San Francisco, CA

Bike across the country - check! We finished it off today with a short 39 mile ride. The route was actually more rural than expected if you ignore the fact that it paralleled I-80 for awhile. There was even a final climb of about 400' over the last ridge line before Vallejo on San Pablo Bay. The weather was sunny inland but cool with a brisk 20mph wind off the Pacific. I think it was actually the strongest true headwind of the entire trip so we were fortunate in the wind department. From there it was an hour ferry ride to the San Francisco Ferry terminal, and a six mile ride along The Embarcadero to Marina Drive to Fort Point at the Golden Gate Bridge and the end of the ride.

For those who like to keep numbers like me, here are a few trip numbers; 3834 miles, 60 elapsed days, 52 riding days (4 rest days, 4 schedule adjustment days), 74 mile per day average, 40 mph fastest descent speed.

I will need more time to reflect on the trip but I can say there is no better way to experience the magnitude and diversity of the country than at bicycle speed. I highly recommend it to anyone. There were certainly some challenging and trying moments but overall the ride went very well from all aspects. As I have written before, going east to west through the middle of the country has proven to be a good decision, and riding supported is a great advantage that made the ride that much more enjoyable. We appreciate all of the positive comments about the photographs and we will work on sharing more and our stories when we return to Rochester.

I would like to thank Sally my partner and SAG driver for all of her help and support, it was a team effort all of the way. And we are still on speaking terms. Thanks to our daughter Elizabeth for getting us started on the right foot with the jerseys and making the effort to meet us at the end of the ride today. And thanks to all of you who followed the blog, made comments, and helped us celebrate our anniversary, with special thanks to those who contributed to Journeys of Solutions in support of the ride.

Fairfield, CA

The ride today continued 10 miles on the American River Bike Path to Old Town Sacramento. It being Sunday, it was quite crowded with other cyclists. The path is in a greenway such that you would not know you were riding through a city. Old Town is a restoration of historic store fronts with lots of tourist kinds of businesses, and there is a working steam locomotive. After going through West Sacramento on surface streets, the route connected with another bike path that abutted right up against I-80 on a miles long causeway across a marshy area. That led to the city of Davis and my third flat tire of the trip, one of the dreaded goathead thorns finally. Davis is known as a very bike friendly city and so it was back onto another 10 mile bike path. Outside of Davis the route entered an extensive agricultural area with fields of tomatoes, and orchards of various un-identifiable fruits, probably avocados and peaches. We had lunch in the small farming town of Winters, where Sally visited the local farmers' market. The last 20 miles of the 66 mile ride were in a word hot, probably the single hottest 20 miles of the trip. The motel pool in Fairfield was very welcoming. Tomorrow will be another schedule adjustment day (no biking) as we expect to finish the ride on Tuesday with about 40 miles or so left to ride.

We would like to wish Dave and Ruth Happy Anniversary as they celebrate their 40th year of marriage.

Sacramento, CA

We are back on-line after our trip to Yosemite and a couple of motels that did not have their networks set up properly. Read down through the last four posts to see what we have been up to.

The ride today covered 65 miles as we made our way down through the foothills to Sacramento. It's hot here - close to 100. It is extremely dry, more so than anywhere we have traveled so far. The route started to make its way into the suburbs and more traffic as we approached the valley. The last 20 miles followed the American River on the Jedediah Smith Memorial Bikeway. There were a large number of people beating the heat on a variety of rafts floating down the river, and a number of bikers and others using the bike path. They must be more used to the heat than we are. We had another little adventure last night at the B&B as they lost power and it did not come back on until after Bob left for the day. His breakfast was not quite up to B&B standards as he ate whatever left over food we had in the truck. We did get more breakfast in Placerville. This is in the middle of the 1840's gold rush region.

7/17 - Fair Play, CA

This morning, July 17th, it was back on the bike for a 66 mile ride to Fair Play, CA where we are staying in a B&B Winery. The first 15 miles was the climb over Carson Pass at 8500’, the way through the Sierra’s. This was the last major climb for the trip, and was fairly moderate. The remaining miles followed CA Route 88 down through the mountains and then foothills on a long descent with a few ups with moderate traffic. There is a forest fire to the north and the smoke was evident. The last 20 miles were a very pleasant ride along local roads (Omo Ranch) with very little traffic. The only down side was the hot temperatures in the high 90’s. While Bob waited at the road, Sally checked out the B&B, and the elderly gentleman across the road came out to make sure all was well. They invited us in for a cold drink and chat. We described our trip and now they know the reason they see so many bikers is they are on the bike route. A fellow B&Ber is British, and on his way east around the world, having just come from very cold New Zealand. He suffered from heat stroke yesterday, and will have his hands full going up Carson Pass tomorrow, loaded with 50 kilos of stuff. He’s been on the road 18 months. The United States is his last leg. He had many stories about going through Central Asia especially. We have seen very few bikers, again, except in Woodfords. It is a popular spot to park to ride along the foothills towards Carson City, or up and back down 2 different passes, one being Carson Pass. By the way, Sally was hiking there this morning among the wild flowers, finally, and found it tremendously easier going than yesterday’s hike.

7/14-716 – Yosemite Park

We continued our mini-vacation from the ride with our visit to Yosemite Park. The first stop was an early morning visit to the White Wolf Camp Ground off of the Tioga Road to secure a camp site for two nights. We then decided to visit the Hetch Hetchy Canyon. It has a dam that has created a large reservoir to supply San Francisco with water. Built in the early 20th century after the San Francisco fire, it was controversial since the original canyon was said to be equal to or better than Yosemite Valley in beauty. We had a nice five mile hike to Wapoma Falls along the lake shore. The falls were running with plenty of water. We next drove over to Yosemite Valley. As expected it was crowded but the shuttle bus system helps. Since it was late in the day we limited our visit to the valley floor. On a late day hike to Yosemite Falls we caught a glimpse of a bear climbing out of the stream. As we learned, the park is full of them.

We started the next day with a short hike to Tuolumne Grove of Sequoia trees. They are the largest living things on earth by mass and date back to the era of dinosaurs. They only grow in a few specialized climate zones. At the park gas station at Crane Flat we saw a sow bear with two cubs grazing just off the road. We then returned to Yosemite Valley and hiked up to Vernal Falls with the crowds. It is amazing the lack of preparation some people have to take what is a moderately hard hike in hot weather. And it was hot, high 90’s in the valley floor. Our camp was at 8000’ so much cooler. After returning to camp we had a nice dinner at an adjacent tent camp lodge. This night’s quiet was interrupted by the cries of “bear in camp”. Every 15 minutes or so, from a different part of the campground, we could hear people yelling and banging to chase the persistent bear. It came sniffing past our campsite a couple of times but just passed on through as we had placed all of our food in the provided bear proof containers. The next morning we broke camp and headed for Tuolumne Meadows (9000’?) for a hike up to Elizabeth Lake. The lake was situated in a high meadow surrounded by the ridge line. We then drove back toward Woodfords, the town where we had stopped riding, to prepare for resuming the ride after this little vacation.

7/13 – Woodfords, CA

We crossed over into the final state of California on a short ride of 29 miles. With only 220 miles left to San Francisco we will be off on holiday the next three days. Today we drove down the eastern side of the Sierras and visited Mono Lake. This area is still in the Great Basin so the lake has been formed because it receives water from five streams coming out of the mountains but has no outlet. As a result it is salty and has a very unique ecosystem. It is an important layover spot for the Pacific Flyway of migrating birds. In the 40’s LA started diverting water and so the lake level has dropped 45 feet. In the 80’s and 90’s there were many law suits to reverse the situation and a compromise was reached to raise the level significantly. Tonight we are staying in June Lake, a small local resort area that has a ski area and in the summer trout fishing in numerous lakes and streams nearby.

Lake Tahoe, NV

We spent a nice day driving the circumference of Lake Tahoe. We had a nice hike along the lake shore in a state park. We visited the Squaw Valley Ski Resort, home of the 1960 Winter Olympics, only a few of you will remember that, and watched the hundreds of people floating down the Truckee River, the only outlet of Lake Tahoe. Did you know that Lake Tahoe geologically is a basin like all of the others we have been crossing? It has no outlet to the Pacific. It just happened to fill up with water. Tomorrow will be a short ride day as we slow down the pace. We will then be going to visit Yosemite Park since neither one of us has ever been there. Since we will likely camp, the next post may be delayed for a couple of days. But stay with us our faithful readers since you won't want to miss the exciting conclusion of the ride as we cross California starting later in the week.

Carson City, NV

It wasn't until today that we realized how much last night's town Fallon marked a transition from the lonely US 50 to a busy and populated US 50. The traffic picked up dramatically as did the density of towns and businesses along the 66 mile ride to Carson City. Carson City is the capitol of Nevada and the biggest town we have seen since Cedar City UT at 20,000. The ride will become more of a tour over the next few days as we slow down to synchronize arrival dates with our San Francisco welcoming committee, Liz. Today we took a two hour detour to visit the historic mining town of Virginia City in a high valley off US 50. It was pretty touristy, especially after the steady dose of the small working towns we have been passing through during the last week. For all you bikers out there we learned that today was the annual "ride of death" in California. It is an 100 mile ride over several passes, kind of like the Highlander in Rochester. Sally learned this from her hair dresser as she got a cut in Fallon. Tonight and tomorrow night we are staying in South Tahoe on Lake Tahoe. Neither one of us has been before so we will explore the area. Sally is currently playing the slots to pay for it.

There are lots of motor cycle tourists on the road. Bicyclists usually wave as they pass each other. Bob has also been bonding with the motor bikers as they occasionally give him the motor cycle wave as they pass by that he returns - left hand extended horizontally palm forward.

And now a little food talk. Yesterday we estimate Bob probably burned about 5000 calories on his long ride. More or less here is what Sally recorded he consumed for anyone who might be curious about such things. Don't try this at home. He was hungry this morning.

6 AM Breakfast - two bananas, two donuts

On the road - 4 or 5 Nature Valley bars, Bob lost count

11 AM - Lunch - apple, three slices of left over pizza, four lemon cream cookies

2 PM Snack - apple, three cookies, chips

4 PM - another Snack - fast food burger and soft drink (after the ride)

6PM - Dinner - shrimp appetizer, salad, large burger and fries
10 PM - Snack - milk and three cookies

Fallon, NV

We knew starting the day that the possible destination of Middlegate Station, a former stage coach station, would have limited lodging and camping options, and we were right. So we decided, since we had an early start, that we would just keep going and finished in Fallon after 112 miles. Another decision we made was proven to be a good one. Just west of last night’s town of Austin there was the choice to continue to follow US 50, or take Nevada 722 for 59 miles, the old US 50, over Carroll Summit. We chose the latter and it was a very scenic ride through a canyon and over the summit. If US 50 is the “loneliest road in America”, old US 50 is lonelier. Outside of a few scattered ranches, we probably saw no more than 20 vehicles during the four hours it took to ride this section of road. As we neared Fallon we dropped in elevation to below 4000’ and the landscape became much drier and flatter. Much of the riding was through salt and sand flats, and the afternoon temperatures were warmer. At one point we passed a large 500’ sand dune where the wind had pushed sand into a box canyon. Fallon is the home of a naval air base. Now why the Navy has an air base in the desert is interesting, I guess they need to learn over land before water. At any rate during the last few miles into town watching fighter jets take off provided some entertainment. Fallon is a good sized town and marks the end of the most sparsely populated portion of the Great Basin. Lake Tahoe is about 60 miles away and there will now be more towns on the route.

Austin, NV

The next town on our Nevada itinerary is Austin. We arrived after a ride of 71 miles. Today all of the climbing was within the last 12 miles of town as we went over Bob Scott summit, then down 500 feet and back up to Austin summit(7484 ft) in quick succession. The town of Austin(6527 ft) is located part way down the descent from Austin summit on a very twisting road. Austin is another former mining town now with a tourist based economy such as it is. Several stores are selling polished stones and minerals. The current population is around 400. It has several historical buildings dating back to the late 19th century including the court house, several churches, and old store fronts. We went for a short hike just out of town to another old artifact called Stokes Castle. It seems a mine owner wanted to build a summer home for his family so he built a three story tower out of native stone on a bluff over looking the valley in 1898. It was supposedly modeled after a tower he had seen in Italy. After all the effort his family only used it for two months in the year it was finished. The elevation the last two nights makes for very cool (40's) mornings and pleasant days. We are still amazed at how green the valleys are, as well as mountainsides, although the last valley was drier.

Eureka, NV

The route today reached four different summits to arrive in Eureka after 68 miles. It was another beautiful weather day, clear skies and lower temperatures with light winds from the north. To be honest there was nothing remarkable about the ride or the day other than the inherent unique experience of cycling through such beautiful remote country. There is literally no real intrusion of humans beyond the road itself for miles. Even wildlife sightings have been rare although we did see a kit fox cross the road early in the morning. We are staying in the town of Eureka, population of 860. It is the county center of government and the provider of services for the surrounding 50 mile radius. It was originally another mining town. Much of the main street is lined with restored historic buildings including an opera house and old hotels and saloons. As we have observed all across the country many local businesses have gone out of business or are for sale. One assumes they are victims of the current economy, although this part of Nevada is not on the popular tourist routes. At the same time there has been plenty of public investment in government facilities in Eureka so it is holding its own.

Ely, NV

We covered 72 miles today in the Basin with two climbs and two valleys. Once again the weather was clear skies, temperatures in the 80's at 6000', although it was windy. Fortunately, once again it was either a cross wind or a tail wind. We are now following US 50 and there is more traffic than the previous state roads we had been following, but still not a lot. Ely is a regional hub of about 4000 people with a long history, still based economically on ranching and copper mining. Bob got a haircut in a local shop as the length of his hair was becoming a wind drag. We learned from the barber that the mining has been running again for five years. It opens and closes depending on the commodity prices. Ely sits in a high valley over 6000' and the surrounding mountains are high so the valley is green. Temperatures can get well below zero in winter with some snow but not like Rochester. This will be the largest town we see for the next three days so future posts could be erratic.

Sally arrives in the destination town ahead of Bob and one of her tasks is to pick the night's lodging. Tonight we are staying in the historic Hotel Nevada and Gambling Hall. The price is low because gambling is the main revenue producer. Once again Sally is down on the floor trying her luck as Bob writes the blog. Last night she successfully won enough money to pay for a soft drink.

07/06 Baker, NV

As planned we rode 70 miles today to the community of Baker, NV. So today we entered another new state and the Pacific Time Zone. It was a fairly fast ride as there were three downs and only two ups to deal with. I don’t think I have ever been in a place that seems both so vast and empty of any sign of human presence. When you stop riding it is perfectly quiet if the wind is calm. At times no vehicles pass for half an hour in either direction. With the time zone change we were in the destination town before noon. That was particularly fortunate since Great Basin National Park is nearby. We had a nice lunch in the park’s Visitor Center and then drove up the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive. Wheeler Peak is the highest mountain in this small range at just over 13,000 feet. As you drive up you go through several climate and vegetation zones from the salt flats in the basin to pine and aspen forests with lakes and streams. We took a hike up to the Bristlecone Pine grove. These are short stunted trees that have adapted to the harsh conditions at timberline and live for amazingly long periods of time. Some of these trees are 2000 to 3000 years old. Bob went a little further on the trail to view the “only glacier in Nevada” in an alpine bowl beneath the east face of Mt. Wheeler.

Tonight we are staying in the Border Inn on US 50 just inside Nevada. It is a combination RV Park, motel, café, gas station, and of course casino. It has a long storied history starting as an inn for the local sheep herders. It is the only commercial establishment offering services on US 50 for miles in either direction. As Bob is writing this blog post, Sally is in the casino working on paying for this trip.

Frisco Summit, UT

The rest day yesterday was nice but it was also good to get back to business today. The journey today covered 70 miles as we started into the Great Basin region. We passed through the small farming communities of Minersville and Milford that are supported by extensive irrigation. There is also some copper mining in the area. In between it is wide open spaces of dry sage land with interspersed high lands. We crossed over one summit high point and ended on another one of 6400’, called Frisco Summit. Frisco is actually 14 miles past Milford where we are staying tonight. The idea was to balance the mileage between today and tomorrow since the distance between services between Milford and Baker, NV is 84 miles. We will start out going downhill tomorrow. Such is the flexibility and luxury of riding supported. Today’s ride will be typical of the ride through Nevada – basin to ridge and back down to basin, and repeat. None of the climbs will be particularly steep, just long up hills. Milford seems to be a rail center for the Union Pacific as we relaxed in the shade next to a crew station. Alas, no trains went by while we were there for entertainment.