Today's ride was supposed to be our longest of the summer, but due to a detour earlier in the summer we did 118 to Baton Rouge and this became our second longest ride, though still not something at which to scoff. I set off with Kristina, Hannah, David and Justine. Thankfully many of the first few turns were chalked, we were supposed to be riding along a bike path, but we just ended up taking the road as the path was not clear, and many directions on our cue sheet were wrong-ish. The roads were very bumpy, and this was a condition that we hoped would stop when we changed roads, though it never did.
The days we spent in CA were not what I expected. I guess it was unrealistic, but I pictured lots more beaches and water, and instead found mountains, desert and agriculture. This day we had lunch in a almond orchard. Second lunch was originally at one of our turns under what had been the only shade for miles, but was later moved to a saloon only a half mile away where we were able to enjoy cooler temperatures and a Coke if we so desired, which I definitely did. One of our stops between first and second lunch included a hot springs where we were able to use the bathroom and rest for a minute as well as a side of the road nap, or if you were me, middle of the road nap. The road was deserted and we were all desperate for a break. We kept trying to hold out for shade, but none came, and we decided we couldn't wait any longer. While the miles before first lunch were easy-ish, all of us had boarded the struggle bus afterwards. We had to cross what was known as the Coastal Range, a small mountain range. We crossed through a low pass and about the highest grade we climbed was 4%, but we were all tired and at least for me, the climb up Tioga Pass went way more smoothly and easily than this.
We were told that there was a town & gas station at mile 100. Hannah got a flat tire around mile 98 & Kristina & I went ahead in search of the gas station because she wasn't feeling too hot. What we actually found was a store at mile 104-ish. We got a snack & a Blue and waited for the other 3 there. By the time we left the gas station it was already nearing 6 p.m. We knew that there were only 5 others ahead of us, which meant about 17 more were behind us. We hustled the last 10 miles in, and after battling the heat and sun all day we were actually chilly since we had crossed the mountains and were now getting an ocean breeze.
When we got there we gave our taillights to Tova who went back out to give them to riders on the road without them because it was nearing dark. We walked a few blocks over for showers and decided to treat ourselves to Subway, instead of waiting for pizza. Though we all did have a slice or two after dinner. Everyone made it in safely and close to 9 p.m. we got a start on reviewing grant applications.
Each B&B team gets to disperse the rest of their fundraised money through a competitive grant program. AH organizations can apply for up to $10,000, but their program must involve youth in some substantial way. We, as a group, got to read over all the applications and decide where our money could make the most difference.
We all headed to bed late as we relished our last night all together.
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