Day 7 (Austin to Ely)

(144mi,13.4mph,7200-6400)
It was 34 degrees when we woke up, with a light dusting of snow. We hurried to get everything together so we could warm up on the bikes. Unfortunately, we had a 1200ft descent right away. After the descent, we struggled to get warm because of the wind. This was the case all day. With temperatures in the 50's and 15mph winds, we switched layers depending on whether we were climbing or descending. Eastern Nevada turned out to be a little more scenic than western Nevada; we encountered pine trees and canyons. When we reached Eureka, we decided to continue on to Ely; a 78 mile stretch with no services. We made it to Ely around 7 and found a campsite. Record lows tonight, 26 degrees. We probably won't be up early to ride through that.

Day 6 (Cold Springs to Austin)

(55mi,12mph,5600-7200)
Started just after dawn at Cold Springs, and enjoyed a break from the heat. We had an easy ride to Austin, NV, but the climbs into town and out of town were more difficult. We ate brunch in Austin and left around 11:30, but encountered 20-30mph crosswinds as we left town. We stopped at a small campground at Bob Scott Summit early in the afternoon to avoid the wind. We had beef jerky, granola bars, and oreos for dinner. It was windy all afternoon and into the night, and it cooled down quickly. Going to sleep early for an early morning.

Day 5 (Fallon to Cold Springs)

(62mi,14mph,4900-5600ft)

Got a late start in Fallon. Rode through the desert all day. Any climbs were gradual, but long. Made it to Middlegate at 2. Sage's mom met us there with lunch. Decided to stop at Cold Springs for the night instead of pushing to Austin. Relaxed in the shade and showered before dinner. Going to sleep early to get started before the heat tomorrow.

Day 4 (Kirkwood to Fallon)

(115mi,16mph,7800-4900ft)
Made it up to Carson pass in good time and had a long downhill. Rode through some foothills and into genoa. Stopped in Carson City for In-N-Out and Walmart. Bought strawberries and nectarines. The ride from Carson city to Fallon was great. Downhill for the most part, with a tailwind. We went 65 miles in 3 hours. Stopped at Walmart for dinner and stayed at the fairgrounds. Long day, but we made up some miles by getting to Fallon.

Day 3 (Fairplay to Kirkwood)

(50mi,7.5mph,2500-7800ft)
Started out climbing and felt much better than yesterday on bucks bar road. Made it up 2500ft in 2:30 to cooks station (5000ft) for a big brunch. Continued climbing up to 7950ft before going down to 7300ft at silver lake. Stopped at the convenience store for some eggs and a pear. Packed up and climbed 3 miles up to kirkwood (7800ft) before a 2 mile descent. Ate burgers at the kirkwood inn and found a place to camp down the road. Sore, but not too bad.

Day 2 (Sacramento to Fairplay)

(62 mi,10.5mph,250-2500ft)
Woke up at 7, on the trail by 8. Katie's rack was broken sometime during day 1, so we stopped in Folsom for breakfast and a new rack. I upgraded my gloves. First 20 miles to Folsom were easy, then we started climbing. We took a wrong turn and ended up in diamond springs instead of Placerville, and went up bucks bar road to Somerset. The last 2 miles on bucks bar road were very steep. I am not sure about how the rest of the trip will go with my double crank (46/38). We stopped in Somerset for some hot dogs and met murph and ginger who invited us to stay on their property just beyond Fairplay, CA. Probably climbed 3500ft in total elevation. Very tired.

Day 1 (San Francisco to Sacramento)

(102 mi,15mph,0-250ft)
Woke up at 5, started riding at 7. Rode through downtown San Francisco. Just missed the 7:35 ferry to Vallejo. Vallejo was hilly, but the rest of the day was fairly easy. Met two older cyclists doing the same route. Stopped at several subways to refill on water. Finished along the American river bike trail, invited to stay with Roger in east Sacramento. Golden retriever ripped a hole in the tent.
Pretty good first day.