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)