Now it is the 2nd day. Streetz and I had a great time last night and finally got some well desered sleep. We didn't get to bed too early, but we did relax. With the good byes taken care of last night and a special good night to Hannah, we woke up and tried to get out as soon as we could. Not happening. We watched a little of the news and we were not so surprised to see 6 over-turned big rigs on the 10/15 freeways! Winds from 30-40 mph and up to 70 mph gusts!!! Insane!
Wow!!! What a windy day! It took double the effort to go half the distance. So discouraging. However, we made our way and got to business. Our first stop was at FELT Bicycles, an ex-employer of mine. I wanted to stop in and say hello to my old boss Jay. He has always been really fun and supportive of this trip since it was just an idea a few years ago when I was working there.
It took us a couple hours just to go about 10 miles! When we got to our turn off for FELT we stopped first at In N Out and Chick-Fil-A for some foodage. So good to get some fuel for our bodies. We were definately in need as the wind was taking alot out of us. Once finished, we were on our way to FELT. About 1 mile.
That one mile was intense. Both of us were almost blown over at one point! There was such a big gust that we had to put a foot down because, if we didn't, we would have fallen right over. Crazy!!!
Once we made it to FELT we said hi to Jay, Raul, David, and the guys that have joined the FELT team since I've left. Jay hooked up Streetz with a couple spare tires and wanted to give me a bell but I already had one. It was really nice to see those guys and show them that this was really happening.
One of the guys helped us with some directions and an idea to go to Don's Bicycle Shop in Rialto. Once we got our updated directions we were on our way. Since the wind was so strong, we had to get as much time in as possible.
Going down San Bernardino Ave was terrible. Poorly paved roads, headwinds so strong they were kicking up dirt into our faces and pushing us back and forth, and draining our energy more quickly than we wanted. 5-6 mph in the wind was our average. So slow...
Then Streetz noticed a wall and sidewalk on the other side of the street so we went over there and were somewhat blocked from the wind so we were able to pick up the pace to around 12 mph. Amazing what a little barrier will do.
We stopped off at Don's Bicycle Shop where we got hooked up! Scott at Don's gave us a few waters and introduced us to the Power Bar reps that were in the shop. The reps gave us most of the free product they had when they learned what we were doing. It was a good stop. Except...I think I left my wallet there :/ (more on that later)
So off to my dad's house in Yucaipa we went after Don's. It was a pretty smooth ride from there because it seem as if the wind was dying down a bit. Phew! Finally. However, the wind was replaced by darkness and climbing into the foothills of the Big Bear Mountain. At one point we were riding in the dark on 5th street just outside of Crafton Hills and a car pulled next to me and the driver started asking me some questions.
The guy was really interested in what we were doing and was, infact, a pretty legitimate rider himself. He was telling me he was going to race the RAAM this year and estimated it would take him about a week to do it. After a few minutes of talking, he informed me the road up ahead was very narrow and dark and offered to be a follow car behind us. At first I shrugged it off because I thought it would be ok without him, however when he offered again and told me it was pretty shady I gladly accepted.
Boy was I glad I did! It was so dark and, just like he said, narrow that I couldn't imagine doing that stretch without him. His car behind us lighting up our path and hazards on letting the cars around that cyclists were on the road. That was really cool. When the stretch was done, he came up again and let us know the 'bad' stretch was done and asked if I was docuenting the trip at all. I gave him the information, said our goodbyes, and he was on his way. (By the time we got to my dad's house and on the internet he had already checked out the site and sent a message!) Definately an amazing feeling from the help we had been recieving all day.
By this time, Streetz had already gotten 2 flats (one in each tube) and I just noticed that my front tire was looking low. I had a slow leak but didn't have the time or daylight to repair OR replace it. So I just had to keep pumping it up every few miles until we reached my dad's house.
Out of Crafton Hills and onto Yucaipa Blvd and almost there! We climbed and climbed and climbed until we reached California Street. Right turn, then coast the 6 blocks to my dad's house! Finally a point we could coast and get excited because we were almost done with our day. So exciting to get off the saddle and into a more comfy seat:)
We arrived and Judy, my stepmom, welcomed us with open arms and spaghetti with sausage. What a feeling to have completed a rough second day! After eating to our hearts' content and showering we promptly became sleepy and took care of sleep business. Streetz fell asleep on the couch while I stayed up and tried to post on the internet. Once my dad came home and told me the time I thought "geez. I need to get some rest." Off to bed I went.
Day 2 completed
ODO start: 78.4 miles
ODO end: 123.0 miles
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