days 46 and 47: rest days at stanford sierra camp

Miles biked: 0

Total mileage: 3,048

Food log:

16 pancakes

2 eggs overeasy

1 order of hashbrowns

2 sausages

4 enchiladas

rice and beans

8 chicken wings

4 sandwiches

2 plates of prime rib

Dear readers,

Ahh, rest days truly are the best days. We have thoroughly enjoyed the past two days here at Stanford Sierra camp, resting our legs for the final three day stretch into San Francisco. Yesterday morning we took the opportunity to sleep in until 10:00am, although unfortunately missing breakfast in the process. After a few quick games of horse on the camp's basketball courts (I defeated Colin and Jarve handily), we decided to venture into town to get some grub.

When deciding on where to eat, Denny's came up as the clear choice. Colin declared that he would order the "all you can eat pancakes" for $4, and nothing else. I went with a slightly more balanced order of all you can eat pancakes, as well as a "build your own slam" (healthy I know). As plate after plate of pancakes made their way to our table, butter was spread and syrup was poured. I decided to call it quits after 7, a pretty admirable attempt (I thought) considering I had already eaten eggs, sausage and hashbrowns. Colin stopped just short of double digits, downing 9 pancakes in a sitting before declaring more pancakes impossible. Needless to say our Denny's debaucle put a slight dampner on the rest of the afternoon as we had to sit and digest before even thinking of physical exercise. In the evening we grabbed some dinner at camp before heading into South Lake Tahoe for some bowling.

We woke up this morning to a beautiful, sunny day with much warmer temperatures than yesterday. After bidding Jarve farewell (he had to drive back to the bay area), we decided to take advantage of the nice weather and go sailing on Fallen Leaf Lake. I know absolutely nothing about sailing, but luckily Colin has sailed a decent amount back in Pocono, so I knew I was in (relatively) safe hands. As we made our way into the center of the lake the wind picked up and wisked us quickly over the water. Fallen Leaf Lake is an incredibly beautiful place with high mountain ridges on one side and views of Tahoe's northern shore in the distance on the other. It was a nearly perfect temperature out and we sailed around the lake for around an hour and a half.

We are now settling in for a mellow night at camp, resting up to get back on the road tomorrow. Each day is more exciting than the last as we draw closer to San Francisco and the end of our trip. It is hard to believe that we have nearly completed our journey as it seems like just the other day that we were toiling through the mountains of Pennsylvania. We are beyond stoked for the last few days of our ride and to dip our bikes in the cool waters of the Pacific.

Thanks for checking in,

Max and Colin

day 45: Silver Springs, NV - South Lake Tahoe, CA

Miles Ridden: 80

Total Mileage: 3,048

Time Spent Biking: 7:00am- 3:30pm

Food log:

4 bagels

1 apple

4 poptarts

1 pro bar

4 Gu's

3 Clif Bars

2 Snickers Bars

2 Bananas

2 blueberry muffins

2 double bacon cheeseburgers

2 plates of Pasta

4 Chicken Tenders

4 pieces of pizza

California! Today we bid farewell to the state of Nevada and began our trek through the Golden State. We woke up to a slow transition between a starry night sky and a climbing sun over the surrounding mountains, and after pushing snooze a few too many times we packed our things and hit the road. The first 35 miles to Carson City looked a lot like the previous 350 miles from the Utah-Nevada border, but leaving the Nevada capital we began a long, steep climb up and over the Sierras. The climb was grueling, and a strong, enduring headwind didn't make things any easier. As we climbed to 5,000, then 6,000, then 7,000 feet the dry barren ground of Nevada slowly turned into a densely wooded mountainside, and the faint smell of pine needles let us know that the California border wasn't too far away. We reached the peak of our first climb over the Sierras (our second and final climb will come on Friday) around noon, and as we raced down the backside of the peak Lake Tahoe came into view. Gusts of wind blew back and forth across the road, and as we descended to the level of the lake we were kept guessing which way the wind would be blowing in the coming miles.

For those of you who have never visited Lake Tahoe, it is a pretty spectacular sight. The water is impossibly blue, and with a maximum depth of 1,600 feet and a constant mixing of warm and cold waters, it never freezes. Enormous mountains, some snow capped even in August, surround the lake on all sides. The water in Lake Tahoe stays completely contained in the Sierras; not a single drop reaches the Pacific Ocean. We rode south just on the edge of the lake, riding up and down hills that wound through trees and on cliffs that overlooked the whitecapped waves. About fifteen miles from the summit we came around a turn and, in true Nevada style, a giant cluster of casinos came into view. These weren't any casinos, however. Just as houses of slot machines and poker tables had greeted us within feet of leaving Utah, so too were similar buildings there to wave us goodbye into California. It was the happiest I've ever been to see a casino, not that video poker isn't a thing of beauty in its own right.

About five miles after stateline we stopped for lunch with a buddy from school named Will Jarve who has a summer house in Tahoe. After a familiar D.B. with Chee, we pedaled the last five miles to Fallen Leaf Lake, a smaller body of water that flows into Lake Tahoe. Fallen Leaf Lake is the site of the Stanford Sierra Camp, a summer getaway/family camp for the families of Stanford alumns. We will be chilling here for the next two days, staying in a small cabin called the point which has a completely unobstructed view of the lake and surrounding mountains. Jarve is staying with us tonight and tomorrow, and he is doing his best to make sure we have very little rest heading into our last three days of cycling.

Throughout the ride we've learned the importance of always having goals in mind, of creating rewards for challenges and things to look forward to both in the long and short term. Whether it's a two day rest day extravaganza in Park City or a Snickers bar at the top of a big climb, these goals make the miles move faster, and, more importantly, they make the trip less about a travel from point A to point B and more about an adventure in between. Our stay in Tahoe has been an important goal throughout the trip, and now that we are here we are really beginning to realize that San Francisco is right around the corner, and that though we have only three days left, there is a lot of adventure left to be had.

Thanks for reading,

Colin and Max

Day 44: Lovelock, NV --> Silver Springs, NV

Miles ridden: 78

Total mileage: 2,968

Time spent biking: 6:30am-2:00pm

Food log:

3 protein shakes

2 apples

2 peanut butter bagels

4 yogurts

2 snickers

2 clif bars

4 poptarts

2 gus

2 omelettes

2 orders of hashbrowns

2 orders of toast

2 large pizzas

3 packs of fruit snacks

1 pack of reeses pieces

Dear readers,

Today marked our last full day of riding in Nevada as we pass into the much anticipated state of California in around 60 short miles. We started out the morning in the comfort of our motel room at our usual hour of 5:00am, bungeeing on our gear and scarfing down calories. Upon going outside just before 6:00, Colin declared that it was too cold to start riding so we stayed in for another half hour of the weather channel (which has much less to report now that Hurricane Earl passed by the east coast). When we finally emerged from the room around 6:30, it was still pretty chilly but we decided to get on the road regardless.

Much of the morning was pretty similar to our previous Nevada mornings with the sun rising over desert valleys and mountains. We pedaled eagerly through the morning, excited for a change of scenery as we drew closer to our highway change in Fernley. Throughout the morning we were fortunate enough to have a pretty consistent tailwind at our bikes, pushing us closer to our day's destination (and ultimately California tomorrow). We reached Fernley at around 10:30am and decided to enjoy a nice breakfast before the last 20 mile stretch to Silver Springs. We stopped into the Black Bear Diner which served up generous omelets and much needed cups of coffee. After an hour or so we hopped back on the bikes, heading south on highway 93. This section of the ride proved pretty challenging as we faced significant hills, a slight headwind and some busy labor day traffic headed out towards the lake by Silver Springs.

We pulled into Silver Springs around 2:00pm and stopped in a gas station to ask for directions to our campground. After another stop at a grocery story and a breezy 3 miles of biking, we found ourselves at the entrance to the Lahontan State Recreation Area. We found an awesome campsite on the beach, overlooking the lake as the sun sets on the hills behind it. While the lake is a few miles outside of town, we discovered that the local pizza place delivered to the park entrance, and have since nourished ourselves with two delicious large pizzas. After dinner we built a fire to fend off the cold before we hit the hay. We are beyond excited for tomorrow's ride as we cross the border into California for two rest days at Stanford Sierra Camp, with a mere three days left until the Pacific Ocean.

Thanks for reading,

Max and Colin

PS: Sorry for the delay on this post, it seems that the internet wasn't quite up to par out at our campsite

PPS: Sorry also for the continued block text format of some of these posts, our phones are rebelling against us

Day 43: Winnemucca, NV - Lovelock, NV

Miles Ridden: 73

Total mileage: 2,890

Descent: -400 ft

Time on bike: 6:00-11:15

Food log:

4 protein shakes

4 bananas

1 apple

2 peanut butter bagels

1 protein bar

2 snickers bars

6 pancakes

2 egg, potato, cheese and bacon skillets

4 bowls of reese's puffs

2 all you can eat spaghettis

Dear readers,

Oh what a day it was. We hit the road into a cool Nevada morning and calming sunrise, vigilantly observant of the wind that was starting to blow around us and hopeful that it would find it's way to our backs. Today we rode 74 miles to Lovelock, Nevada, and though the winds shifted several times and had us guessing throughout the day, they were for the most part with us. A steady tailwind adds an element of calm to a day's ride. It allows your mind to wander and your thoughts to drift, your legs to churn and your wheels to zip forward. It can also add an element of excitement, a rush as the mile markers pass by. Whatever it is, it is a good feeling, much better than headwinds that frustrate you and focus you on the looming distance ahead.

The ride today felt familiar in it's Nevada-ness. Our road was shadowed by a twisting river that had eroded it's way deep into the ground, revealing stratified layers of rock. Mountains seemed to surround us at all times, but our road wound it's way between them and stayed flat throughout most of the 75 miles. We arrived in Lovelock at around 11, checked into a motel room, and hit the restaurant across the street for skillets and pancakes. After an afternoon nap, some reading, and an hour of general inactivity, we opened the doors of our cave and ventured out to see what was happening in Lovelock.

We stumbled upon an antique shop set up in the front room of a sma home to the side of town, and were welcomed in by the old lady who owned and ran it. As we browsed the amazing collection of everything you can imagine, we spoke with her about her travels through the west and midwest and told her about our journey. She told us stories about the generosity and hospitality of fellow travelers, stressing her appreciation for the selflessness of people who'd picked her up and helped her out. She told us a story about finding a girl who'd crashed her car and was stranded in Nevada, and driving her 150 miles to her home where her parents, who'd heard of the accident, nervously awaited her arrival. They were amazed that a complete stranger went hours out of her way, but to her the decision was clear. As she spoke, she conveyed a commitment to the people around her and a genuine belief that if we all pay forward the good deeds, the world will be a much, much better place.

After picking up some Lovelock mementos, we headed back to the restaurant where a sign read: "special: all you can eat spaghetti." it's like they knew we were coming. Delicious and carbolicious. A couple games of video poker and a few pulls of the slots lever (we are in Nevada, after all) and now we are back in our room getting ready for tomorrow's ride. In two days we will be in California. In one week we will be in San Francisco.

Later, Colin and Max

Day 42: Battle Mountain, NV --> Winnemucca, NV

Miles ridden: 53

Total mileage: 2,817

Time spent riding: 6:15-10:15am

Food log:

4 yogurts

Granola

1 apple

4 bananas

4 snickers

1 gu

1 pack clif shot blocks

1 breakfast burrito

2 eggs

1 sausage patty

2 orders of hashbrowns

3 pancakes

3 bagels

1 bacon cheeseburger

1 French dip

2 orders of fries

1 order of onion rings

Dear readers,

Ahh another beautiful day in Nevada! We figured since it is labor day weekend, we'd get on the road early to try to beat some of the traffic. We failed to realize however that it doesn't get light enough to ride until at least 6:00am. This basically meant that we had more time to pack and learn more about Hurricane Earl from our friends on The Weather Channel. Satisfied at the amount of light on the horizon, we set out to the northwest towards our destination of Winnemucca.

The beginning of the ride started very smoothly as we finished the first 25 miles in less than an hour and a half. Around mile 25 we hit our first and only significant climb of the day up to Golconda Summit. We finished the climb without too much difficulty and stopped at the top for a celebratory snickers and rest stop. On the other side of the hill we descended into a series of canyons, gradually losing the elevation we had just gained. As we came around a long right turn we saw the vast Nevada desert below with tall mountains rising in the distance. While not the most scenic state, the sheer amount of empty space in Nevada has proven to be awe inspiring nonetheless.

As we pulled to within 15 miles of Winnemucca, a nasty headwind came up within minutes. To add insult to injury, the road began sloping slightly uphill. For all our non-cyclist readers, there are few things more frustrating than riding uphill into the wind. Not only does it physically wear down the legs, but it is also mentally fatiguing as you feel like you should be going much faster than you are. We fought through the wind nevertheless and made it to Winnemucca at the pleasingly early hour of 10:15am. We scoped out the town's main street and located a small cafe where we sat down for some breakfast and a cup of coffee. As we finished our food and were calling around for the cheapest motel in town, we noticed crowds gathering outside on the side of the street. Our waitress informed us that it was Winnemucca's Labor Day parade. We were torn between the parade and a shower and change of clothes, and eventually the shower won out. We figured that we weren't missing too much as we'd already seen what we assumed was the major tractor contingent of the parade on our way into town.

After a nap and some down time, we biked around town and scoped out the local bike shop where we talked to the owner who told us about some of the terrain for our riding days ahead. On our tour of town we noticed there was a movie theater and decided to catch a showing of The Expendables at 5:30pm. For those not familiar with the film, it includes a cast stocked with nearly every action movie star from the past decade. In between scenes of everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) blowing up, shockingly ridiculous and completely unrelated subplots were inserted. Esteemed California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger even made a cameo (doesn't California have a budget crisis or something?) We left the theater debating whether or not this was the worst movie we had ever seen, though at least we were entertained by 100 minutes of explosions. We now retire to bed in the Winners casino and motel, eager for another day closer to California and for our arrival in San Francisco one week from tomorrow.

Thanks for reading,

Max and Colin