The Last Day 51

I woke up late to the final day of this trip. Got on my bike and left. Didn't eat a thing. Didn't give a damn. Today, I could finally piece together 51 long days into one moment of joy.

Got to the San Pablo Bay and my adventure cyclist route map said to take the ferry. At first I was reluctant to take a boat so I asked around but the locals said it was impossible for me to cross over on a bridge unless I wanted to die. One of the bridges was an interstate which didn't let cyclists on and the other one had no shoulder and was deemed way to dangerous. Didn't exactly want to die the day of, so I took the ferry. Plus, I could save a couple miles this way.

On the ferry, I met this Chinese teacher from Shanghai, Angel, who I chatted with and even rode

with for a while. She rented a bike and we both rode to the Golden Gate Bridge. We had to part ways after a bit though. When I got to the bridge, there was a Chinese newspaper reporter waiting for me there.

He asked me some questions, but I was mainly too happy to think properly. Afterward, my dad met me, we took some pics, and then I biked across the Golden Gate bridge.....

and back.

It was sort of disappointing since there was thick fog and I couldn't see anything, but I was too upbeat to even care.

After about 20 minutes, I got back to the South side. I still had to make it official and get to the Pacific Ocean. Half an hour later, after climbing these two gigantic hills, I made it.

When I first heard the ocean, I wanted to jump for joy.

When I first smelled the ocean, I wanted to run in circles.

When I first saw the ocean, I wanted to do somersau lts.

(All things I can't do while on a bike)

And when I first felt the ocean, I was the happiest per

son in the world.

So concludes my 51 day bike across America.

Distance traveled: 36 miles
Time outside: 5 hours

Fairfield, CA >> SAN FRANCISCO, CA

(Almost there...)

(there)

~Chris Xia

Counting Down the Days Day 50

Woke up late and left around 9. I knew this was the second to last day and it would only be a matter of time until I hit the Golden Gate Bridge. I basically ignored all knee pain and even though I was tired, I raced along to my first stop, about 15 miles away, Sacramento.

This city was great - it had it's own bike route made solely for un-motorized vehicles that ran the entire city. I met Tim, another cyclist who showed me around the confusing paths and after a while, had to leave for work.

I made great time speeding along at around 15 mph for about 10 miles, and then slowed down since I burned too much energy. I don't know what it was, but I didn't feel like conserving energy at the time, I was just too caught up in a sort of good mood because I knew I was almost there. If I had knee pain, which I did get, I knew it would be over in 2 days. If I got headwinds, well, that was going to be over too.

After I went trough Sacramento, I came to a place called Davis. One of the colleges there, UC Davis had their own bike team and I was able to talk to a guy named Chris who told me a bit about the school. While biking through flats, I saw the team doing time trials and I became engrossed in the sort of race. Maybe I'll get a $5000 bike someday and go join a team.

Anyway, it soon became dark and I still wasn't at a campsite. There were two that I could have stopped at. One was only 85 miles but I was in such high spirits that I decided to make it to the one that was 97 miles away. That, and I didn't want to bike that much tomorrow.

On the way to the last campsite, I got this humongous cramp in my right thigh. I've never gotten cramps on this trip, which surprised me, but this one was like, all the cramps I should have gotten put into one. It took at least 5 minutes before I could get back on my bike again, but it was alright, it's not like I was in a rush since it was dark already anyway. Ate a banana for the potassium and was on my way again.

Distance traveled: 97 miles
Time outside: 12 hours

Shingle Springs, CA >> Fairfield, CA

(Hit my leg against the pedal)

The Last Long Climb Day 49

Began the day by going to McDonalds. Yay... Instead of waking up and getting right onto my bike, I went to Lake Tahoe to take in the view. It's honestly one of the most gorgeous lakes I have passed this whole ride. The water is so pure that you can actually see the small fishes swimming on the bottom.

Went to the library afterward to get some work done but I basically stayed there just so my iPod could recharge. Anyway, left around two and started on Route 50 up to the Sierra Nevadas. The only problem is that when I got to the base of the mountain, people down there told me that biking up the 5 mile stretch would be practically suicide - there is no shoulder and the switchbacks leave no warning to cars coming from behind. I was lucky though, I met a cyclist, Emma who lead me up a shortcut that paralleled 50. It was slightly steeper but having someone to talk to really took my mind off the climb. She had to leave for work after the climb.

Got to the top in one piece and I just so happened to run into Lisa and her boyfriend, Kevin. They let me rest up a bit since I was tired as anything. We talked for about half an hour where we traded stories and shared what life was like living on separate coasts.

After we said our farewells, I headed on down a great 5 mile downhill only accompanied by a soft nagging headwind. After interchanging flats and downhills, I got to the last climb of the Sierra Nevadas, and basically the last mountain of California. Not going to lie, it was one of the hardest and most steep climbs I have ever come across. Half an hour and four miles later, I was at the top.

Route 50 became an interstate highway with a sign that said "no bicyclists" but I went on it anyway. If I was going to get a ticket on my bike, I would have framed it on my wall. For the next 10 miles, I averaged 25 mph until I got to a town called Placerville. On Google Maps, there was supposed to be a campsite there, but there wasn't, so I biked another 10 miles through rolling hills to make it to Shingle Springs where I stayed at an overpriced KOA campground. I had cheeseburgers for dinner...Big surprise.

Distance Traveled: 67 miles
Time outside: 9 hours

South Lake Tahoe, CA >> Shingle Springs, CA

(Dog at Lake Tahoe)

CALIFORNIA! Day 48

I felt so high crossing into Cali, not that I know what it feels like, but if I were ever high, I'm pretty sure that's what it would feel like. I literally biked down the road screaming, "I BIKED HERE FROM VIRGINIA. GRAH." - beast mode. Basically, I was just too happy.

Anyway, start of the day, was pretty much flats with some rolling hills until Carson City. Minor headwind, but hey, I've honestly gotten used to them on flats by now. Stayed at the state capital for a while to take in the sights. Bought new biker shorts because pretty much all the other ones were breaking in some form or another.

As soon as I left Carson City, there was this 9 mile climb into pure 15 mph headwind. The gradient was no longer 6%, it felt like 9% the whole way to the top.

It was so frustrating at some points that I actually biked faster out of anger. So many times, I just wanted to turn around and go downhill. Can you imagine how fast I would go with that tailwind? After about an hour and a half of climbing, I finally made it to the top. On my way down, I saw Lake Tahoe - it was one of the most beautiful sunset rides I have ever done.

Got to the state border around 9 and had only 2 miles until I hit the campsite. The whole way there, I couldn' t help but look at the beautiful lake lit only by a full moon.

Distance Traveled: 61 miles

Time outside: 9 hours

Silver Springs, NV >> South Lake Tahoe, CA !!!!

(STATE BORDER)

I Ran Over What? Day 47

As soon as I left Middlegate, I accidentally ran over a crunchy dead rabbit. I felt terrible in the most terrible of ways. Then later, I ran over a backscratcher and some solidified horse dung. don't think my wheels were that clean after the day was over.Crossed two mountain passes today to get to the city of Fallon. Of course, the audio books helped make them easier, but they were still tiring on my legs. On the way down from a pass, I saw this cool giant sand dune pretty much the height of surrounding mountains.

I stayed in Fallon for a while to wait for prevailing winds to pass. While there, I ate at a Chinese restaurant for lunch and actually took an hour nap there. (The owner let me sleep at the back of the restaurant)

Anyway, left Fallon at around 5 to head over to

Silver Springs. I was lucky, the wind died down a bit and I was able to ride a bit faster than usual.

If you wonder why I write about headwinds so much, it's because they are the most frustrating thing to a biker. I would rather climb more mountains than ride into a headwind on flats. Reason why? Because if you ride into a headwind, it's a complete waste of energy. You lose so much of your power and speed to the wind pushing against you, whereas when you climb a mountain, you know that every ounce of your energy is going toward your climb and you'll soon be rewarded with a nice downhill (hopefully).

So at Silver Springs, we were looking for a place to stay and a wonderful woman named Rachel took us in for the night. She and her husband Anthony made us a great dinner. We dined among the family's 25 cats and 10 dogs. - it was interesting. They also had three teenagers staying with them. It was great to finally have kids my age to converse with.

Distance Traveled: 76 miles
Time outside: 10 hours

Middlegate, NV >> Silver Springs, NV

(A beautiful lake I passed)

I Didn't Have Cheeseburgers Today Day 46

First three miles were downhill, yet somehow, I was tired. There was a small 4 mile valley in between where I basically slowpoked my way over to the next mountain pass. Guess I didn't get enough sleep.

Anyway, it was either the Granola bar or the energy drink that I had, but all of a sudden, I sped up the mountain at about 9 mph and made it up there in no time. There was a small pass a bit afterwards, but that posed no problem.

The headwinds rolled in when I hit the bottom of the mountain pass. (I know, I always talk about these winds, but they always come at me) They got to be so bad that I just couldn't continue. Moral in myself was at an all time low. Luckily, it was about 2 and I saw a small little station called Cold Springs. They had amazing pizza and wifi! I basically stayed there for about six hours hoping that the wind would go down but to no avail.

(Notice how wind is blowing directly toward the direction I'm coming from)

Six hours later, I left again into the wind but I was so pumped for some reason. For the next 20 miles, I pedaled at a rate of 16 mph. I was really hoping to make it to the campsite in about an hour because it was already starting to get dark.

Got to Middlegate station at around 9 and I had their spare ribs for dinner. It was probably the best I had since...Cheeseburgers.

Distance Traveled: 66 miles
Time outside: 12 hours

Austin, NV >> Middlegate, NV

(Trees?!)

Road Work Day 45

Left the campsite and the first thing I ran into was a delay. The state was extending the shoulder on some of their roads and I had to wait 15 minutes before crossing. Now 15 min might not seem like a lot, but when headwinds start kicking in at around noon, you really wish you could have biked an extra mile or two without winds.

About 20 miles later (averaging at a beastly 18 mph for this stretch), it was 11:45 and I saw another road work sign. This one was the most frustrating because I saw it about a mile away and I tried to make the cut, but as soon as I got there, the flagman turned the sign to "Stop" and I was like "GAH!" But yea, I practically waited half an hour, watching the frustrating headwinds roll in from the west.

After I passed the roadblock, I saw this pretty cool mini tornado. (no, I did not ride through it) Actually passed two of them on the way

to my destination today.

I had two mountain passes today. The first one was a short climb but the second one took forever. It was basically one long climb with a small dip in the middle, followed by another 2 mile climb. However, after I got to the top, it was straight downhill until Austin.

Camped out for the night because the Baptist church provided a free spot to stay. I actually didn't have cheeseburgers tonight; there were no McDonalds. I had really bland tasting codfish and french fries bought from the local diner though.

Distance traveled: 71 miles
Time outside: 9 hours

Eureka, NV >> Austin, NV

(Had Watermelon in the middle of the desert)

Pulled In Day 44

After a break day, my knee felt a lot better. I used some Icy Hot patches which a cyclist recommended to me. It's a good thing they started feeling better too because I had four mountain passes to climb today, again with a headwind.

So I learned that the mountains out in Nevada alternate between short mountains and tall mountains; therefore, I know that if I'm climbing an easy one, the next one is going to be hard. They still suck nevertheless.
I have found a way to pass the time when climbing though - audiobooks. Instead of focusing on how hard the climb is and how tired my legs are, I think about what the book is saying and just concentrate on directing my bike uphill. The pain just seems to disappear. Music doesn't help as well since I know all the songs pretty much by heart now and when you're listening to a novel or something of the sort, you're waiting on the next word.

Music has gotten me through a lot of tough situations though; you should hear me when I'm rapping "Remember the Name" while riding through flats.

Almost got pulled in by a truck today. Usually trucks pull one oil tanker behind them but this one apparently had two. The first one passed me and the wind vortex pulled me in a bit. I started leaning in toward the truck but I thought it was fine because it's usually just pulling one. But then the second one followed and I almost fell over onto the truck. Thank God there was actually headwind that was pushing a bit from the west that actually helped me get steady. I know right, they helped me for once.

Got to town at around 7 P.M and took a shower at some place before heading downhill to the city park for camping. I got a pretty bad headache that night and just rushed to get onto bed.

Distance traveled: 79 miles
Time outside: 11 hours

Ely, NV >> Eureka, NV

(Sunset at the last mountain pass)

Kneedle Knee Day 43

Got up at 6 to start biking today. I learned my lesson about wind. It always starts to get bad at around noon and then gets harder until 6:30 at night.
It was really cold in the morning and I got off to a slow start but when I got to the foot on the first mountain pass, the Sacramento pass. I breezed up that thing like I do through gym tests. Then came a valley and by this time, I started to get sharp knee pains. Even though the knee pain has been ongoing, it has been getting progressively worse, especially since I tried pedaling so hard yesterday through headwinds.

So next came Connor's pass. It's the highest I'll have to climb in Nevada and halfway up the top, I seriously just wanted to collapse because both my knees started to feel like I was getting acupuncture but the Asian guys were sticking the needles in wrong spots. Or more like, the needles were like burning pencils jabbed into my joints. I hiked some ways to the top and biked some way but in the end, still made it.

After Connor's pass, it took about an hour to make it to Ely. Stopped at Mcdonalds to get a chicken sandwich and then head on over to a campsite where we pitched tent. Met two other bikers today headed eastbound. We traded some tips and they headed out early the next day.
I decided to take a break day instead since my knees were bothering me so much.

Distance traveled: 64 miles
Time outside: 9 hours

State line, NV >> Ely, NV

(This was what my dashboard looks like. The left side can be equipped with a snap-on flashlight and there actually used to be a gps attachment too, but I took that off.)

Pain in the Ass Day 42

(Points at distant nothing...>>)
Basically, left late today, at around 10 and just as I hit the 18th mile, this perfect 20 mph headwind started to kick in. For the next 50 miles, I had this wind in my face and it was honestly the most frustrating thing ever. Just as a notice, a 5mph headwind is equal to 1% grade. (A 6% grade is basically climbing the rocky mountains) So in essence, I was climbing a 4% grade hill.

It took me 1.5 hours to travel a sad 8 miles. It was demoralizing and a pure waste of energy, not to mention it hurts your ass like crazy. Can you imagine sitting on a skinny little saddle for 13 hours pedaling through headwinds?
I don't know how I did it, but for a good 10 miles, i was able to average 10 mph into this wind because I was thinking about cute ways to ask out a girl to prom. For some reason, it just took my mind off the pedaling.

I haven't been on many 8% gradients downhill but when I came to one, the wind was pushing so strong in my face that I had to actually pedal downhill in order to go at a decent speed.
At around 7 P.M, the wind started to died down and at about 8, I got to the bottom of a mountain. Although it was 5 miles long, I sped up that thing like a monster. The mountain range blocked out most of the leftover wind which gave me renewed enthusiasm to bike faster.

I got to the top in half an hour and then seeing as it was already dark, I tried to get to the state border as soon as possible. (There was a motel at the border for some reason) The wind had died down almost completely by now and I even had a very small downhill slope all the way to the end.

Distance traveled: 88 miles
Time outside: 13 hours

Delta, UT >> the state line border, NV

(Finally, Nevada)

Ninja Dodging Day 41

First 9 miles were all uphill. Figures, I did go downhill for quite a whiles yesterday. After I made it to the top, I sped along until I hit this town called Scipio. It was a small town with, (no not Mcodnalds) but Subway! I had a foot long chicken sandwich and that was about it.

Was reluctant to leave because I had to get on an Interstate highway straight into a headwind. I managed to get my sorry butt out of the chair and made my way slowly to the entrance ramp, where all of a sudden, I spotted a smartphone on the ground. No, it's not as exiting as you think, because it looked like it got run over by 10 trucks and then slept on by a snorlax. Good news was that there was a 16 gb mini-sd in it but when I tried it on the computer, it didn't work. So much for that.

After a good 15 miles, made it off the interstate and onto a highway 50. It really started to look like a stereotypical desert for a short whiles even with a couple sand dunes.
The worst part about this rode was that there were bugs everywhere. Flies and bees would follow me for hundreds of feet and the road was filled with grasshoppers jumping around. Did you know grasshoppers had wings? I seriously thought they just hopped around, but these ones would fly/hop onto your leg or try to go through the spokes on your wheels and get totally demolished.

The only plus side to all these bugs on the road was that I'd have fun trying to dodge them and not run over them because they'd go "CRUNCH." That and I would try to swerve around loose rock on the pavement. I would make these 90 degree turns with my bike or try to lift-jump my bike over an already dead bug. It was fun for the first couple hundred of feet until I figured it slowed me down too much.

Distance traveled: 73 miles
Time outside: 8 hours

Salina, UT >> Delta, UT

(The sunsets are so nice out west)

What's a tree? Day 40

So if you see a tree out here in the middle of nowhere, you're either about to die because you're seeing a mirage or that tree is resilient as anything (like an idea). Even if there is one, it's either 400 feet away, where there is no way that it would provide any shade whatsoever or it's shorter than me.

Anyway, continued where I stopped yesterday and biked up another 5 miles of the San Rafael swell. Within the first 2 miles, I got a flat tire on a bunch of road gators (bunch of blown-out tires left by trucks. They have small pointy metal wires within the rubber) Took about 20 minutes to replace before I set off again.

I swear, I think its the top everytime I see a turn, but these swells give no break. Got to the top at about 7270 feet and had a beautiful downhill for about a measly 4 miles. But it's alright, whenever I go downhill for too long, it means I'm going to have to make it up in uphills anyway.

Afterward, biked into a small headwind on relatively flatland for 20 miles before hitting another mountain range. (I forget what it was called, but it definitely started with a "w") This one was 7 miles long but unlike swells, it actually had green vegetation. The great thing about this mountain was that after I got to the top, it was all downhill to the next city. The first 7 miles followed a great downhill with 6% gradient and then mellowed out to a lesser sloped downhill. Still wonderful nevertheless.
On the last 8 mile stretch to Salina, I made a turn and saw a storm system starting to approach. The winds kicked in and I got a headwind with 25 mph gusts. Thank God I was going downhill or I would have literally been pedaling and not moving at all. It was still hard to go at a speed greater than 12 mph in this wind but I made it before the rain and we settled in a hotel for the night.

Distance traveled: 84 miles
Time outside: 8 hours

20 miles after Green River, UT >> Salina, UT

(This bridge would literally sway when trucks went over it)

Arches and ... Swells?! Day 39

Went To Arches National Park today. Extremely beautiful place except for the long hikes to see most of the "cool" arches. My knee was starting to hurt pretty badly so my dad and I decided to take the short walks to see the small arches. Maybe one day when I come back, I'll do the entire 5 mile roundtrip hike to see the most famous arch, delicate arch.

Coming out of the park, we decided to get...(guess)....cheeseburgers and we drove back out to the place I left off the day before. Started at 4:30 and after 20 miles, I hit the San Rafael swells.
So first are the mountains and hills, now they're swells? I've never even heard of these things until Utah.

So I start climbing and it was a freaking pain. The view was gorgeous, but as soon as the sun set, it dropped to the low 50's. I couldn't even stop biking even if I wanted to or needed a break because as soon as I did, I would get ridiculously cold. In the end, climbed 4 miles of steep grade before I called it a day.


Total distance: 42 miles
Time outside: 5 hours

20 miles before Green River, UT >> 22 miles after Green River, UT

(Mystery machine out in the middle of nowhere)

Utah - Life Elevated Day 38

I started out fast today after I got some Mcdonalds sausage and biscuits....again.
Always seem to sort of rush out into my biking routine, guess I just have the most energy at the start of the trip. I should really learn to conserve more.

Anyway, it only took about an hour and a half to go 20 miles which was pretty good. I stopped for a rest because that's pretty much where the border was. I stopped and met a guy from Paris who was actually going west except not to San Fransisco. He was with a translator and we talked a bit about our journey to Utah before he head off first. I was going to take a few more pics at the border before leaving. The thing is, the Utah border sign was another 200 feet away from the "leaving Colorful Colorado" sign so I biked there and snapped a couple pics.

There, I met a couple cool college students who got off to get a breather. They were headed to Las Vegas. Wish I could have jumped on with them. They were really nice though, gave me water and some snacks.

Not going to lie, Utah didn't give me a warm welcome. Right after I got on my bike, I got this headwind coming at me for pretty much the entire rest of the way.
The worst part, I really needed to go to the bathroom but the problem was that I was 20 miles away from the visitor's center. I couldn't just stop at the side of the road because I was on an interstate and there were no trees or cover around. So basically, even in a headwind, I pedaled like hell because I needed to go to the bathroom - the most painful yet the most motivational. (Best feeling in the world when I got there)

The next town over was Green River but the problem was that I was at an intersection that could bring us to the arches national park. We decided to cut our day there and check out the park instead. We settled on that he would drive me there and we would spend half a day checking out the place and the following day, he'd drop me off at where I left stopped.

Stayed at the Lazy Lizard hostel where I met these three awesome college students.

Total distance: 67 miles
Time outside: 11 hours

Fruita, CO >> 20 miles before Green River, UT

(The last service was 20 miles before the border, and now 40 miles after means that I pretty much didn't run into bathrooms for about 60 miles)

Desert Day 37

The first 30 miles started out well. I made good time and my average was pretty good.
Then these headwinds kicked on and basically I was just dying at about every mile. Not to mention that winds really wick away all your sweat and moisture so that you wind up drinking more water than normal.

On average, I would drink about to one water bottle per every 5 miles, (Basically, today I would have drank about 16 bottles of water) but with wind, I would come down to about 4.5 miles per bottle. Then since I'm in the desert, it drops down to 4 mpb. (miles per bottle - there, I've created a new unit)

So I ran out of water 20 miles in and my dad was still back in Montrose taking care of some business. I gave him a call and asked him when he would get there and he told me it would be at least another hour. I wasn't just going to sit there and wait so I actually started waving at passing cars to ask them for water. I know, it sounds desperate, but you get hella thirsty in the desert. I flagged down a nice man who gave me 2 bottles of water.

In the end, I made it - slowly. I camped at the Colorado National Monument and had cheeseburgers :( for dinner.


Total distance: 71 miles
Time outside: 10 hours

Montrose, CO >> Fruita, CO

Super Size Me...With Exercise Day 36

Who doesn't love a cheeseburger, every other day....?
Pretty much, my meals would consist of either Mcdonalds or gas station food.
Sometimes I'd get lucky and hit up a restaurant or my dad would make something, but sometimes, it's just easier to take out.
That guy who did that super size me documentary must have had it hard, because I'm really starting to dislike the taste of anything with the word "burger" in it. Hey, but at least I'm riding off most of the calories.

I've been waking up really late these past couple days. So I leave the motel at 11 and I head west into the perfect headwind. The first couple miles were a pain but I sort of got into the rhythm of pedaling hard but going slowly. Plus, there was a beautiful lake I was riding next to for a good while and that took my mind off things.

I passed a bunch of touring cyclists who were doing a run of Colorado (about 180 of them). They were going in the other direction and needless to say, I was sort of jealous. I'd like to have a nice 15 mph tailwind sometime.

Anyway, I had three mini mountains to climb, nothing like Monarch Pass (11,312 ft) but still a long climb nevertheless. The great thing about the last climb, was that after I got to the top, I had it pretty much straight downhill until I hit town.

Distance traveled: 68 miles
Time outside: 11 hours

Gunnison, CO >> Montrose, CO

(Bay of Pigs, now the Bay of Chickens. I'm waiting for the Bay of Cows to come next.)

(Beautiful sunset on the way down)

11 K in the Air Day 35

Day started out great and went downhill from there.
The Wong family was so generous and nice for taking us in. They fed us amazing chinese food and even sent us away with gifts. Thanks. XD

Anyway, left the Wong's restaurant at around 12 and started my 10 mile climb up to 11,312 feet - tallest I'll ever be on this ride. I hated pretty much every minute of it. Over a course of 5 hours, I rode and biked up this ridiculously steep mountain into 20 mph headwinds and freezing cold temperatures. I was wearing sweat pants over my biking shorts and 4 layers on top. (Under armor, jersey, sports jacket, XL hoody) It was cold.

Finally, got up to the summit of Monarch pass at around 5:00. Was surprised they had a store up there but I got some hot chili and then headed on my way down. I was going at like 25 mph downhill for about 7 miles - it was great.

After a break, my dad passed me on his car and told me that I still had 28 miles until town and that it was already 7:30. This was really bad because when the sun sets in Colorado, the temperature can go down to the high 30's, even in the summer. So for the next 28 miles, I pedaled like a madman going at an average of 15 mph through headwinds and uphills.
It's really weird at points because I might be riding through 40 degree temps and then all of a sudden, I'd break into this bubble of sub-freezing temperatures and then in a split second, I'd be out of it again.

Now the sun was down and I had 8 miles to go. Raced through it and got to this motel in Gunnison, CO. I was so tired that I practically fell asleep while standing in the shower.

Distance traveled: 56 miles
Time outside: 10 hours

Maysville, CO >> Gunnison, CO

(You know it's steep when there's a runaway truck ramp)