I was on the support crew for our longest day so far - 108 miles through the desert on Route 66. Not a bad day to crew because the sun was intense and the roads were practically gravel. I'm surprised that the state of California even has those roads still open - they were in bad shape. Katie and I drove the sweep can and set up lunch. Cheering everyone on and helping out was much more fun and work than I expected. We spent the night camping at this great spot in the desert. 
Kel & Joe on Rt 66
One of the many abandoned places
Katie & Seth helping with a flat.
Katie taking pictures in the desert.
An abandoned school along Route 66. There really wasn't much along the whole 108 miles.
Sun setting as we set up camp.I could feel myself cooking in the desert as we went through the Mojave and Death Valley. The climb at the end of the day was not fun. We had a great camping spot though - it had a natural springs bath. We had lunch at Baker Jr/Sr High School where Jen gave a great talk to the school (of about 200 people). They had great questions about our riding. I got cheers from the crowd for having ridden my bike longer than anyone else in the group - 9 yrs. Yes, I’m old. The students came out to talk to us and see us off. It seemed like a good experience for both side.
Jamie preping for the wind, sun & sand.
Ride prep - there were a lot of trains crossing the emptiness. Its cold in the morning - we layer and take off gear as we go along.
Baker, CA - Home of the 'World's Largest Thermometer (in the background), just outside Death Valley
Day 7: Into Nevada
So I’m a bit upset with the state of Nevada – they had no welcome sign on the tiny road that we were on. All that work, and no sign as a reward - but the roads got better. We did about 74 miles to get to Red Rock outside Las Vegas. We had a crazy climb to get to lunch (which was around mile 55). There was so much wind that even when going downhill I had to pedal. The climb was so long that the downhill lasted about 10 miles. At the end we had an optional 14 mile loop around Red Rock park. The majority of us decided to relax in the shade.
We went out last night along The Strip. We started with all you can eat Sushi/Asian. Don’t think that restaurant knew what hit it. We can all pack away a lot of food at the end of a ride. We then walked around a little and played some games at the Bellagio. I expected to be wowed by Vegas but have been a bit under whelmed by it. I’m glad that I got a chance to see it, but I don’t foresee too many return trips. I’d rather go back to San Diego. I won $40 at Bellagio but then spent $20 of that at South Point. South Point was a lot more fun because they had $1 tables which means you can play for a long time. I watched one guy at my table go through $12,000. Craziness.
Today we are just hanging out in Vegas to rest. Ashley's family hooked us up with a time share. Its a great chance to do some laundry and reorganize.
Kel, Josh & Ash at Red Rock after the ride.
A group of us at Red Rock after the ride.
Out in Vegas - outside the Bellagio.
1 comment:
I just realized we can leave comments....I am so proud of you. This is such an amazing experience for you and the blogging is great. Looking forward to rest of the ride! Good luck!
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