Wow, is this really me, back on a computer? It is, and back at home, no longer biking. It was very, very difficult riding, and I just wasn't up to the challenge. The Sierras were absolutely insane (breath-takingly beautiful and breath-takingly exhausting) and the cold days and even colder nights were just not my cup of tea...Okay, all true, but not truthfully told.
I am in Peanut, California with my very special family friends Susie and Joseph (Susie grew up a couple doors down from my mom in upstate New York). I consider their home a special place where a lot of my thoughts on creating a more meaningful life for myself took root several years ago (more on this later).
I didn't give up on riding either, I just cut it a little short. Instead of them picking me up in Red Bluff on Sunday the 29th, Susie so kindly picked me up in Greenville (oh you've never heard? don't worry) on Friday. I covered roughly 276 miles in the Sierras with a lot of ups and downs in between, the largest being Monitor Pass, a climb from about 5,000 ft to 8,314 ft. But more on the biking in the next post, I want to just give a brief overview of the week before biking because it was important to me and it should not go without mentioning.
I got to Chapman after about an hour of biking the streets from Corona del Mar to Orange. It was an amazing ride, felt faster than ever with my nice black shorts and new tires. Looking back, I think it was only the wind that pushed me.
I was stoked for every second I was at Chapman. I got to see so many friendly faces from over a year ago now, and honestly just felt cool telling people I was leaving that week to take off on such an epic-sounding adventure. I was excited and very full of energy and those who saw me at Chapman could tell you. It was an amazing time, and I wish it could have lasted longer.
Back in Corona del Mar, my brother and I went out in the Camaro to a rooftop bar overlooking the ocean, then to an amazing restaurant called Maro which was all sustainable and all so tasty. It would be the last time seeing the ocean, I now well know tears will start to roll once I see it again in about a week or so.
We left for Mammoth and rode all day Saturday, it was a little slushy but by the end I was getting used to it. I got a pretty bad goggle burn and I am still currently peeling that off as I am typing this post. Between that and some scratches incurred from Chapman, the trip has been more uncomfortable than it should have been. Sunday I got the last few things ready for the ride and my brother drove me to Lee Vining, the "Gateway to Yosemite" or something like that.
I'll stop here for now, and hopefully tomorrow (if Susie and Joseph don't give me too much work to do) will tell you all the details of the biking so far. Thanks for the continued interest and support, it really did help me get this far, believe me when I say I would NOT have gotten this far if it wasn't for all the positive encouragement, and crew...
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