevada’s appeared immediately after exiting the bike trail. We managed to get about halfway between Folsom and Placerville when we ran in to a nice cyclist who was out for a ride on his road bike. We asked him what he thought the rest of our ride would be like to Placerville, and he said something along the lines of ‘a few long shallow hills, followed by a bit of a push at the end’. This was great to hear, because at this point, we had already gone about 60 miles. We should have known, however, that because this man was a California native, that his definition of a hill was a bit different than ours. The long shallow hills were actually quite steep, and the ‘push at the end’ required us to walk our bikes up the hill because our legs were so tired.
We made it to Placerville at the end of an 80+ mile day, and we were absolutely pooped. After asking at a few motels, we had a room donated to us at the National 9 Motel. We were so grateful to be sleeping in a bed that night.

The next morning, we slept in a bit, because we knew we would be tired. We also had to stock up on some supplies, which required us to wait around until 9 for the local bike shop and grocery store to open. We stopped for breakfast at the Waffle House, and none of the riders were able to finish their meals. It was certainly a good thing that we had some shopping to do to allow ourselves to digest before riding!

Our goal was to make it to Cook's Station at the end of the day, at an elevation of about 5,000 ft. We knew that we would have some serious climbing, but we were excited that we only had a 30 mile day ahead of us. We started off in earnest, only to be amazed at how long and steep some of the hills could be. Downhills used to be something that we anticipated as a break, but on this day, they only meant that we would have to go back up again. This was by far the hardest day for all of the riders so far. It is possible that we were just exhausted from the day before, but for some reason, every climb was a battle. Even still, it was pretty cool to see the terrain change before our eyes as we started to ascend.

We finally made it to Cook's Station, completely exhausted. On our map, it was listed as a place with a small grocery store, a restaurant, a gas station, and a campsite. It turns out that Cook's Station was not actually a town, but one building. It was the grocery store (which sold about 7 items), a gas station, a restaurant and a campground, all in one! The best part about it, though, was that there was a shower in the basement. Well fed (from the restaurant) and showered, we camped in the backyard. Apparently, a bear visited the trash dumpster pretty close to us that night, but we were all so exhausted that we did not hear it. One of the permanent RV campers at Cook's Station told us about it the next morning. It's a good thing it didn't bother us!

The next day was another large climbing day for us. Our initial goal was to make it all the way to Carson City, but we soon realized that this was a very unrealistic goal (it would have been another 80 mile day, but this time with over 4,000 feet of vertical gain). We settled instead for Kirkwood, which in the Winter is a hopping ski resort about 6 miles from Carson Pass, at about 7,000 feet. In the summer though, it turns out that there is not much going on. Our map again indicated that there was a grocery store, a hotel, a gas station, and a campground. It failed to mention, however, that these places were only open in the Winter when the area was full of skiers. We were certainly hoping for a hotel, but we were very happy to learn that the campground was open, and that we would have a place to stay.

This being said, all we had left in terms of food was a box of pasta and powdered sauce, 1/4 a can of peanut butter, and a few granola bars. It's a good thing we thought ahead to carry an extra meal with us for a stiuation like this. We were a bit nervous about not having enough for breakfast and snacks for the climb through Carson Pass the next morning, but we figured that we would be okay until we could get to the next general store, about 9 miles from the top of the pass. Very fortunately, we met Kevin and Steve, who were RV camping in the campsite next to ours. They were in the area to take part in the great fishing in nearby Silver Lake. Before we went to bed, they offered to cook us eggs, bacon and hash browns in the morning to give us energy for our ride. We are convinced that Kevin makes some of the best hashbrowns we have ever had. We could not have been more greatful for breakfast on a day that we didn't have a good meal with us! Thanks guys!

After a short 6 mile climb to the top of Carson Pass (about 8,500 feet) we started downhill to see some pretty incredible views. It is somewhat difficult to describe snow capped mountains and alpine lakes in words, so we will just have to post pictures the next time that we have access to a computer that will allow us to do so. Apparently, we're a lucky crowd. Until the day before we arrived, it has rained nearly every day. We brought the good weather (and the good views) with us when we came to the Sierra's

After a fast 45 miles downhill, we passed over the Nevada Border and made it to Carson City. We are staying in the Mill Hotel, and have spent this morning stocking up on groceries and bike supplies for the desert we will encounter tomorrow. In the morning, we will take off for Fallon, Nv, about 60 miles east of where we are now.

More to come soon (hopefully with pictures!)