Day 9 - 17

Day 9 - Kettleman City to Fresno. After three days of well deserved rest we departed from Kettleman City across the flat lands. Sure, thinking ahead it was flat, but what we didn't prepare for was the intense sun beating down upon our backs. The temperature got up there in the 90's which was a wake up call for how diverse this ride was from the coastal Route 1. Highway 41 had it's so called nickname of Blood Alley for a reason. Just because we are biking it should not permit the drivers to fall into the sense of being on the autobahn but we aren't that lucky. Once the shoulder began to dissipate we pulled off onto a farm road which went parallel to Highway 41. They brought us a good 25 miles up until we hit the outskirts of the thriving city of Fresno. Fresno lies in northern Mexico as an uncle of mine says from time to time. It was in the upper ninety's and we were ready to get out of the heat so we pulled into our hotel and enjoyed the air conditioning.

Day 10 - Fresno to Oakhurst. Leaving in the early morning the bustling city was just awakening. Riding our best ten miles of the trip we were able to reach the Friant Dam in great time. From there was another story. The foothills on road 211 were starting to be warmed up and they were relentless. Up to a point where it evened out when we merged with 220. Sadly our climbing wasnt over because we hit a stretch that the locals call Walkers Grade for its steep uphill over 5 miles. Then we took a break from the sun at the Shell Gas Station where we were told its only one more hill and a long downhill into Oakhurst. I can't imagine the ethics of what they meant of one more hill since it was another 5 miles uphill before we fell 1500 ft into Oakhurst just south of Yosemite National Park on Highway 41. That night we had a fun night on the town with Jeff Duncan who drove up from Fresno to spend time with us.

Day 11 - Oakhurst to Wawona. Enjoying a large breakfast at a local diner was the start to a long day. We were well aware of the climb the stared down upon us and we had to convince ourselves not to take a bus up. Not much is to say about today other than climbing more that 3000 ft along a busy highway while taking many breathers on the plentiful turnouts. At the Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pines Railroad we stopped and had lunch before we completed the remainder of the climb to the South Gate of Yosemite. Then to end the day we dropped over 2000 ft into Wawona for the night which we did in 20 minutes visa several hours under the sun.

Day 12 - Wawona to Crane Flat Campground. Consequently due to our 20 minute downhill we lost our high status in elevation and we did not want another day of slow climbing with the weight our bikes withhold. We decided that it would be best to get a lift into the Valley so that we could have the right amount of time to take in the scenery, for it was my first time in the Park. Taking a gamble on the shuttle from the hotel into the Valley was assured by several rangers that we'd have no problem and get into the Valley before 10. However, with the shuttle departing at 8:30 we were risking the entire day since we needed to climb into the Valley and climb out of it on the Northern Rim. Our luck was our downfall because there needed to be a van full of people show up and a grumpy driver who refused to take us with the bikes. Walking the bikes from the steps of the hotel to the gas station we ran into three guys and an empty pick up truck. They were the caterers for the firemen working on a control fire close to the Ski Area that branched off the main route about half way to the Valley. Deon, Kevin, and Tony were happy to give us a ride. Deon was from Chicago and Kevin and Tony were both from around Tucson, Arizona. Once we approached the road they were going to turn off on to the Ski Area Deon just pulled by and said, "No, no. We're taking you all the way but the meter's still running." the entire time he had us in tears from laughing at all his jokes. Some included the actual thought of biking that road into the Valley. "I'm not racist, but this sounds like something a white guy would do." We reached our destination in an hour drive and unloaded our bikes and thanked them for basically our lives. From there we took our time and biked around the entire Yosemite Valley taking in the incredible sights. From there we climbed for over four hours until we reached the Crane Flat Campground.

Day 13 - Crane Flat Campground to High Sierra Park. One of the most memorable days for the ride itself instead of the overwhelming imagery surrounding us. It started off looking like a bad day with two small hills leaving the Campground since we were sore from the past three days of climbing. However, once we got to the top of the second it was a never ending downhill for an hour and 45 minutes. Smooth sailing until we hit the foothills after the North Gate to Yosemite. Pulling in at the park we made great time and were able to go cool off in the pool and sun bath which felt great on all of our muscles.

Day 14 - High Sierra Park to Mokeumne Hill. Getting an early start to the day we enjoyed a big breakfast at the local diner in Groveland. Make sure to order the homemade cinnamon rolls, it was as large as my head. Not to much occurred on Highway 49 minus the foothills and having lunch in Angels Camp. We were getting closer and closer to Mokeumne Hill and climbed to the small town. The Leger Hotel was pretty interesting for its western qualities and was built in 1852 conjoined with the prior county court house before it was converged as a larger hotel. When the manager of the hotel asked that we must want to dive in the pool we both thought we was kidding but there you have it, there was a good size swimming pool out on the back courtyard. A good dinner and showers was all we could ask for after cooling off in the nice pool.

Day 15 - Mokeumne Hill to Fair Oaks. Checking out of the hotel full of history was a difficult task due to its great service but we needed to be on our way. We made our way out of the foothills which was a blessing and off of the questionable Highway 49 after Drytown. Which was just about the perfect name for it because the day was very dry and hot. Onto Highway 16 we went heading east which had much better road conditions and soon we reached Fair Oaks up Sunrise Boulevard. We needed to stop at Bob's Cycle for new brake pads for dad after day 13 and it was a nice bike shop. Don and Barbara were very gracious and made us feel right at home for the afternoon and we enjoyed a great dinner with my aunt Barb and my cousin Chris as well. Staying up past midnight we broke our record for the trip so far just catching up with everyone.

Day 16 - Fair Oaks to Knights Landing. Having even more of Barbara's great cooking we enjoyed a relaxing breakfast and took our time. Entering Sacramento was easier than both of us had expected because of the great 18 mile bike trail put in place along the banks of the American River that brought us straight into Old Sacramento in great time. From there we crossed the Sacramento River into West Sacramento and took farm roads all the way up to Woodland. After grabbing a bite to eat at In and Out Burger we got back on the road and strolled into Knights Landing with an average of 18 miles per hour on our bikes. Cousin Chris came up for the day on is Kawasaki Ninja street bike which we continually razzed him about but it was nice to spend time with him since I haven't seen him in 7 years.

Day 17 - Knights Landing to Chico. Our longest and one of our worst days. Though the temperature was over a hundred for the day the heat wasn't a factor. Cruising into Colusa for a late breakfast after our 5:30 start we were battling a minor headwind that wasn't too bad. Leaving Colusa we thought the thermal heat hitting the Central Valley would wipe out the wind but all it did was fuel it. Since the temperature is rising into the 100's for this week after its unseasonably cool 80's the warm front gave a strong wind heading south. This was a battle for us since we had already ridden 40 miles and we were only half way. It took several hours since we could barely maintain 10 miles per hour on this flatland because of the strong headwind howling straight into us.