Tuesday, May 5, 2009

day20 57miles ? 11,000ft/climing kirkwood,ca

Ended up paying $28 DOLLARS for that crappy campsite last night. I should have just kept on riding down the road and slept somewhere else. Stopped at somerset and had a croissant and some chai tea. Talked to the waitress a bit about my trip and then rode off. Had dido running through my head for some reason as I was climbing all morning. I think its because that is always what I listen to before hiking and it reminded me of driving up for a hike. Had lunch about 1/4 mile before the junction to 88. Stopped at cooks station and had a twix and a sierra nevada. I just sat there zoned out and I kind of wanted to just curl up and go to sleep and not face the rest of the climbing I had to do today. I was climbing around 1000ft/hr according to the elevation markers 4000ft, 5000ft, 6000ft, I should get to my campsite real soon. man, this long. I'm so sick of climbing. Why did I bring so much stuff? 7000ft my hand s are getting really cold. I stopped and sat in a snowbank and drank 1 of the sodas I had saved from john. I put on some gloves and figured that I would climb and then descend into kirkwood and get a hotel because my feet were going numb and my fingers were getting really cold. The last 3 miles to kirkwood felt like 10. I finally get to kirkwood about 7ish. I don't know what time it is because my watch broke a while ago and my bike computer decided to stop working this morning. Finally got to kirkwood and turned into the all season resort and it was deserted. No cars and no lights, so I just kept going down that main road and an suv that had passed me a bunch of times earlier in the day started honking at me. They had a bike rack on the back so I knew they were good people. I roll up to the driver side window and they tell me to follow them. They got a room and nothing is open. The whole resort closes may 1. I follow them dump my bike in their room and then I take a shower while they make reservations for dinner 15 miles down the road. There was another guy named shawne that the couple, frank and melody, met at a bed and breakfast the night before. We ate at a place in woodfords and we demolished some huge plates of pasta. We even had dessert too. It started raining while we were eating and we were all so glad that we weren't huddled in our sleeping bags trying to stay out of the wind and rain. We drove through snow to get back to our room and me and shawne sat around and talked for a bit. He had called his girlfriend earlier and gotten the weather for tomorrow. gusts up to 50m.p.h. 36' in the morning and a coule of inches of snow! Linda called a number left on a door and reached a lady who was leaving for carson city in a couple of minutes. She eneded up giving us a room and they saw me rolling by as they were looking for someplace to eat. The timing of all of that was amazing. We have anice fire going right now and I broke a spoke today climbing somewhere. I will repalce it tomorrow. We only have about 500ft before the summit of carson pass. This is the highest I have ever been on my bike and I still have 500ft to go. My legs are stiffening up and they feel soo tired. My achilles felt o.k. today and I will get into Nevada tomorrow.

2 comments:

  1. Dave - Just wanted yo to know that all the guys on Bainbridge are still following you on the blog. We are with you in spirit! Keep going!
    - Chris

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  2. Hi Dave,
    It was great to meet and talk with you yesterday evening in Panguitch, UT. It is awesome what you are doing and I will track you along the way. I thought about trying to ride with you a bit this morning on your way out, but I was afraid my 3 wheels would hold back your 2. Enjoy the ride, be safe.
    Glenn

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