Riding With Courage: Day 2 - Placerville, CA to um...snow

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Before I get into this insane day, like, INSANE day, I just want to mention how great last night was.

After a great day of riding, Lindsey and I backtracked a little into Folsom to stay with Amy and Carter Morrsion. These are the wonderful parents of my good buddy and fitness nut Blair Morrison. They let us in their great house, fed us tons of amazing food, let us chill in their jacuzzi, engaged in some wonderful conversation and were just all around about as generous and kind as two people can be. I am so grateful to have been able to crash there for a night, I only wish it could have been a few more! Thank you SO much guys!

Now, on to the fun:

Left a little late, left from Placerville. Cold. The hills begin.
Two hours later, only 18 miles in. 3000 feet climbed.
The rain begins, the snow begins...
Cold.
Lindsey meets me with goggles! Perfect timing.
The snow decides to be mad.
The road gets steeper.
Start Harry Potter audio book.
5000 feet up, the snow is crazy, sticking.
Rest up with Lindsey at a road-side bar/restaurant, dry out the clothes a bit, eat.
Hesitate, but decide to drive up a bit. Pride is feeling a bit beat down.
Hear about a 15 car pile-p a few miles up.
Bike more? Hell. No!
Only 45 miles biked...in 6 hours.
Decide to drive as far as we can up.
But, no chains on tires = a fine and forced turn-around.
We have no chains...
Drive back to Placerville, get on interstate. Plan: go AROUND mountain!
Nope.
Need chains to drive through route 50.
Yeah.
We are trapped.
Pride feeling a bit better...
Replaced with depression.
Pick up a coffe and decide, let's get some chains then!
Front wheel drive? Rear wheel drive? Size of tires? Type of tires?
An hour later, on route 50, roads seem fine.
10 miles later. Roads are NOT fine.
An hour later, chains are on.
It's freaking snowing man! And cold!
10:30pm. At hotel. Finally.
Pretty tired (read: VERY TIRED!)

And the crazy thing is? I did not make any of that up. This all happened. I seriously could not have thought of all this myself, AND, I didn't know getting stuck in California was even possible!

So, I am hoping that this day means the rest well be smooth sailing. And I can finally finish off a day at 6pm, do some video, write up some cool stuff, and sleep more than a few hours. I am determined to do that before the half-way point.

I also want to give a special thanks to Blair Morrison for posting up some kind words on his awesome blog! Totally wish you could have been out here for this man, I am sure we will find an adventure or two in the very near future!

And Jim Bathurst for coming up with an awesome idea to get people to come out and show some support! I will be posting something to add to Jimmy's idea in the coming days; thanks so much my man!