Day 10: Lahontan to Middlegate, NV (Puja)

Hi blog! Today we woke up around 6am to Adam cooking some scrambled eggs which we scarfed down with some delicious scones from Sierra Camp! 😋 After putting some air in my bike and grabbing a spare tube, we were off. Nancy sped off and I tailed her (Adam calls me the draft demon lol).

We made a quick pit stop at a gas station where we got ice and water. By this time, Danny had packed up the van and pulled over in front of us to offer us water. But we were having too much fun so we sped past them and continued on our journey. Along the way, Nancy saw a large hill of dirt and wanted to test her BMX skills again and luckily she didn’t die this time either. Then we climbed a lil hill and met the van at the top where I created my first wilderness poop of the trip. Then Nancy bombed it down a fun descent and I tried to copy her technique but she was too fast so I caught up to her at the bottom. 

We arrived at Middlegate Station (which has a population of ~17!) in the early afternoon and got food, water, ice, and A/C at the Middlegate Station Bar. Matthew ordered a Monster Challenge Burger which, in order to win the highly coveted and exceptionally exclusive Middlegate Station burger eater t-shirt, he had to finish without getting up from the table or throwing up.

He destroyed it in 40 minutes. Nancy also decided to face the monster, and she put up a good fight and defeated the burger, but unfortunately not the fries :( Daniel vanquished his monster burger at the last second before they closed the bar. Nancy then invited Sasha, Fenet, and I for a short bike ride to see the sunset which we later discovered was just a 30 second ride because she just wanted to ride in her iconic blue crocs. Jk — it was a beautiful sunset and a great day overall, although the digestive systems of Matthew, Nancy, and Daniel may not agree…

Bonus Material: here is ranked list of some of the spokes-related things I enjoy and things I do not enjoy

1. drafting nancy

2. pretty descents

3. apple sauce

4. maltodextrin

5. pooping in the wilderness

6. getting soaked by sprinklers at 5:55am

Day 9: Carson City to Lahontan, NV (Daniel)

Today, we woke up in Joan’s cottage and had a great breakfast she made for us with eggs, watermelon, english muffins, and orange juice. We heard many stories from her, and are so grateful for her hospitality. Then, we got off to biking and made our way through the desert. Once we got out of Carson City, we went on a long straight road over rolling hills to make it here.

While Puja and I were resting, Matthew got a flat tire, so we turned around to help him and got it fixed!

Once we made it to the campsite for the night, we were greeted by a nice river and a spot for our van.

After we got setup, we all went to the lake and swam around in the refreshing water. Puja and I destroyed Adam and Matthew at a game of chicken, then Nancy and Puja defeated Matthew and Sasha in the next round.

(lake pics coming soon!)

Finally, we ate yummy pasta and sausage, and settled in for the night.

Day 8: STANFORD SIERRA CAMP TO CARSON CITY (FENET)

We woke up in the Angora room this morning on our last day at Sierra Camp. Then we had an incredible breakfast because Sierra Camp has the best food ever. The guacamole was heaven on earth, green all around, ever so tasty with those classic tortilla chips. HMMMM, thinking about it now makes my stomach growl.

Anyways, we started rolling on our bikes around lunch time and Nancy drove the van, which I think was her first time. Go Nancy!

Beforehand, Adam kept raving about the fact that our elevation would end up being -3000 feet. BUT…we started with a deceivingly relaxing downhill then hit a massive uphill (it took the breath out of me). Though, it was still not a totally exhausting day compared to last Saturday.

At some point, we reached the state line between California and Nevada and there were literally casinos right there where Nevada began! Nevada definitely lives up to its image.

Nancy refueled me multiple times along the road with water and snacks—she’s a reaaaal one.

A little bit later and we reached the state capitol in Carson City, but we didn’t get to see very much of it. However, our Warm Showers host tonight was super sweet and cooked us a delicious dinner. We all heard stories about politics and Europe and horses. What a conversation! She even showed us her own personal library. With a sliding ladder. Next to a room built in 1851. So I am glad we found a nice, cozy place to stay for the night and I am looking forward to tomorrow’s ride!

Day 7: Stanford Sierra Camp Rest Day (Sasha)

WELCOME TO DAY 7

TODAY was a rest day at Sierra Camp and wow was it a beautiful one. The food at Sierra Camp was phenomenal and the pictures I will attach will hopefully prove that! The yogurt bowls with fresh berries and waffles and lunch and dinners were 100x better than the dining hall.

Then, after Puja and I ate breakfast, we played ping pong and got very good while Matthew was taking a meeting outside our beautiful cabin balcony that is right next to the lake. Then I went down to the ski dock to see my friend (shoutout Eva Lacy) and instead, found Adam👎

Jk- adam and I had a great time because our ski dock friends took us on a boat ride around the lake while they jetskiied which was so fun and here is a picture of that beautiful morning.

Then while Adam and I were studying in the Tallac Room, Puja and Nancy and Matthew were having a YGA meeting and then we had lunch which was phenomenal where we ate scones and berries. Then Puja, Nancy and I went on a long hike to Angora Lake which was beautiful but very uphill (talk about a rest day).

Finally we came back, had dinner with all 7 of us while we laughed at the fact that Daniel has never heard of Girl Meets World! We ended the day with a beautiful boat ride under the stars.

Sierra Camp- you were so good to us

Living the dream,

Sasha

Day 6: Stanford Sierra Camp Teaching Day (Matthew)

Today, we woke up in the middle of a Tahoe paradise. For the first time in our journey, we did not need to immediately rise at the sounds of alarms to mount our bike saddles. Instead, we slowly rose to eat Sierra Camp’s AMAZING breakfast. Fresh berries, eggs, and cereal came and went as fast as I could scarf them down. Yesterday’s climb was brutal, but today we were living in luxury at Stanford Sierra Camp (SSC). 

Sasha and Fenet quickly left breakfast to begin prepping for their teaching sites. They each were teaching groups of campers from 5-8 years old respectively, and yes, they were quite rambunctious. Sasha led a lesson combining ice cream and neuroscience, while Fenet created oobleck slime to illustrate chemical reactions. These were perfect lessons for the little ones.

While Sasha and Fenet were hard at work, I may or may not have been watching my friend absolutely rip it on the waterski. Being out on the water at Fallen Leaf Lake was unreal. The feeling of accomplishment of being on a motorboat atop a mountain range I climbed on bike was infectious - I hope to get more feelings like that over the course of my life.

After a delicious lunch, Puja and I led our lessons with the 9-12 year olds. Puja led an awesome lesson about emergency medicine, tourniquets, and severe bleeding management. I taught using our YGA Twin Science kits, where I was able to make awesome robotic electric cars to teach about sustainability. Both went super well!

We ended the night with dinner and firepit chatting. Overall great first rest day. Cannot wait for more days like this to come!

Day 5: Pollock Pines to Stanford Sierra Camp (Nancy)

All I can say is that today ranks among my 5 most insane rides of all time. 

Going in, I knew this would be a crazy difficult day–80 miles and 9k feet of climbing when our previous days had been 40-70 miles and 5k feet of climbing at most. Many of us were also exhausted from the 5k feet of climbing from Day 4. The route consisted of a short climb and descent, a giant climb on the Mormon Emigrant Trail and the 88, and then a turn onto the 89 that would take us into South Lake Tahoe and finally Sierra Camp. 

Last night, we’d camped in Pollock Pines. In usual Nancy fashion, I’d proposed a 5:30am wakeup time; we agreed on 6:30am; and when I woke up and checked my phone, it was 7:22am. Between cooking breakfast on the camp stove, hauling a 58 pound water container to the water station and back, and fighting for my life in the porta potties, Matthew, Adam, Daniel and I didn’t start riding until 9:30am.

After a short climb and descent, we began the big boy – a 27.9 mile, 5400 foot climb. The Mormon Emigrant Trail had stunning views and not many cars–I honestly had a great time. Adam chatted it up with another rider on the road, who apparently lived at the bottom of this climb and rode it daily. According to Adam, the guy was casually chit chatting while Adam was trying to not die going up those hills.

We stopped for lunch shortly before turning on to the 88, at which point Puja and Fenet joined us. The 88 had some killer vista points. There was even a viewing station over the Caples Lake Dam, which I of course had to stop and explore. About 10 miles into the afternoon, we descended into a valley that didn’t see much sun. The temperature suddenly dropped from a comfortable 60 degrees to 43 degrees–rather alarming, considering we were in summer clothing. But as I climbed the next hill, the temperature rose to the mid 50s, and I figured all would be well. 

Guys: all was not well. After that hill, the temperature dropped to 39 degrees and did not go up. It started SNOWING. And then it came time to descend the mountain. I have been caught in sketchy situations before–20 degrees, can’t feel my fingers or toes, and they didn’t stop hurting til the next day. But never have I ever been caught in freezing weather in SUMMER CLOTHING descending a mountain at 49 MILES PER HOUR. My hands were frozen stiff and I could barely squeeze the brakes. I could feel the wind sucking away every ounce of my body heat. I clung on to my handlebars for dear life and (perhaps foolishly) pedaled harder to generate some body heat. 

I somehow made it out of that descent in one piece, made it to where the sun was shining, and passed by Sasha driving the van with Puja and Adam to go back and check on Fenet. Daniel, Matthew, and I turned onto the 89 and pushed onwards to our next climb. We then turned off the 89 and descended a steep, winding single-lane road into Christmas Valley where, once again, the sun didn’t shine. Once again, I froze. Daniel had the foresight to grab his puffer; I didn’t, so I rode with my hands in my armpits for 15 minutes. 

After a quick pit stop in Meyers, there was one more climb, and then I just followed the twisty turny bumpy Fallen Leaf Road into Sierra Camp. The staff welcomed us with open arms and we ate half of the staff lounge’s fridge. They were even kind enough to let us sleep in one of their event rooms so we wouldn’t have to pitch our tents in the 30 degree weather outside. 
All in all, one of my most memorable rides. Mormon Emigrant Trail was stunning–I’d like to revisit it one day.

Day 4: Sacramento to Pollock Pines (Puja)

Hi blog! The first half of our ride today was pretty chill—Matthew drove the van and everyone else rode their bicycles. Sasha took a little fall and scraped her knee, and I did first aid for her when we stopped for lunch. Fun fact: Sasha has trypophobia and doesn’t enjoy the sight of blood. My next patient was Adam who also took a fall and scraped his elbow. We had turkey sandwiches and mango nectar for lunch, and then Nancy, Daniel, Matty, and I began climbing towards Pollock Pines.

The initial climbs (including a 12%) were fully in the sun so we got toasty pretty fast and stopped at a gas station to get ice water. They had free slushie Friday as well. We also stopped for frozen yogurt where Matthew tried to sample the chocolate but it came out really fast and he didn’t know how to close the valve so a large amount escaped. At the froyo stop, I collected my airpods from the van which made climbing much more enjoyable. Along the way we stumbled across a bike park where Nancy almost died on a treacherous BMX course. Jk, she seemed like a pro except for the "I’m scared… come pick me up 🥺.”

5000 feet later, we arrived at a gorgeous campsite in the redwoods where Sasha was cooking up a scrumptious dinner of chicken sausage and tomato pasta. Adam and I climbed on top of the van so he could show me how to secure the overhead bins with ratchets and how to use net for the cargo bag that carries all of our sleeping stuff (and the meat log). I shared a tent with Sasha and Nancy and we yapped about Nancy’s love life, being sore from biking, and ferrets.

Bonus material: here are my first impressions of our team from week one!

• Sasha: full of life, she is super fun to be around and always there for me when I crash out :)

• Daniel: millennial energy but very, very kind (ty for always letting me draft you <3)

• Nancy: strong af on the bike (but also just a girl), lowk carries our team in terms of bike maintenance 🫶

• Adam: route goat, very poetic, super considerate, and makes sure we get out the door in the mornings

• Fenet: she has quite the talent for lighting up the room and bringing us joy, even when we are super tired!

• Matthew: the giant, an absolute machine on climbs and flats, TDF doesn’t know what’s coming…

Day 3: Vallejo to Sacramento (Daniel)

Welcome to the day 3 blog! Today we woke up in Vallejo after our amazing boat ride last night and got to packing up and getting ready to go. However, just as we were about to depart, I spotted a flat tire on the van and we found the nail in the treads.

Luckily, the gracious host had a tire patch kit and a pump so we patched the tire and went to the nearest tire shop to get it checked out. The tire shop had popcorn which was a great snack in this stressful time and the drivers waited to get the car serviced while the rest of us began the ride. Today’s route was interesting, with two moderate climbs near the beginning and then a flatter ride the rest of the way. We powered through, and near the end of the climb we heard the tire was re-patched and the shop also checked the other tires for us, all for free! Soon after the climbs, we all met for lunch in Vacaville and finished off the sandwiches from yesterday. We talked about how nice it would be to be able to eat the grass we sat on, but also how it would probably be all gone if we could.

After lunch, we set out on the central valley, and got to practice our drafting abilities with the higher speeds. We stopped for some bike adjustments and Puja tried to catch dinner!

After a long series of flat roads and farms, we arrived at Davis, where we happened to find a fountain on the UC Davis campus and went in!! 

The fountain cooled us off and we stopped again at the van to fill our waters. Finally, we rode the causeway into Sacramento and took pictures at the capital. 

Post pictures, we went to the warmshowers, where the host made us chili, salad, and dessert! Now we are winding down and figuring out logistics for the next couple days of climbing…