Day 10: Next map

65.6. Pretty easy day. Most of the route was downhill from Carson City. It was 70 out and sunny. Perfect. Much better than all that snow. We met another cyclist along the route. Her name was Jane (but not the one from the train) and she was just about finished with her trip. It sounded like she had been around Arizona, Utah, and back home home to California where she started totaling "a couple thousand miles." Hopefully we'll be looking at it the same way when we're done. Big week coming up for us. A lot of mountains and not many rest stops or cell service. At least we'll have a map now. We'll try to keep you all as informed as we can. Time for some sleep.

Day 9: Ahh downhills

72.2 miles. Looks like the odometer's working again. We woke up in Tahoe and had some Denny's for breakfast since the hotel gave us 15% off there. Then we headed back to Ham's Station. Fortunately, our bikes and gear were still there. Brooks left us and headed back to Denver. Thanks dude for all the help! We headed up the mountain 30 miles to Carson Pass and then enjoyed the fast downhill towards Carson City. We didn't have a map so we had nothing to lose. Found a hotel room and ate Alplebee's for dinner. We're looking to be in Fallon tomorrow to pick up our axles and then begin the lonely journey across Nevada. Great to hear REI is still following us! And yes, Kyle, you're right, this weather will definitely toughen us up. We're sure going to get a lot more of it. Don't worry Dave, cannibalism just ain't our thing, we'll stick to pizza. If only Tahoe was like a mid-July day we would've gone para-sailing!

Carson Pass 8574 ft

1st state down, 8 more to go!

Day 8: Snow storm

Rest day. It looks like we won't be biking anywhere today. The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry. Tom made us all a delicious breakfast and himself a Jose Cuervo. We decided to leave our stuff in the cabin and drive up to the pass. If it hadn't been a white-out today we would've seen a gorgeous view. We made it to the pass and decided to just keep on going into Lake Tahoe. Drove down to the lake and had a good lunch at a pub. The snow continued to pick up and they were calling for about 5-10 inches so we decided to stay in Tahoe tonight. Thanks to Kate for telling us about this cheap Motel 6 we'll be staying in (and by the way Brooks is still hurt from that stone cold rejection you served him earlier). It looks like the weather will begin to get warmer tomorrow and we'll drive back to Ham's Station in the afternoon. For now, we're going to enjoy Tahoe and play it safe. We'll get there soon enough.

Woke-up to more sleet and a severe winter warning

Driving up to Carson's Pass

Yea Brooks is munchin on some snow in Tahoe

It's Heavenly

Ate on the beach of Lake Tahoe

Trying to stay warm

Day 7: "Pack light boys, the party's over"

24 miles. Made it to Ham's Station. An interesting thing happened last night (on the way to the forum). We heard some firetrucks and then about 10 mins later there's one in the parking lot close to where we're sleeping. It's a good thing Tim suggested we sleep behind a baseball diamond because the helicopter that landed in the field a bit later might have crushed us. It seems they had to fly someone out to a hospital or something like that, pray they're ok. Once on the road, we realized early it'd be a long climb. It's a good thing we followed dear old Uncle Tony's advice and packed light (from the movie Heavyweights). We were definitely perkisizing today. The temperature in the morning was 55 degrees and it kept dropping as we continued to climb. By the time we reached Ham's Station at 5500 feet it was 38 degrees. Brrr. It had also started sleeting when we arrived so we decided to eat and rest for a while. We had more delicious food and talked with the owner, Tom, about the cabins next door. As a back-up plan we asked if we could use Uncle Tom's Cabin because we were still thinking of climbing more. A few hours later the sleet wasn't letting up and we met a fellow cyclist, Jon, who suggested we take Tom's offer. So we did. Later that night Brooks drove in and stayed with because he is heading back to Denver soon. Unfortunately, we don't have any service in the middle of nowhere (which is why this is posted a day late). Overall there was gorgeous scenery as we passed through the Eldorado Forest.

Yea

Tim killin Omo Ranch Rd.

Michael livin the dream

Best burger and grilled cheese

Day 6: The foot "hills"

33 miles? The reason for question mark is because the odometer broke on Michael's bike, not a big deal. This could have happened when he lost the map out of his back pocket as he flew down a hill. Not too bright. We'll be alright though thanks to reviewing the route with Dave the night before as well as google maps. By the way thanks again to the Drahmann family (sorry about the spelling yesterday). This morning they provided us with a hearty breakfast of eggs, French toast, and bacon. It was so good and filling we didn't have to stop till lunch in Placerville. Which by the way we had In-n-out cheeseburgers and shakes mmm. The other cool part was that we met Kyle and Bonita. Kyle saw our bikes and knew we were doing the Western Express route because he has also made this trek. It sounded like some of the hardest days are still yet to come. We'll just have to keep truckin. We made it to Fairplay tonight and decided to camp at a local park, hopefully nobody will mind. For dinner we cooked for ourselves and had rice, beans, and fruit loops. The biking today was very different from anything we've ever experienced. Mind you Tim's first ride over 60 miles was our 90 miler a few days ago. So although it may seem slow going, he and Michael beasted through the hills. The reason we say hills is because when we stopped in Somerset (all that's there is one store) we talked to a local named Ed. He said we were in for a treat once we get to the Sierra Nevadas because these are only the foothills. He also offered us a place to stay but we graciously declined. Tomorrow we plan on trying to make it past Ham's Station. Then the next day go over the top of this mountain or hill and be in Fallon by Tues afternoon to pick up our spare BOB axles. Ed didn't know if one of the roads would be open or not due to the snow. So I guess we'll find out. We're guessing we probably won't have cell phone service where we're going tomorrow. So if we can't call home or post a blog we would like to wish both of our mothers, Karen Luginbill and Michele Wilkins a Happy Mother's Day! Thank you for all that you do. May you find comfort knowing that we are having a blast out here and wish we could be home to enjoy the day with you! Sorry, no pictures today. We used our other cameras for some excellent shots and to save our batteries.

Thank you Extreme Pizza!

Our first time eating here was in Sacramento where they gave us free cookies. Then since it was so good we had it again in Folsom where we met the manager, Alex, shown in the picture below. We just had to give them a shout out for their incredible pizza, thank you!

Day 5: We hear the train a comin'

48.8 miles. Averaged 13 mph. It may not seem like much but it was an amazing day. To start off, we slept in pretty late till 10. Cooked some oatmeal at our campsite, showered, and recharged our phones. We have been talking for awhile about finding a spare axle for our BOB trailers. So we found an REI about 0.4 miles off route and decided to head there first. Supposedly you can only order BOB parts on-line so we had two axles over-nighted to a town coming up along our route called Fallon. Unfortunately, you can't overnight on the weekends so it is arriving sometime on Tuesday. This is perfect because we have a long climb still in front of us and Fallon is 155 miles away so it'll probably get there before we do. While at REI we talked to some wise mechanics about back-up chains. After looking at our bikes they highly suggested a new chain and cassette for both of us. We made a few other necessary purchases and went back to the trail around 4. Along the American River Bike Trail we met so many interested cyclists who would kindly slow down and chat for a bit. It was great talking with you Jeff, thanks for the comment! At one point on the trail we approached someone stopped I'm the middle of it and wondered why. As we approached this cyclist, she told us to stop because "there's a rattlesnake in the way." Sure enough there was a stubborn snake right in the middle of the path. As we're about to pull our our cameras, Mr. Crocodile Dundee comes spinning around the corner. He sees the snake and uses his bike to push it into the brush. The whole time it looked like it was going to lunge at him. After it's gone, he looks to us and says, "they ain't too aggressive, you gotta step on one for it to bite you." We'll keep that in mind. Once we reached Folsom we stopped at the same delicious Extreme Pizza place we had back in Sacramento. While there we continued to talk with some of the nicest people we've met so far, the Drahmann. As they were leaving, they offered their yard for us to sleep in. They are far too kind. They even offered us some spare beds and showers. Dave gave us some extra tires for the mountains and showed us some other roads/hazards we will consider through Tahoe. So we're camping out in their backyard tonight and it's great. Thanks again Drahmann family for everything! It is unbelievable how warm, receptive, and interested everyone has been to our trip so far. We are really considering getting some cards with the blog address on it because it is so long and hard to remember. We are also considering moving here some day. Thank you to everyone we've met, you're making this trip amazing!

What would we do without REI? Thankyou!

We're staying a few miles away from Folsom Prison

Day 4: Let's get the party started

90.75 miles according to the odometer. Averaged 12 mph. Not too shabby for the first day and considering this was our first time exercising in like a month (thanks school/work). Yeah, we'll be sore tomorrow. We couldn't have asked for better weather today though. Maybe it'll be like this (80's and sunny) the whole way? Haha. The campsite we are staying at tonight cost $36 bucks. Brooks camped with us last night but left really early to catch a 930 flight for his sister's wedding in D.C. Lucky for us he was there with his car because we both had to shed some weight from our trailers. And by the way, if Brooks happens to make some outlandish comment in the blog please disregard it because it's probably not true. After we packed and took pictures by the ocean we biked into San Fran again and caught a ferry to Vallejo. Then the real biking began. Rolling hills for the most part. Of course nothing like the monstrosities looming in the horizon and in the back of our minds. There were a lot of nice bike paths and so many streets had bike lanes it was great! Around 6 or so we made it to Davis, a cool college town. Grabbed a bite at Subway then booked a spot at this campsite that has showers and was only 12 miles away in West Sacramento. We made it there just before sunset and had our first showers since we left home. Yes, we know it's disgusting. Oh well, at least we're clean for one night. First mountain stage tomorrow, whoo whoo!

We trekked our bikes out to the Pacific and put the tires in the ocean to start.

Michael

Tim

Second time crossing the Golden Gate.

Day 3: San Fran treat

Another day filled with great scenery and friendly passengers. It was great having breakfast with Ilana, although she ate while we watched. We're trying to keep a budget of $15 a day. She just graduated from law school in NYC and is on her way to a friend's wedding outside the city. We played cards for awhile with her and another passenger David then went back to enjoying the company of our neighbor Candy. Once we made it into the station in Emeryville we began puttting our bikes together. Then we started biking over to the ferry. We made it just in time and then once across the bay bought some sourdough bread and kept trekin. Tim bent one of his axles but luckily he had a spare. So we continued on and crossed the Golden Gate Bridge then made it to the campground where we met up with Brooks. After setting up camp we went out on the town. Can't wait to start our first day biking tomorrrow!

There's snow in them hills. Uh-oh.

According to an elderly passenger this vineyard is front for a marijuana field in the back. "Because ain't nobody eatin those grapes."

San Fran Bar

Illana, Michael, Tim, and Jane

Day 2: Silver Streak

Unlike Gene Wilder's train ride, ours has been truly amazing. We woke up this morning to find ourselves arriving in Denver, CO and walked around the city for a bit then had some breakfast, surprisingly not McDonald's. Back on the train we headed straight towards the mountains. After passing through 26 tunnels the train began to follow along the Colorado river. A video of a canyon we passed through can be seen below. Altogether the scenery today was absolutely fantastic. Hopefully there is still something to see along the bike portion. If you ever have time to take a train out west we both would highly recommend it. We met a fellow cyclist today. Her name is Jane and she is doing a cross country bike tour as well, only solo and finishing in Maine. Her route extends farther south than ours and she plans on biking for 5 months. Her website is tuneofmyowndrummer.com if anyone is interested. She said her 20 year old son wants her to call everyday which sounded kind of familiar to us. Although she would like to call home everyday, like us, we all agreed that would be quite difficult. Shout out to Candy on the train as well. One more day on the Silver Bullet.

Day 1: In the beginning

So far so good. Last night we encountered our first round of challenges. Of course when you leave packing to the last night you're asking for trouble. Pedal removal was more difficult than Tim expected and holding onto car keys wasn't working for Michael. Each bike and trailer had to be taken apart and placed in cardboard boxes for cheap transport ($5). We finally got to sleep around 2:30am and woke up a hour later to hit the road with a McDonald's breakfast. Fortunately, there were no complications at the station. As you can imagine we slept most of the way to our first stop in Chicago. We had about 5 hours of layover till our next train so we put our carry-ons in a locker and walked around downtown. Since it was Tim's first time in Chi-Town we went to Michigan Ave., Buckingham Fountain, and up along Lakeshore drive. It was a gorgeous day as you can see by the pictures below. We made it back to Union Station in time for our next trip. We have all day tomorrow and most of Wed. on this train so we'll have a lot of time to catch up on sleep. If only our attendant would stop repeating herself over the PA system. Could be a long ride tomorrow.

Michigan Ave.

Buckingham Fountain

Start date finalized

We have bought our train tickets. On Monday May 3rd at 6:15am our train leaves from Toledo, Ohio and we will arrive in San Fransisco, California on Wednesday May 5th at 4pm. We'll meet up with Brooks once our train arrives and then head to Kirby Cove campground. Then Thursday will be our first day biking. Oh boy, here we go.

This was uploaded from a phone. During the trip we will try to upload pictures as often as possible so check our blog daily!

Welcome!

This summer a group of three riders will bike from San Francisco, CA to Yorktown, VA from May 6th until sometime (hopefully) in mid-June. The cyclists are Brooks Cowan, Michael Luginbill, and Tim Wilkins. We plan on averaging around 70 miles/day for the entire trip and will stay at campgrounds along the route. Feel free to follow our blog and learn of some good stories as we bike across America. If you are interested in helping make wishes come true please click on the "Welcome!" link above or on the Make-A-Wish link on the left.