Bike Ride to Jacob Lake

Page to Jacob Lake: 80.1 miles

Total mileage: 2749.0 miles

The first group I left with was WAY too speedy so I hopped on with Megan, Julie and Alicia. We knew going into the day we were going to have some major hills to climb and they started right off the bat. The first fifteen miles or so were a steady up hill climb and when you are averaging only 8 mph it seems like you are on the road forever. As a result I decided to put Julie in the hot seat which was great. The two of us have not done too much riding together so it was a good way to get to know her - definitely some good TGT time. After some serious hill climbing we were rewarded with a 12 mile down hill and allows of nearly 2000 feet in elevation. We knew that we would have to pay for it later on, but the views and the speed made it totally worth it.

After first lunch the temperature climbed significantly. With no trees or clouds for shade and newly paved roads we were baking. Some of the groups stopped on a bridge over the Colorado River and were jealous that they were enjoying a lazy rafting trip.

We did make a quick stop for some cool rocks, but decided we should keep going instead of stop at the general store because of the climb that awaited us.

The final part of the day was a 12 mile climb at a 6% gradient. This would be our biggest challenge yet and I will not lie I was definitely nervous. I had made a pact to myself that I would try my hardest to get to the top without stopping. This would be a good marker for my level of fitness and how much of a challenge Tioga Pass will be in a few weeks (that is a 12 mile climb with an 8% gradient).

The fist part of the climb was definitely the hardest part mainly because the sun was beating down on us and I was trying to get into hill combing mode. Dear readers I should let you in on a little secret that I am that biker who used to go a few miles out of my way to avoid hills so I have come a long way in these few short weeks if I do say so myself.

The group I started out with this morning decided that we would each ride our own ride up the hill and once we got to the top we would ride into the host together. As we started our ascent, we could see how steep of a climb it was going to be thanks to the group ahead of us. What was nice was the fact that the van was passing us as we got started and the hoots and hollers got us going. We ran into them two miles up the first part of the pass at a scenic overview for another wave of encouragement. While I am a bit sad that I did not stop for a photo I had a bet going on with myself to get as far as possible/finished without stopping.

The ride up was beautiful and because I was crawling at some points, I got to take in the scenery... a lot of scenery. At some points it was a bit rough, but I was able to get to the top without stopping. It was a huge sense of accomplishment for sure and made me feel like I would have a fighting chance to tackle in a few weeks.

When we arrived a whole bunch of us headed over to the only diner in town and housed some sandwiches. Between the carb overload and long bike ride I pretty much passed out for two hours until town hall meeting. Because we would be camping a handful of people decided to set up tents; the rest of us just broke out thermarests and sleeping bags and grabbed a picnic table. Mine was right on the edge of the gazebo which meant that I had a prime viewing point for stars ... The first legitimate stars I have seen in a while.

Elevation run down for the day: 4200 to 6000 to 4000 to 3500 to 8000 feet. Wahoo!!!

 

Interestingly enough this was not the most climbing we had done in one day. On the 4th of July we climbed over a vertical mile.

 

 

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Bike Ride to Memphus

Altus to Memphus: 76.2

Total Mileage: 1883.6

 

Today was my day again to sweep and is morning I headed out with Susan. I was pretty excited because I have not really ridden with her yet this summer and our time in the back would give me time to put her on the hot seat (an interrogation of get to know you we now fondly play on some of the quieter roads). The drama of the situation was that we would be crossing back into Texas which meant that Jay and I would also need to ride together. Not wanting to break with tradition (tradition is VERY important to me people) Jay very nicely offered to ride sweep with the two of us.

 

All of the orders gradually headed out and in order to give people some time and space in front of us we stopped to take a picture at their city hall. At the corner of Main Street they had an AMZING bronze statue of a cowboy so Jay quickly hopped up the to take a picture. I know I have said it before, but the South has some great bronze statues.

 

About twenty miles down the road we ran into Marcus, Ben and Nate who had pulled into a shell of a town, Duke. Founded in 1909, they had recently celebrated their centennial and had some great street artwork to show for it. The painted brick walls made the perfect backdrop for a dance video and a picture or two.

 

We were out on the road again and just a few miles down the road we saw the some group stopped again, this time for a picture with the Gould town sign. Now this probably makes no sense to you all, but Ben's last name is Gould so the six of us decided to head off together and check out the town. It was nice to ride in such a chill group with three in front and three in back; the scenery also did not disappoint as we crushed another 12 miles. As we got nearer to the town not only did we see a legit town sign, but more importantly a water tower with Gould painted out. Someone, we are still unsure of who, shouted out that he should climb to the top and get his picture taken with said sign.

 

As we approached the water tower we noticed that the ladder to the top was unlocked and there were no No Trespassing signs to be seen. After a few minutes of debating whether or not we should climb to the top, I took off my shoes and proceeded over to the ladder. With a game plan in mind, basically not to stop until I hit th stop, I headed off. The climb was uneventful, long, but uneventful and the view from the top definitely did not disappoint. I soon realized that no one would be joining me so I took some photos, made some mental images, took a quick dance video and then headed back down the ladder. The climb down was a bit harder as my forearms were screaming and my bare feet did not get on well with the diamond shaped steps, but I made it down in one piece and received my BA (bad ass) status of the day.

 

Here are a couple of shots from the top looking down on the town

 

Of course, after I had my feet on the ground a couple of others, including Ben, decided that they needed to hop up there. I may or may not have played up the FOMO (fear of missing out) and the great views of Okahoma. Ben was first up and once he had made it up to the top Marcus set off. He had gotten about a third of the way up, complete with bike helmet and American flag, and shouted that that he thought he was high enough. He considered his fear and made it up to the top; it might have helped that Susan was quickly lapping him and if he didn't hurry up she would have to hang out on the ladder. We did try to get Jay up, but once he was about twenty feet off the air he decided that he was high enough and we staged a photo to make it look like he was much higher than he actually was.

 

By this time in morning we were so for behind, like an hour and a half behind, everyone had already blown through first lunch. At that point we told the van to head out to second lunch and we would fend for ourselves for lunch. Now people i would like to note that we are really getting out into no man's land, at least for this city girl. Towns are pretty spread out and if you miss an opportunity for lunch you might be without lunch of a very long time. As a result we decided to pull into Subway and while we could not DM free sandwiches, we were able to get a great 50% off discount. The other winning part about lunch was that one of the employees was selling homemade cupcakes for a local pool fundraiser. They were mind blowing and if we were in DC they would have gone for some serious dough (see what I did there). We got ours for a steal at 50 cents. Marcus decided it would be a good idea to get five and a slice of banana bread; it was a decision he regretted as soon as we were back on the bikes.

 

The net stop was the Oklahoma/Texas boarder. Because we missed the Oklahoma sign on our way in, we took one as we were leaving. By this time it was HOT HOT HOT, the sun was high over head and we were about three hours behind the rest of the crew. We took our time, mainly due to the heat and mainly due to chatting to get to second lunch. About seven miles out from second lunch we had to pull over and ended up taking a nap on the side of the road. Just as our alarm was about to go off a car pulled up; it was not the car, but the dogs inside the car which woke us up. The guy wanted to make sure that we were okay and even offered to fill up our water bottles which was a much welcomed and appreciated surprise.

 

Back on the road to pick up some water and a couple of snacks for the last twenty miles of our ride. By this point the hills had started to pick up and thankfully the group decided to take them relatively slowly. About halfway between second lunch and our host we saw two stranded bikers changing yet another flat. Apparently they had been having issues all day and were waiting on the side of the road of sweep to come and pick them up. Unfortunately we were so far behind at this point, there would have been no way to cover enough ground fast enough to be of any use. They had tried to call the van, but unfortunately they were in a pocket with no cell service (welcome to the middle of nowhere).

 

The hills picked up for the last fifteen miles of the trip and while it was slow going, the views were incredible. I feel like I say that a lot, but it is true, the scenery out here is amazing. As we were closing in our mileage, we passed up a pretty steep hill through a rock pass and as we hit the top we could see all of Memphus in the valley below. From there we started to crank it down the hill thinking that it would be downhill until the rest of the host. Sadly there were two more sizable hills, but because there were less than two miles to go until the host we crushed them.

Sweep (me, Susan and Jay) had arrived in one piece and while we were hot and sweaty, we definitely had a great ride. The whole day was so Bike and Build that we did not know what to do with ourselves. As we were waiting for our shuttle ride to a church member's house for showers we stumbled into a small theater and the walls and ceilings were covered in glow in the dark stars. Hanging out in the dark, looking at the stars and chatting was the perfect way to end our day, well that a shower and an amazing home cooked dinner.

 

Bike Ride to Kabito

Kayenta to Kabito: 67.3 miles

Total mileage: 2736.2 miles

This morning Susan, Kristin, Steph and I headed out to grab some much needed coffee at McDonalds before hitting on the road. Much of the team had the same idea we did and about twenty minutes after wrapping up breakfast nearly half the group had arrived.

Once we were properly caffeinated our group hit the open road. Sadly our flow was interrupted because once we had gotten out of the parking lot Kristin discovered she had a flat. Never fear, we road a hi Escondido down the road and pulled into the Burger King parking lot. This actually worked out quite well because there was a museum inside featuring the Navajo code messengers. This was something that I had completely missed during school. Turns out that during WWII many Navajo were recruited to work with the government as code messengers. At this point in time their language was only spoken; there was no written Navajo language and there was no do Nelson into the English language. All of the codes they sent were perfect and in fact Iwo Jima would not have been as successful as it was without their hard work.

After the flat was fixed and I got my dose of US history for the day we were on the road again. A lot of us have been playing mind games/sharing brain teasers to pass the time. These games are a double edge sword because while they help to pass the time they can be equally frustrating when you can't get them.

The first part of the morning was full of rolling hills and some great scenery. About half way between the start of the day and lunch the shoulder became extremely small and we had to keep a vigilant eye out for the rumble strips. Sadly I missed a lot of what was going on around me because I was so focused on not hitting anything with my tire.

After lunch we pushed off down this newly paved road which was like butter. We did however notice a sizable storm forming off in the distance and sadly the took us right through the storm. While the colder weather was nice we did end up playing the game of is it rain or is it hail because it was kind of painful.

About fifteen miles outside of our host I noticed a sign for horseback riding. Everyone in the group is well aware that riding a horse is on my bucket list this summer so we figured we would try to see if we could DM a horse. I was feeling pretty good about it because we were going to stop for a stretch break at the top of the hill where the sign was located ... I am a big believer in fate and this seemed like the stars were lining up perfectly.

 

We wandered down a dirt until we were treated by a pack of dogs and eventually the owner of the stable. The woman and her husband run trail tours our of their home and after some convincing we were able to get ourselves on a horse. Nothing crazy ... just enough to take a picture and walk around in a few circles.

 

After that it was pretty much smooth sailing into our host. We would again be staying on a Navajo reservation in a small church. A bunch of us were pretty hungry after our hill climbing so we stopped in at the general store and picked up some snacks. Once we had gotten our munch on, I proceeded of pass our for two and a half riders; many riders had either napped before the snack or joined me.

For dinner the church members had made us "Navajo Tacos" which had a base of fry bread, beans, cheese and then the normal taco toppings. The man who had made all the bread had also made homemade salsa which we were told was spicy and that was definitely not a lie.

 

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Bike Ride to Overton

St George to Overton: 92.6 miles

Total mileage: 3061.8 miles

 

Dear friends. Now I am not not usually one to do things like this, but today was such a cluster that this day will be broken down into bullet points with a few pictures.

Jay, Nate, Ben, Susan and I headed out on our ride this morning and hit nothing but heat, flats and more flats. We were super pumped because we would be hitting two state lines and crossing into Nevada which would be a new one for us. Sadly about fifteen miles out of the gate things started to spiral out of control and the flats started coming.

For the day I had eight personal flats and the group had a total of 21.

I blew up a tire and walked a mile and a half down the road to a bike shop to get a new one.

Saw one crazy hair do

Had a mental breakdown over my string of bad luck and did not even get a state sign picture at the border.

The one good thing of the day was a major descent into lunch.

After a morning of climbing we had a super long, 17 mile descent which was awsome. We even found chalking marking the 3000 mile mark thanks to Hannah.

 

After 15 hours on the road the Magnificant Seven (we picked up sweep who was Arden and Kristin) arrived in the dark, tired, hungy and very dehydrated, but still looking BA.

 

As we walked through the door we were greated with hoots and hollers from the rest of the team and Maggie and Stephanie made us toasted sandwiches which were much needed. I was so far gone that all I wanted to do was go to bed, but I forced myself to eat and drink something before we took a hose shower under the stars and I passed out. This would be the start to a very long week.

 

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Bike Ride to Ridgecrest

Barstow to Ridgecrest: 97.5 miles

Total Mileage: 3463.3 miles

Due to the fact we we out in the middle of nowhere, and we were up before the sun we had a great view of the stars. I had my stuffed packed up pretty quickly and over the next fifteen minutes or so the starts began to disappear as morning twilight hit the mountains. One of the things I am going to miss, among many, is the sunrises and sets we get to see every day.

Within the first few miles of our ride we came to find out that our cue sheet was off. Instead of taking the original route through a Marine base we hopped on the highway and then hopped off at the next exit to pick up the road we needed. For part of the morning we got to ride along historic Route 66 which was pretty awesome.

As we continued our ride we saw signs that the road we were supposed to take had been washed out from some flash flooding. In true SUS style, we ignored the signs and decided to take on the challenge of riding/carrying our bikes on what little bit of the road remained. From the pictures you can tell it was more carrying than riding.

For most of the afternoon we were riding through China Lake which has a pretty interesting history. This section of the Mojave Desert houses the Naval Air Weapons Station. It was crazy that most of the time we could hear the jets long before they came into view.

After second lunch we hit some major rolling hills before a large, steady incline (hello Tioga practice). the only good thing about the incline is that we knew we would be descending for the last portion of our ride.

One of the things on my bucket list is to have a motorcyclist sit on my bike while I sit on theirs. About twenty miles from the host we pulled into a gas station to grab some ice and as I was knocking back some green teas a bunch of motorcycles rode up. One of the guys agreed to take a picture with me which was great and I got to cross another thing off my list.

From there there was a great descent before we hit two large hills. As I have aside before and I say it every time to my group I am slow and will meet you at the top. All the climbing from the day added up as we hit the top of the last hill because from there we descended the rest of the way into the host with speeds in the high 30s. Yay for letting gravity do all the work and not my quads.

This week our crew is on dinner crew and because most of our hosts are not going to be providing dinner we are responsible for whipping something up. Feeding 27 hungry bikers is really like feeding 50 people ... People I am not joking here, our metabolisms have gotten way out of hand. Looking for something quick and easy I threw out the idea of making a baked macaroni and cheese. A few weeks ago one of the other groups had attempted, but they had burned the fake cheese they were using and it was a disaster. This time I was able to convince the leaders to get the real thing and dinner was a huge success. The pressure will be on to recreate three more dinners.

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Ride to Pe Ell

Longview to Pe Ell: 49.7 miles
Total Mileage: 128.9 miles
Quote of the Day:  "Well I was born in a small town and I live in a small town.  Prob'ly die in a small town, oh, those small communities."

While we waited for the finishing touches to be placed on breakfast, May lead us in a brief yoga session. 

Every morning during the route meeting, two riders give a quick "Town Fact" talk.  Basically, it covers population size, a picture of the affordable housing crisis and any fun tidbits we should check out.  Ian and I had Longview and yesterday we told everyone about Nutty Narrows a squirrel bridge which covers one of the busier roads in the town.  No joke there is squirrel bridge in this town.  For $1,000, Amos Peters created the smallest bridge and the smallest animal crossing in the world.  This year they dedicated another three bridges.  Before heading out to Pe Ell our group decided to stop and see the bridge for ourselves.  Not the best picture, but it proves we were there. 

Group shot with the largest squirrel I have ever seen.



Let the climbing begin!

Everyone made it to lunch around the same time so we were able to have an impromptu Happy Birthday dance party for Kaitlin wearing crowns of leaves.  I know there is dance video or two floating around, but I was not able to find it and sadly did not take my own.

After lunch we had some serious hill climbs; two of them clocked in at 9-10% grade.  Thankfully most of it was in the shade so while we were cranking low and slow, we were not baking in the sun.  Bike and Build has its own set of rules and one of my favorites is what goes down must come up.  While that was definitely true today, we did have our first large descent.  There is nothing better than seeing a yellow diamond sign with a truck rolling down a hill and a grade percentage underneath; today we hit the first of many 9%'s. 

The views are also incredible.  Before I left for the trip I had very few expectations for the trip.  While many people told me the riding would be beautiful, their descriptions did not do the scenery justice.  I was also surprised with how many family farms we passed along the way. 

As promised here is one side of the trailer; Sarah pulled out some of her amazing artistic skills.  The other side has a great map and I am sure I will find a picture soon enough to post.  The painting is only made better by Poe leaning up along side of it.

Pe Ell, with a population of 624, is a cute town in the middle of no where (there's nothing wrong with middle of no where, just trying to give some context).  While some hosts provide showers others may be near a stream or have an in with the local YMCA.  Here, however, the pastor brought his RV and a few brave souls decided to check out the "stream" about a mile down the road.  The water was pretty low, but there was a section deep enough to wash my limbs and kit before heading to the church for a hose shower (it's exactly what it sounds like).  

Artsy pebble picture

Da Stream Crew: Sarah, Miranda and Victoria!

For dinner, the church provided the most loaded potato bar of all time!!  Seriously, the potatoes were a foot in length and if you could dream up a topping it was probably on the table.  The church had also secured two cakes from the local bakery which were quickly turned into birthday cakes.  The pastor's wife also provided ziplock bags for cookies so we could take a few with us on the road tomorrow.  This is only the third host and we are already spoiled.

The birthday celebrations continued after dinner and a couple of us 21+ riders headed over to the local bar.  We got permission to start a fire outside and our fearless leader Johnny decided to take it upon himself to chop some wood.  After a few failed attempts someone from the bar came over to show us how it was done; seriously, you could tell we were all a bunch of city slickers. 

The rest of the night was spent drinking a local beer (just one because we had to ride in the morning), getting to know one another and listing to fellow riders singing/play the ukulele (a shared team item which someone brought with them).  As we headed back to the church we had a great view of the stars in the sky.  Sadly living in a city means I only get to see a handful of starts each night so I am going to soak up as many of these opportunities as possible.