Bike Ride to Fresno

Oakhurst to Fresno: 61.4 miles

Total mileage: 3863 miles

Stephanie, Christina, Marta and I have had a long standing date for our ride today (things started booking up quickly in Lone Pine). After several days of climbing, we still had more to do, but hank fully our ending elevation was lower than our starting which meant we would be doing some descending today.

The first part was definitely rough and despite grabbing coffee before we hit the road we were in for a Tioga 2.0 climb. It was a long, slow climb up to the top and after eight miles we got a descent reward to Bass Lake.

From there we got to ride around said lake which was beautiful and flat which was good too. After several miles we hit the down hill which was fantastic ... A long winding road which would take us to mile 24. As we were cruising down, Nate comes up from behind and tells us to we have to hustle because the road is going to be closed for blasting by 10 am. Unfortunately the blasting started a little early and we missed the cut off. As a result we had an early lunch and tried to DM a hitch through the blasting and gravel road. Thankfully we were able to get into the first truck we saw.

After we got dropped off and put our bikes back together, we were on a great twisty road filled with rolling hills through some farm land. Sadly I did not stop for pictures, but imagine dry yellow grass and super blue sky with no clouds. AMERICA!! The only down fall was that we biking straight into a head wind. About ten miles outside the host we saw civilization again; the tell tale sign is when you see a McDonalds and a target.

That night we were able to get a real shower (I was on hose shower #4), meet the Habitat crew and find out what we would be doing tomorrow.

Every year each team has their own Bike Prom where people get asked by their dates and costumes are a must.  This year each of the gentlemen and Tova each asked two girls and the costume theme was famous threesomes.  Over the last few days we had all been thrifting and the costumes were GREAT.  

Thing 1, Thing 2 and the Cat and the Helmet

Apple and PC

 Mario, Luigi and Peach

The Scarecrow, the Cowardly Lion and the Tin Man

Fork, Knife and Spoon

Then it was off to a local bar to get our dance on!

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Bike Ride to Oakhurst

Yosemite to Oakhurst: 71.9 miles

Total mileage: 3801.7 miles

This morning got started early, very early due to something that could be likened to a chain saw. A little before 3 am this noise started out of nowhere ... A snore which reveled any allergy, head cold or back sleeper. After a few minutes David hopped off the stage and circled the laundry pile a few times which was where the sound was coming from. Here I thought that he was going to shake the person, but instead he just left the auditorium and went to the bathroom. As he came back he did another loop of the laundry pile and then hopped back on the stage and went back to bed.

I was hoping that I would be able to turn over and go back to bed, but the snoring was just too loud. I could hear people starting to talk and giggle about the noise, but no one was getting up so I decided to take things into my own hands. I hopped off the stage, did a loop around the laundry pile (a little hard because the room was only illuminated by an exit sign), and found the guilty party on the tarp. After a few shakes I was able to get Hannah to turn over just enough

"Patience is a virtue. I am already virtuous enough and do not need patients." Quote of the morning as I was waiting for people to roll out because I was sweep again. 

Trent and I had a leisurely ride through the rest of the park until we hit a bomb descent. The first thirty miles were mainly down hill and we reached some pretty good coasting speeds as we were hugging the corners of the road.

Lunch was at mike thirty and thanks to Becka, Jack's fiancée, we had sandwiches with real lunch meat. We all left very full and regretted it as soon as we hit our first major climb of the day. After several miles in the heat, and stopping twice along the way, we reached a group changing a flat. Trent and I laid down to take a power nap and when we woke up twenty minutes later they were gone. A little later we found them at a gas station where we hung out for 90 minutes until everyone was ready to get on the road again. While we were waiting for everyone we talked with a few people who informed us that we would have to climb three very large hills before our descent into Oakhurst.

They definitely were not kidding. After three hard days of climbing we had to climb another 5300 feet before reaching out final destination. The third hill was probably the word because both Trent and I thought we had climbed it and as we descended the hill we could see this monster of a hill in the distance. As we made our way up the hill, there was a group stopped to fix a flat. Because I had already had three naps that afternoon I decided to whip out my phone and start taking notes for my blog - as my faithful readers know I am VERY behind. The good news about what would be our final stop was the fact that Alicia had found, nay smelled, blackberries on the side of the road. Trent and I killed some blackberries while we gave the other group time to get up the hill and get ahead of us.

Once we hit the top there was a great downhill section and we were hitting some great speeds. Unfortunately people forgot to mention that the last ten miles was extremely hilly. Because lunch was so early I had. It eaten anything since 10 besides blackberries and a clif bar which meant I was seriously bonking ... Not good when major hills stand between you and the host.

All in all, it was a 10.5 hour day from host to host, 7 hours to go 40 miles post lunch, and we made 11 stops. 30 miles down hill and then 40 miles of climbing.

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Day Off in Yosemite

This morning 18 bikers headed off before the sun was up to hike up Half Dome. The rest of us decided to catch up on some much needed sleep as we have not really had any time to rest our legs. The gym was not facing the sun so I slept in until 8am and only after I had been woken up by someone talking.

After hearing about the 16 mile round trip Half Dome hike, Kristina, Holly and I decided to take on the Upper Falls trail. This 7.4 mile hike with its 2800 foot elevation gain is the oldest trail in the park. The guide book estimated that it would take us between 6-8 hours to complete ... A way more reasonable amount of time than the other hike.

We headed over to the village to grab some coffee, a hot chocolate for Holly, and then hopped on the shuttle which would take us to our trail head. On the ride over the bus driver warned us about how long the hike would take and the fact that it is classified as a strenuous hike. We assured her that we would make it to the top because we have spent the last 10 weeks on a bike. While it is not the same muscles, we were confident that our hydration packs and PB&Js would take us all the way.

The beginning of the hike was pretty standard ... A slow incline with several switchbacks. We passed a couple and joked that we would meet them at the top. After the first half mile the path was a mixture of stones, carved rocks and dirt and it definitely became much steeper. the conversation began to lag as we were all focused on where we were going, making sure we were breathing and only being slightly concerned about how much we were sweating.

About an hour into the hike we had climbed a significant amount and had a great view of the valley floor below us. After a quick snack we tackled the remaining portion of the hike. The last mile or so was pretty steep with rocks that seemed to go on forever, but we made it to the top in 2:10 which was really good.

One of the main selling points about this hike was the fact that we would be able to see water...that was pretty much the only reason Holly decided to come. When we reached the top and walked out towards the observation point there was no water to be had. Slightly disappointed we continued down the trail to the overlook and Holly realized that she could hear water in the distance. From there we picked up a side trail and headed out towards the water. Because we are in the later part of the summer the falls were not as large as we had imagined, but there was water.

At this point to get to the falls we could either backtrack and pick up another path or get our inner billy goat on and scramble over the rocks to the falls. Knowing that Kristina is not the biggest fan of heights I gave her the option and she picked scrambled. I picked the lines and the other two followed.

As we set up for some stretching, napping and munching I decided that I wanted to take a quick dip in one of the lower pools. I figured it would be a good way to cool off and after I was not able to convince the others I scrambled back down. The swim was a brief one as the water was pretty old - think Cape Cod in the early summer.

We made it down the trail in just over two hours. We unfortunately could not make up any time because a nice s it was to have the tones on the way up, it made it very hard for us to climb back down. Combine this with a fine layer of dirt over the steps and rocks and a lot of knee pain from lack of cross training this summer. From there went to the deli to house some sandwiches and then back to the elementary school to nap. Well we napped hard and did not wake up until the first member of the Half Dome crew showed up. Nate assured us that everyone would be making their way back slowly but surely so we decided to head off and grab dinner at the pizza place in the park. Kristina and I shared a bomb Thai chicken pizza which was just what we needed. we also got to see pictures from his trip and it looked like they had a great time.

When we go back to the elementary school for a second time there were a few more people from the hiking group, but the majority were missing. As we predicted people were coming in grouchy because of the long day, lack of food and water while they were out on the trail and exhaustion. To add insult to injury the laundry crew had attempted to leave in the van, Timmy, and once they were a few blocks away the van DIED. Now normally this would not be a problem except for the fact that we are in a national park not really near civilian and we have NO clean clothes. Long story short Jessie DM'ed a car from the neighbors and Bri somehow convinced the laundry mat to stay open late. Ah a day in the life

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Bike Ride to Yosemite AKA Tioga Pass Day

Lee Vining to Yosemite: 75.3 miles

Total mileage: 3729.8 miles

Well today was the day that we have been thinking about for months; in my case it has been since February which is when I first heard of the 12 mile climb with an eight percent gradient. At breakfast you could feel the nervous energy as we were all ready to get on our bikes and see what we were made of. First thing first we had a great hot breakfast provided by our host including a French toast casserole, an egg casserole and some fresh fruit. Definitely what we needed to get ourselves up and over this mountain pass.

Everyone started to get their things together and the pump up music was blasting, everything from Bike and Build classics to Carmina Burana. With my ABCs done and good lucks given to everyone left Jessie, Bri and I headed off.

Thankfully after the first hill past the Mobile station we stopped at yesterday, there was a flat stretch for about a mile before the climb started; a much needed warm up for our legs. About three miles into the steep part Marcus comes up from behind me and shoots ahead. He was currently on a mission to beat the record to the top of the pass and needed to maintain a 10 mph average to get there under 1:15. A few minutes later jack drives down the pass in the van shouting words of encouragement and taking video. From there things really started to get steep and I had an OH SHIT MOMENT when I realized that I had no more gears. Oops. That meant that I would just spin it out until I reached the top.

Half way up the mountain Jack drove pass again and yelled out the window that the hardest part was over which was super nice to hear and gave me a bit of motivation to kick it up a little. Soon we were over 9000 feet - a new high elevation for our group.

A few miles from the top things flattened out a bit and we took in some great scenery including Tioga Lake. I was on a mission and did not stop of pictures, but snagged a few from teammates.

And then out of no where the entrance to the park appeared and the climb was over. I pulled into the parking lot pull off and was treated by cheers from those who had made it. I finished the climb in 1:54 which was under my goal of two hours so I was happy. Jack had mentioned a few months ago when we were chatting on the phone that I would be in good enough shape to just walk over the mountain and he was right. Marcus, however, crushed it and got to the top in 1:10 - BEAST MODE!!!

At breakfast I had suggested that we all wait for everyone to arrive at the top for a group picture and dance party. Riders started to trickle in and after two hours everyone had reached the top at 9945 feet.  Things culminated in a spontaneous dance party.

While there was celebrating, we still had 60 miles to cover so we all hopped on our bikes and headed into the park. The first ten miles were all downhill which was a nice surprise end rest for our legs. From there however there was a lot of confusion. Jack had told us that as soon as we reached the top of the pass it would all be down hill which turned out to be false. The rest of the afternoon was a series of climbs, with three especially large ones that took a lot of energy out of us. The one good thing was that the ride in was beautiful and had a lot of different kinds of landscapes.

The three of us did stop for a picture before we found lunch and the woman was able to get Half Dome in the background, probably one of the most well known parts of the park.

The ride up until lunch had been pretty low key. With shoulder and windy roads we found ourselves pulling over toilet cars and RVs pass us. After lunch, however, things started to get crazy on the roads. Drivers, were becoming very impatient with us and there were several close calls with cars nearly running us off the road as they attempted to pass us around blind corners and realizing that a car was coming in the opposite direction and they needed to pull back into the lane. There was an RV who passes us, almost taking the three of us out, pulled off the road a few miles later only to then repass us and nearly take us out again. Despite going the speed limit cars were still passing us over a double yellow line. The three of us wanted to yell out to them that they should slow down and enjoy some of the park. There is no point in rushing to get from one end of the park to another to take in more beautiful scenery.

Just before our final major turn off we decided to take a mental break in the gas station. The mental 10 turned into a mental 40 filled with ice cream and iced tea. The two groups behind us had just as many problems which was equally frustrating. To add insult to injury there were tons of people in the parking lot drinking which only made us more nervous to get on our bikes and head further into the park.

The last major stretch was a huge descent, a drop of early 7000 feet. Under most circumstances we would be elated at this kind of a descent, but because of the wind and crazy drivers we were on edge. We tried to take the lane as much as possible, but some drivers were trying to pass in an unsafe way and we ended up on several occasions just running ourselves off the road into the dirt to allow them to pass us. Definitely not the best strategy, but when going that fast it is hard to break and find a place to stop and watch your surroundings and use proper hand signals.

At the end of the day we were excited to get into the host, write it off as a bad ride in and still be excited that we had conquered Tioga.

What did make up for it was the outfits SOCO wore when they were presenting dinner

 

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Bike Ride to Lee Vining

Bishop to Lee Vining: 64.8 miles

Total mileage: 3654.5 miles

Today was sweep day number two for the summer (most people have been sweep four or five times already). Sweep is the last two riders, the caboose if you will, who carries the spare tire, tubes and med kit. The one bad part is that you have to wait for everyone if they decide to take a road side nap or check out a cool site (this one I don't mind waiting for). Now dear readers, I am NOT very good at the hurry up and wait game at all.

This morning David and I headed out after the last group and headed towards our final destination. Neither of us were in the mood to crush it because that would mean we would have to wait for people. As we came around the corner at mile ten we saw a large group on the road. As we rolled up everyone started running into the shoulder and all I could think of was that we were about to be mooned. Turns out they were making a runway of sorts and were going to sing us in. We followed it up with an epic runway dance party which will really add something to the dance video.

From there it was a 10 mile climb up the side of a mountain; consider it practice for Tioga tomorrow. The hill was not that bad and we only had to pull over once for a group (while I am not a fast climber, I prefer not to stop).

The rest of the afternoon was filled with hills. We were told that we would be doing a bit if climbing, but the elevation change was WAY off. Instead if a few thousand feet we ended up climbing 6500 feet. Literally the road only kept going up - there were a few good down hills where we got 40+ which was a nice great.

Last night we were told to look out for a Mobile station which had a restaurant in it. Well the tip was a good one and as we crested over the final hill, with Mono lake to our right, we saw the gas station and tons of bikers eating delicious looking sandwiches.

Later that night we were invited to help with a charity fashion show with proceeded going to a local NGO which not only helps preserve Mono Lake, but also sponsors to bring at risk youth from LA for some time out in nature (the outdoor education fund).

In the beginning of our trip, we were told that we would be modeling outdoor wear, but when we showed up we learned that this was definitely not the case. There were boxes filled with all sorts of random clothes and people got to decide on their outfit. People got creative and we brought some good things to the table.

The Bike and Build Crew before the show began

Followed by all the participants

As soon as it was over we headed back to the church; early to bed because tomorrow we will be hitting Tioga, a mountain pass we have been thinking about all summer. It is crazy to think that tomorrow we will be going up and over.

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Bike Ride to Bishop

Lone Pine to Bishop: 62.1 miles

Total mileage: 3589.7

This morning we woke up under the starts; our decision not to put up tents and to sleep on the concrete slabs was a great life decision. We ate another bomb hot breakfast of biscuits, eggs and fruit oh and did I mention coffee.

This morning I headed out with five ladies: Susan, Kristin, Steph, Arden and Jessie. After quite a laugh feat a dinner we figured we would have a great time on the road today. We left right ahead of sweep because Susan needed to change a tire before we headed out. The ride was sure pretty as we continued to follow the Sierras and the Inyo mountains.

After the lunch stop the tailwind kicked in again and we were making really good time towards the host. We were going to try and stop at some hot springs, but unfortunately the admission was a bit more than we were willing to spend.

We were pretty hungry when we hit the town so we went in search of lunch. After doing a quick tour of the town, Steph, Kristin and I decided to double back to Schat's Bakery. The line was crazy and after what seemed like an eternity we were finally at the front of the line. It was worth the wait because the sandwiches were huge and just what we needed.

That night dinner crew was at it again and tonight was Bike and Build chili. We were all set and ready to start cooking when we realized that the leaders had forgotten to get any of the ingredients we needed. The only thing we had in the bins was six cans of beans which would NOT feed our group. We also opted for pasta instead of rice because every other dinner crew except for one has burned the rice beyond repair. Despite the late start dinner was another smash success.

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Bike Ride to Lone Pine

Ridge Crest to Lone Pine: 64.3 miles

Total mileage: 3527.6 miles

We were all excited for the short day today and there were rumors that around late morning we would be getting a bomb tailwind which would help to push us the rest of the way to this magical RV park we had been hearing about complete with a pool and hot tub. Can you say living the life?

Holly, Susan, Kristin and I headed out together with pool on the brain. After our intense build day, and using muscles I have not used in quite some time after a long six day stretch, I was dead tired and could not get my legs under me AT ALL.

As we were heading down the road we continued to see signs for a homemade jerky place; the signs started 75 miles away from the shop. After seeing these signs for a day and a half we decided that we had to pull over. There were also signs for a cafe which meant we would be able to get coffee. Funny how we can see signs for so long and people in cars migh only see them for an hour or so.

The jerky place did not disappoint and I got to try jerky for the first time. There was also some bomb local honey and dried fruits. Next door the was a cafe and not only did the coffee had cinnamon in it we also got theses great homemade chips with salsa. After killing the first bowl we got a second which were out of a bag and not quite the same. There was a man wrapping up his lunch and Kristin poached his chips and salsa. We have become poachers and savages in one foul swoop.

The final portion of the trip was uneventful with some rolling hills. We eventually happened upon the RV park, dropped our bikes and headed to the pool. The hot tub was far too hot for me so I soaked my feet for a moment or two, polished off an ice cream sandwich and headed into the shade for an epic nap. The rest of the afternoon was filled with a real shower and tons of seltzer water (I have been going through withdrawal with out my soda streamer) before a homemade dinner of turkey tetrazzini.

Throughout the afternoon we all began claiming slabs of concrete within the camp sites we were assigned. Holly and I chalked ours out so we could insure that there were only two of us sleeping our slab and we had enough space for a bin explosion/repacking in the morning.

As a side note you must be wondering why I have been including all these food references. While this is not Emily's bike and build and eat adventure it has certainly turned into that. Marcus the other day came up with the idea to make a SUS cookbook filled with the recipes we have eaten over the past few weeks so I have been trying to make sure of noting the best of the best so we can ask hosts for the recipes when we wrap up the trip.

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Build Day #16

Build Day #16

This morning I was up bright and early before the rest of the crew and was able to get some much needed post adds written. We all hopped on our bikes and headed just a few miles down the road to our build site. Ridge rest has a small affiliate which finishes only one or two homes a year. Today we would be working on our first demo project of the summer and finish the work that last years SUS team had started. The home we would be finishing was donated several years ago and due to other projects, a skeleton staff and placement of volunteers at other projects the demo had been put on hold for a year.

The other project we would be working on was to move the debris from the parking lot into the dumpsters which would be picked up later in the day.

Everyone was super excited to get going and the group split into two. At first the task of putting all the broken cinder blocks seemed like it would take forever, but thanks to the great number of hands we had working on the project it went by pretty quickly.

As for the demo, the entire house was made of cinder blocks. We each took our turn sledge hammering and jack hammering the remaining walls to not only take them down, but to break them into small enough pieces to be placed in the dumpster. Most of us realized hat we were using muscles we had not used in forever, but that did not slow us down.

Due to the large project and heavy sledge hammers most of us worked in groups of two or three and rotated around. We then rotated with others who were picking up/wheel barrowing the debris to also give ourselves a break. All the while we had some great rock/heavy metal playing in the background which was fitting for the day.

Around noon we took a break for lunch and realized that if we kicked it into high gear afterwords we would be done early which is always nice. For lunch we had sandwiches and this bomb Asian salad along with bicycle and hammer sugar cookies.

After Picture i.e. there is nothing left!!

 

Unfortunately after lunch the temperature and be winds picked up. With all the dust blowing around we knew people's allergies would start going crazy, and in fact that is what happened.

Once we got everything take down and out in dumpsters, we took our after shots and a group photo (notice the rebar bent by our one and only Marcus) before we split up for the pool and/or racquet ball courts.

Steph, Marcus, Bri and myself got a complementary power aid at the pool before we headed over to the Community Rec Center to get our racquet ball on. Now dead reader you should know that I grew up playing tennis and had never stepped onto a court before. Compare this to Marcus who has the whole get up at home and told us he would be rusty as he had not played in a few years. The whole thing was a disaster, but I cannot remember a time when I had laughed so hard (okay maybe earlier at the. Hold site, but laughing to a point where you almost pee your pants is a common occurrence here on B&B).

From there we raced back home because Marcus was on laundry crew and I was on dinner crew (homemade sloppy joes) and giving my affordable housing presentation on the links between stable, affordable housing and health outcomes. Here are some links you can check out and while it might not be as much fun as my Jeopardy game, the info is definitely the same.

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