Technical Difficulties

I apologize again for the lack of posting. I was bound and determined to post again yesterday, but thanks to an accident involving another intern, a mini bus, and my backpack I no longer have a functioning laptop. I am able to post from my phone, but it can be difficult to type on and I can only upload pictures taken from my phone. This means that as before the quantity and quality of my posts will be disappointing, but I encourage you to check the ride website www.s2ssbikeride.org for updates on what we've been up to. I believe the website has a link to a Flickr site with lots of pictures from the ride as well.

Nevada: The Land of Casinos and Desert

I apologize for the lack of posting this past week, I don't think I've even taken my laptop of my backpack since the last time I posted. We're currently in Colorado so writing about Nevada is a little late, but I figure better late than never. We were in Nevada for what seemed like forever because of the never ending desert. It was cool at first because I'd never really been to a desert before, but after over a week of nothing but desert followed by small town after small town I had had enough of Nevada. It's amazing being in such a desolate area. Many times I would stop to set up a water stop for the riders and there would be nothing and no one around me. It's really quite haunting to be in the middle of nowhere by yourself with no sound besides the wind. Since Nevada we've been through Utah, which is comprised of slightly less desert, and arrived in Colorado yesterday. It's so nice to be in a more mountainous area that has grass and rivers! Today our ride was short so during the afternoon several of the staff and riders when for a swim in White River. It was very refreshing to be in fresh water again with beautiful, lush scenery around us. I'm excited to be in Colorado, and there's many fun things in store for us here.

There's such little life in Nevada you can lay in the middle of the road without worrying about traffic

Lots of open, bleak country

 

No I definitely do not take pictures while I'm driving

The bus I drive most of the time

In Fallon, NV we visited a 9/11 memorial that had a piece of steel from the twin towers wreckage

More open, bleak country

In Ely, NV the local State Farm agent treated us to a spaghetti lunch followed

by a ride on a coal powered train

On an off day intern Parker and I went for an adventurous ride up a dirt and gravel road

to Success Summit in Cave Lake State Park

 Finally a new state!

Cliff Jumping!!!

One thing I failed to mentioned earlier about our time spent at Kit Carson Lodge on Silver Lake was that I jumped off a cliff. I just now got the video from one of the riders so I wanted everyone to see that I did it and that I survived. The cliff was probably about 25 feet high so it was a little scary, but I love heights and crazy things like that so I thought it was great!

The People You Meet Along the Way

One thing I was excited for about this trip and have definitely enjoyed so far is the random people that I have met along the way. Almost daily I have a conversation with a stranger about a variety of different things. I find it so interesting to meet new people and hear their stories. It’s eye opening to learn about the interesting things people do with their lives or just in general how different their life is from mine.

On one of the first days of the trip I had the opportunity to meet Don, World War II veteran who had been awarded a Purple Heart, and his wife Jeanie. They owned a farm that we stopped on for lunch one day, and Don really seemed to take a liking to me…but in a way I don’t think Jeanie appreciated.

A few days ago I was setting up a water stop for the riders when an older man named Dave pulled over and we began talking. He was acting as support for his girlfriend Cecilia and friend Bob who were on a cross country bike ride very similar to ours. Dave was quite chatty and told me all about how his wife (a nurse) died of cancer in 2007, he met his girlfriend Cecilia (also a nurse) on eharmony, and all the adventurous things she has done like climbing Machu Picchu and Mount Kilimanjaro.

The other night I was a bar playing pool with another one of the interns and a very friendly girl named Bonnie Jean waved me over to her table. We introduced ourselves and she gave me a big hug. We spent time together on and off for the rest of the evening dancing; we danced the cupid shuffle, and I even braided her hair. In the little time I spent with her I saw she had an amazing heart and just wanted to be loved, but it didn’t know real love and was looking for it in all the wrong places. I did my best in the couple hours I was with her to show her God’s love through my actions. I’m sure I will never see her again, but I hope that somehow I had a positive impact on her life that night.

The most interesting story of all the people I’ve met comes from a British lad named Tom. We met Tom a few days ago on our way to Austin, NV. He just turned 23 and is nine months into biking around the world. He graduated from college last spring and began his cycling journey from England in September. He has already biked across Europe and Asia. He’s working his way across the United States right now, and in August he will fly to Ghana. From there he’ll bike through western Africa, up through Morocco and Spain, all the way back home. Our group adopted him for a few days as he rode with us, ate with us, and even stayed in one of the rider’s hotel rooms. What’s most cool about Tom’s ride is that he’s doing it for a charity called WaterAid. If you’d like to learn more about Tom’s journey, or donate to his cause you can visit http://www.aroundtheworldforwater.co.uk/.

Tom, with riders Larry and Greg

A Different Side of California

Normally when I think of California I think of LA or San Francisco or wine country. This past weekend I got a chance to see a beautiful part of California that I wasn't really aware of. Being a native of the Great Lake State I am partial to lakes versus oceans so I loved getting to see a couple of California's lakes. Also, it goes to show how diverse the landscape of the United States is, even within the same state!

On Thursday night we stayed at a place called Kit Carson Lodge located on Silver Lake near Kirkwood, CA. The lodge is owned by a couple from Arizona and they opened up early for the season just for us. The lake was gorgeous and I was able to go kayaking on it and even went for a little bit of a swim. It was so nice to have the opportunity to be outdoors and enjoy God's creation. We all had a great time hanging out with the staff of the lodge over a big bonfire during the evening. In the morning we were sad to leave, but something just as good was waiting for us at South Lake Tahoe.

The beach at Kit Carson Lodge on Silver Lake

The lake is called Silver Lake because of the way the light of the moon reflects off the granite,

making the lake look silver

 Friday was another beautiful ride with a lot of downhill and flats, providing relief to the riders. In the afternoon we settled into our cabins at Camp Richardson on Lake Tahoe where, for the first time since San Francisco, we would stay for more than one night. Saturday was a much needed day off for staff and riders. I spent my morning laying out on the beach, and in the afternoon we were treated to a boat tour of Lake Tahoe. The tour guide was pretty annoying, but we enjoyed socializing and taking in the beauty of our surroundings. I was very surprised at how clear both Silver Lake and Lake Tahoe were, it's very refreshing to see non-polluted water.

 View of Lake Tahoe from the beach at Camp Richardson

Boat tour of Lake Tahoe

I apologize for the limited posting lately, it is a result not only of being exhausted at night, but wifi and cell phone service have been limited over the past several days. After lots of lakes and mountains, up next is the desert of Nevada. We are currently in Fallon, NV and I hope to post more soon, but tomorrow we are headed to Austin, NV where there will not be any internet or cell phone service.

And they're off...

The ride has officially started and so I have had little time or energy to post at the end of the day, but I at least wanted to get a few pictures up. On Monday the riders took from San Francisco, starting at the Golden Gate Bridge and rode to Petaluma, CA. On Tuesday they rode to Fairfield, CA, and today to Jackson, CA. So far things have gone fairly smooth, but as we started to head into higher elevation today things became more challenging for the riders and staff more than just physically. We will continue to work out the kinks, but as a whole the experience has been awesome so far. I have never been to California before, and although I've been to plenty of places much more beautiful it is cool to see a new part of the country. My primary responsibility so far has been to drive a mini bus that helps to lead the riders and pick them up if they are not able to finish the days ride.

Golden Gate Bridge on the morning we left

Most of the riders and staff with the managers of Fresh and Easy. They gladly allowed us to set up our lunch stop in their parking lot on Tuesday, and even donated a couple carts full of groceries. It is awesome to see people's generosity when they hear about what we're doing! Today at lunch we set up at a winery and they gave us a bunch of fresh cherries and a few cases of wine. 

The past couple days we've been driving through California wine country 

Some of the riders resting at a water stop along today's route which ended in a pretty long climb

My First Ride

Yesterday I went for my first ever ride on a road bike. The night before I was talking with one of the riders and he invited me along on his morning ride. I didn't take him very seriously, but then later that night he showed up at my hotel room with one of the spare bikes for me to ride the next morning. It was only about a seven mile ride from our hotel to AT&T Park and back, but it was a lot of fun. It was also a chance for me to build confidence on a road bike so that hopefully I can do a leg or two of the ride. Ever since I did my first triathlon a few years ago using a mountain bike, I have been saying that as soon as I can afford a road bike I'm going to buy one so that I can start riding and doing triathlons more often. Riding yesterday morning definitely solidified in my mind that I am going to buy a road bike as soon as I can.

We rode along the pier that runs between AT&T Park (San Francisco Giants) and the bay,

where you can see straight into the outfield

Wheel Dip Ceremony

A tradition for cross country bike rides is for riders to dip the rear wheel of their bikes in the Pacific Ocean when the ride begins, and their front wheel in the Atlantic Ocean at the end of the ride. Although our wheel dip ceremony had been originally planned for Sunday, we were forced to move it to Saturday due to celebrations for the 75th anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge taking place that day. So yesterday afternoon the riders loaded up on their bikes and rode the few miles from our hotel to a beach near the Golden Gate Bridge. It was fun watching the riders bring their bikes up to the ocean to dip their rear wheel in, symbolizing the beginning of the long journey ahead. Afterwards we returned to the hotel for dinner and watched the documentary Two Shining Seas, which tells the story of the 2010 Sea to Shining Sea ride. It was a very emotional film that detailed how many of the riders became disabled and the struggles they've been through since. The film also did an excellent job of displaying the spirit of both the riders and the American people who they met along the way. Seeing the film helped give me a better idea of what's ahead, but it's difficult to wrap my mind around everything that is to come in the next two months. I just hope that I don't become too overwhelmed, and am able to fully absorb every precious moment of this amazing opportunity.

Getting to Know the Riders

Now that all the riders have arrived in San Francisco we've been begun to develop relationships and create team chemistry. This is very important for us a group because that trust and camaraderie will help carry both the riders and support staff through the difficult journey ahead. Among the sixteen riders, there are two blind riders who will ride tandem bikes with a "pilot." Other disabilities include missing limbs, paraplegia, TBI (traumatic brain injury), PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder), and cancer. Many of the riders are retired from the military, but some are still in active duty and all five branches of the military are represented.

I had the privilege of getting to know one of the riders over dinner the other night. He is a retired Marine who served four tours in Okinawa and one in Iraq. He retired after his tour in Iraq, but struggled with mental illnesses that haunted him and made it very difficult to sleep. As a result he turned to alcohol because it was the only way he could sleep at night. Eventually he hit rock bottom and admitted himself into a VA hospital for rehab. Once he got out, a friend bought him everything he needed to start cycling and forced him to start riding. Ultimately cycling came to take the place of alcoholism in his life, and he has found freedom and rest in riding every day. Hearing his story opened my eyes to what so many veterans go through on a daily basis as a result of their time in the service. I'm excited to get to know all of the riders on a more personal basis and hear their stories.

Vietnam vet, Bill, is an amputee who will be riding a hand cycle along the route

Sightseeing

So far we've had a surprising amount of free time in the afternoons and evenings. Our hotel is located in the Fisherman's Wharf area so a lot of that time has been spent wandering through the streets filled with tourist traps. Despite being so touristy it was still cool to see something new and to be right on the water. I have already visited the famous sea lions a couple times.

Pier 39 at dusk

Sea lions at Pier 39 who are apparently celebrating their 22nd anniversary...whatever that means

Off to San Francisco

On Wednesday I left from Grand Rapids and flew to San Francisco to begin this awesome journey. We were only allowed to bring a carry on suitcase and a backpack so I had to be very selective in what I brought along. I've never packed so efficiently in my life!