Day 12: Gravel Roads

Well the 73 mile day started off well, as I forged onto Salina, UT by my lone self, hand written directions in hand. The scenery started to green up and the air smelled fresh again. Enjoying the ride, not getting lost.

Then I got on the frontage road of I-15 after about 32 miles and it looked promising. Not a car in sight (minus the ones using I-15), a nice red pavement, and clear skies. Well that all lasted about another 2 miles...and then the frontage road turned into a gravel road, which a road bike is definitely not suited to ride on. So I unclipped and walked for awhile in hopes that the pavement would return, and to my likings it did about a mile later. BUT, that only lasted for about a 1/2 mile. Then I was walking again...for the next 7ish miles. Huge bummer. So that ate up about 2 hours. Not to mention, not only did the frontage road turn into gravel, but it also had some random, completely unnecessary, ridiculous hills. Not easy or fun to walk up in bike shoes and with a bike. But I made it, met some of the guys for lunch, and got back on good old U.S. Route 50 East for the last 30 miles.

The gravel frontage road...

During the last 30 miles, we got waved down by some Highway Patrol Officers because of some insane oversized load trucks. We were all wondering what they could be carrying that the police were literally stopping traffic. We were all shocked as two trucks carrying some random machine parts drove by legitimately taking up both lanes. I have never in my life seen any oversized load that big.

Waiting for the trucks to pass.

Shockingly Gigantic.

Once we got into town, we were pleasantly surprised by a complimentary stay at the very friendly Friendship Inn. Then we ate some dinner at Famous Mom's Cafe in town. If you are ever in Salina, UT, you HAVE to go to Mom's Cafe and get a scone, it's a must. And you have to use the honey butter. It really was to die for. SO good.

We have a long, tough day ahead of us tomorrow, as we're squeezing two days of riding into one, so we can take a trip to the Grand Canyon and still stay on schedule and not skip out on any of the biking on our route. So with that, we're off to Green River, UT tomorrow!

Day 11: Goodbye Nevada, Hello Utah

As soon as we started our 82 mile trip this morning we said goodbye to Nevada and crossed into our 3rd state, Utah, and the Mountain Time Zone. But Utah didn't give us much today scenery wise, besides salt flats and more desert. So it was a long ride of not much to look at and about 102 degrees. Fortunately, conversation made up for that as Mike and I tagged up with the Push America team again after we all had to rack our bikes up for a couple of miles through construction. I can't even begin to explain the benefits of riding with a bigger group. For one, you get to take turns baring the brunt of the work (pulling) and for the rest of the time you get to draft off of the people in front of you, which really, really helps. And then of course, meeting more people, talking about our causes, and pretty much just having a great time.

The Push America guys started sporting FACE AIDS pins today on their jerseys. It works really well with our "How do you wear your pin?" campaign, so of course we took a few pictures to post. The "How do you wear your pin?" campaign is photography based, capturing how different groups of people support FACE AIDS and literally how they display their FACE AIDS pin. I think it's pretty cool another group of cross-country bikers have taken up our cause as well and show off FACE AIDS pins while riding.

We finally got to Delta after a long day on the road. We are lucky enough to have a gym to sleep in tonight and will head out again in the morning with Salina, UT in mind.

Other news...

It's Mike's 21st birthday!

Shane is feeling well enough to meet back up with us tomorrow!

AND (not so exciting) I feel like the tinman, and someone needs to oil my knees!

Day 10: The Border Inn

Got up from another KOA camp this morning in Ely to start the trek to Baker, NV. As I was eating my oatmeal, compliments of Sanford, we watched the Push America team ride by, unfortunately about 30 minutes too early to join their groups again, BUMMER. It's really nice to ride with a bigger group and talk with other biking groups about what they're doing and why they're doing it.

We had a 62 mile ride today with some unexpected summits and headwind. Wind is definitely my worst enemy. I also got my first flat. Major bummer. That adds a big chunk of time onto the day, since I'm pretty much at a loss how to change it. It's not that I don't know how to change it, it's that it is physically hard for me to change it. First, you have to take the tire off the rim, which is definitely the trickiest part. Then you have to pull the flat tube out, take the whole tire off the bike, put a new tube in, pump that one up about 1/2 way, and then get the tire back onto the rim. Then you can put the whole thing back on the bike. Finally, you get to pump your new tire back up to the proper pound per square inch (psi). That may be the most exhausting part, and nearly impossible with a hand pump. Yikes. After about 30 minutes of struggling, I was ready to go, with my first solo flat tire repair under my belt.

Doesn't the cloud look like the U.S.?

After the ride, we had a lot of time to kill so Mike and I went to The Lehman Caves in town, while the rest of the group chilled out at the campsite. We took a tour with Ranger Steve for about an hour through the caverns. It was soooooo cool. He filled the time with a lot of history and geological information about the caves, all of which was very interesting. Little towns in the middle of nowhere have big treasures, I'm glad we're getting to pass through some of these little wonders.

Ranger Steve.

Tonight, we're camping at the Border Inn tent site. I met an amazing couple at the campsite, Hank and Bobbie, and talked with them about the ride for a while. They were very lively and knew a lot about biking and representing a cause. They were very avid bikers back in the day and had done their fair share of campaigns and events for organizations, particularly in the cancer realm. They were very enthusiastic and supportive of the ride, constantly reiterating how impressed they were with the feat and the mission of the ride and FACE AIDS as a group. Meeting people like this is another amazing aspect of the trip.

We are straddling Nevada and Utah, and will say goodbye to Nevada tomorrow, as we head into Utah for the next few rides.

Day 9: Roadtrip

We hit the road this morning after our two day retreat in Reno. We picked up Shane's bike from The Bike Shop on our way out. The helpful staff at the shop carefully looked over Shane's bike to make sure it was still in good riding condition, and once again he was lucky, and it's good to go. So we began our 319 mile trip knowing we had about 5 or 6 hours of driving ahead of us.

It's really bizarre to drive back on the roads we biked. It actually makes me wonder how we did it. The roads seem really intimidating when you're in the passenger seat imagining biking the same route. But somehow, someway, we continue to trek on and amaze ourselves as we look back at the end of each day.

We took the opportunity to stop and take some pictures that we didn't have the chance to snap yesterday, and through Austin and Eureka, where we were unable to spend time. While none of us ideally wanted to be in the car all day, I think we all had a pretty good time and made the best of it. First off, we found probably the best radio station of all time, 95.5 Magic. Every song was better than the last. We also had a lot of time to talk, laugh, and get to know each other a little better, which was really, really enjoyable. And of course, some naptime.

Claire and I being safe and legal at the Sand Mound Recreation Area.

Stokes Castle in Austin, NV.

The Eureka Opera House.

A little antique sign in Eureka.

Us on the Ghost Train train tracks just outside of Ely.

We're camping at another KOA campground tonight and will hit the road in the morning with Baker, NV in mind. It'll be great to get back on the bike.

Day 8: Reno 911

Well, we had to take a little detour after yesterday's ride and ended up in Reno, NV. While I had a great day yesterday it unfortunately didn't end well for Shane. About a mile outside of town, Shane got hit by a car. Before I go on, he's okay and will definitely recover. So you can take a breath, I'm not going to hold you in suspense.

Fortunately, Claire was close behind Shane and was able to stay with him throughout most of the time in transit to the hospital. We then regrouped and headed to Reno, as that was where Shane was headed since they had a trauma center and the medical crew wanted to be cautious. They did all the necessary tests and checks. No broken bones, luckily just some bad deep tissue bruises. He got all cleared and will hopefully be good to go and back on the bike in about 10 days.

Shane was really lucky his injuries were minimal after the accident. He was riding properly, in the shoulder and abiding by bike laws, which was confirmed by passerbys. This just goes to show that accidents happen and we reallllllly have to be careful and alert. So if you see bikers while you're driving, please slow down, give them some space, and respect what they're doing.

So we spent last night, today, and tonight in Reno and will make up our lost day tomorrow in the car, adapting to the situation as best as we can. That way, we can stay on schedule. Luckily, we have had amazing hosts the past few days, especially on such short notice. They really have taken us in and been more than accommodating, welcoming Shane's mom and two FACE AIDS' board members into their home as well.

We spent all day with board members Brenda Freiberg and Jonny Dorsey, which was really amazing. Brenda and Jonny filled our day with stories, help, advice, and support. Brenda is an amazing woman, with an amazing story who has been involved in AIDS work for over 25 years. She has been around since the beginning and was very inspiring. She let us pick her brain for hours on end, which was really a great opportunity since she has so much experience. It was also quite an honor to be able to spend so much time with Jonny Dorsey, one of the co-founders of FACE AIDS. It is pretty powerful to hear the story of FACE AIDS from one of the three individuals who started the FACE AIDS movement. We spent a good chunk of time having a semi-heated discussion about international vs. domestic focus of NGO's (non-governmental organizations). I'm no stranger to this debate, as the most common question I get after explaining my interests and majors in Anthropology and International (African) Studies to people, is "Why don't you focus on these types of issues and problems in the U.S.?" I obviously won't get into that now, it would take a million years to try to explain that in this type of setting, but we definitely had a good chat between the 9 or 10 of us.

The riders with Brenda and Jonny.

We got to see a little bit of downtown Reno and check out the University of Nevada Reno's campus while we drove by. I know this was a great misfortune, the whole accident and all, but as our host said, "Misfortune brings fortune as we all are able to gather together." If we're going to look on the bright side of such a gloomy incident, it is true that we had the chance to meet another group of very, very, very wonderful people.

So tomorrow we'll be off to get back on track in Ely, NV and stay on schedule from there (cross your fingers).

Day 7: The Loneliest Road in America

First off, Happy Father's Day!

Now on to the day's events...

Today we logged 113 miles! WOW. And it was all on ONE road. Not to mention, there were some serious mind tricks being made with mirages. Talk about fake-outs. That was my first time ever biking 100 miles plus. We biked from Fallon, NV to Austin, NV on The Loneliest Road in America. We got an early start to the day to give us plenty of time to cover the mileage. I actually really, really enjoyed today, even though it was so remote. We were literally in the middle of nowhere with nothing or no one around. It was kinda peaceful and liberating to be cruising down the road with nothing else to worry about. The scenery, although very different from the mountains we've seen already, was still very astounding.

The day before I left to go to Stanford, I ran into Shane, a friend from high school, who did a similar bike trip last summer. I asked him if he had any tips for me, and he said, "Enjoy everyday." Austin and Dave, last year's FACE AIDS' riders, also had similar advice. They said their motto for last year was if you had an inclination to do something, do it. I've been following both of these tips and I think it has already improved my experience immensely.

Following these mottos, I made a couple pitstops today. First, I stopped by some cows. Now, I've seen my fair share of cows, but for some reason they still intrigue me. I think they were just as interested in me, as they all stopped what they were doing and stared at me. Then they cautiously proceeded to come to the gate, until they seemed to be competing for my attention.

Then, I decided to stop and write RIDE AGAINST AIDS 2010 in rocks on the side of the rode. That seemed like the cool thing to do for about 20 or 30 miles, as the stretch sported an unbelievable assortment of names and designs on the sand. Mike stopped and joined me when he passed by, and I have to say, it was a blast and I couldn't be happier that I followed my inkling.

At about mile 50, another opportunity came up as we passed the infamous shoe tree. This tree is literally in the middle of nowhere, and has thousands of shoes hanging from it. There is also a pit of shoes underneath it. The most random shoes were hanging from the limbs and scattered on the ground. We saw combat boots, bowling shoes, and wading boots just to name a few. I think there were even some rollerblades.

Then we stopped for some much needed lunch and hit the second half hard. We were getting after it, and I put my right earbud in for a bit, rocking out to the newly made playlist. Then, we ran into another big group of bikers...turns out it was the same group Shane (the same friend mentioned above) rode with last year! What are the odds?! So I ended up riding with 3 of the guys, which was a great way to finish the last 50 miles since I had been by myself for awhile. They are riding to Washington D.C., in conjunction with their fraternity, Pi Kappa Phi and its annual Journey of Hope, Push America.

I also saw a bunch of lizards today - if nothing else made my day, they did scampering across the street.

Today was a blast, and I couldn't be happier. Literally loving life, laughing, and seizing every opportunity that presents itself.

Day 6: Rest and Relaxation

Some of today was pretty relaxing, hanging around the church and walking around town. I took another trip down to the post office and got some pretty weird looks as I strolled by in my tie-dye shirt. We explored a little bit, rummaging through a thrift store and a used book store. I think I found some treasures for a bargain: a can opener for 50 cents and a sudoku book for another 50 cents.

The rest of the day, well really all day, was spent debating, researching, and planning. We finally compromised, and somehow found a middle ground, fitting all of our opinions, wants, and needs into a new route. It is really hard to get seven people on the same page and make everyone happy. But in the end, I think the discussions and research led to a good middle ground that left everyone pretty content and excited for the rest of the summer's stops. By doing this, the ride will be completely different from last year, and we hope to set up more presentations and housing with some familiar faces. This is all a learning experience, and we hope we'll all gain a tremendous amount from everything we encounter. Our new route is finalized, finally, and is posted above and on the FACE AIDS' Ride Against AIDS blog. So check it out and see if we'll be passing by!

We were also able to meet a few more people from the church, including the pastor who filled us in on what to expect on our trek to Austin, NV tomorrow. It should be an interesting, but isolated ride at the same time. I think the ipod is going to get busted out tomorrow to keep me occupied on the 113 mile stretch, The Loneliest Road in America playlist.

The people we've met around the church have been wonderfully helpful and welcoming. Two ladies at the church, Laura and Donna, have taken great care of us the past two days. We've been provided with hot meals, hot showers, and open arms. The church is pretty familiar with groups like ours as they have also hosted other biking groups throughout the years, such as Bike to Build which is associated with Habitat for Humanity.

Unfortunately, we didn't make it to Grimes Point or a rodeo, but nonetheless we enjoyed our stay in Fallon, NV. And if nothing else, it was super productive.