All done, heading home

The final descent down Hamilton was delightful.  San Jose is a big city and it took over an hour to reach Amity's house (my sister in law).  They had hamburgers and beer waiting for me!  And a shower!

I arrived in the afternoon and had a flight that night at 10:45.  A quick turnaround, but a flight on Monday means I'd miss all of Labor Day, and that would be a bummer. 
During the trip I would drop a pin in a map on my phone, here's a screenshot of the final route.  And as for Sinewave Cycles, here is my phone's battery level after 30 days on tour...

Overall, just a wonderful month on the road.  The route through the mountains was terrific.  I saw beautiful things and met interesting and kind people.  What else can I say?  I loved every minute.

Mount Hamilton Summit

The road up the east side is STEEP!  2000 feet in the last 5 miles - I think that's more than Tioga Pass.  But I made it and the view was worth it.

The Junction Cafe

A nice oasis in the middle of nowhere.

Done with Del Puerto Canyon!  Next is the climb up Hamilton, then down to San Jose!

Mount Hamilton

There are three ways I can get through the mountains and into the Bay Area - north over Altamont Pass (700 feet), south over Pacheco Pass (1300 feet), or straight over Mount Hamilton (4100 feet).  If you know me you can probably guess which one I'm doing.

But it's much more than simply being a masochist.  I bought my first road bike when I lived in San Jose.  I got it to speed up my commute, which I had been doing on a mountain bike.  Once I had the bike, however, I looked up at Mt Hamilton, the highest point in the Bay Area, and thought, hmm, what would happen if I tried to ride my bike up there?   I went halfway up on my first attempt, and to the top the next time.  The third time I continued over the back side to Livermore.  So to me, Mt Hamilton represents my initial interest in cycling, and the sign on top that says "Patterson - 50 miles" is my wonder of what would happen if I biked just a little further.  So, I can't think of a better way to end this trip, and the 20 mile descent to San Jose won't be so bad either!

All you can eat

All you can eat clam chowder at the Bellevue Bowl in Atwater, CA.  They must line up ambulances in the parking lot.

Steinbeck

I've been looking all day for a John Steinbeck reference - here it is, courtesy of Dustbowl Brewing Company in Turlock, CA.

Severe Tire Damage

Earlier today I pulled off the side of the road and filled both tires with the nastiest thorns I've ever seen.  I only realized this a minute later when both tires went flat.  Fortunately I was near a church with grass and a tree so I pulled off there, made some lunch, and prepared to do battle with these thorns.

It took about 15 minutes to pull them all out of the front tire.  The big ones were easy but there were tons of little needles that I needed pliers to pull out.  Once I felt I had found them all I checked out the tube - I found and patched one hole, but once inflated it slowly lost pressure - it might have several slow leaks, so I pulled it out and put in another tube, which held pressure (meaning I had removed the thorns successfully!)

The rear tire was a complete loss.  Many more thorns than the front, both big and small (I'm talking about DOZENS of them).  The rear was also just about worn through, which was disappointing - the tire is a Pasela TourGuard, I'd expect a tire with the words "Tour" and "Guard" in the name to be a little more durable.  So, I threw away the rear tire and tube and went to the backup I had used when I had some tire problems back in Crater Lake.  That, and a new tube, also held pressure.  Phew!  90 minutes later (including lunch), I was back on the road.   Pretty crappy but at least I was able to get everything fixed up.

The lesson, as always - never get off the pavement to pee, just find a decent shoulder!

Two Pictures

Driven through the canyons I was
Dazzled by the mountains and we didn't go very far
- Semisonic, "California"

I took these two pictures just over 7 hours apart.  On a BICYCLE trip.  It seems impossible, doesn't it?

No more mountains

They're all gone!  I feel kind of lonely.  Actually, that's not quite true - I can already see the hazy outline of the coastal range, about 60 miles away.  I'll be there tomorrow!  And the next day I'll be in San Jose with human beings that I know; that will be nice too.

Merced Canyon

I've been telling people all month that my trip is "from Seattle to Yosemite", and I've been thinking of the few days from Yosemite to San Jose more as a logistical problem to solve, rather than a real part of the tour.

So to my surprise, check out the Merced Canyon!  These sort of mountains and twists and turns went on for a long time.  What a nice treat - I think these last few days will be more scenic than expected.

Happy birthday to me

A bike ride from Tuolumne Meadows to Yosemite Village?  Oh, you shouldn't have!

This ride will henceforth be known as "the best possible bike ride"

Tioga Summit

Took about 2.5 hours, including time to take pictures.  I'm sure the teachers out there will appreciate that I'm also showing my work.

Tioga Pass

9943 feet, the highest pass in the Sierra Nevada.  I am strong and I am not afraid.

Mono Lake

Pronounced "MO-NO", not "MAH-NO".  The formations are called Tufa.  The water is alkaline and the calcium in underwater springs reacts with the water to form the Tufa.  Then Los Angeles starts drawing water from the lake, the water level drops, and the Tufa is revealed.

Safety Duck

In case you didn't know, Quackers the Safety Duck has been with me on this trip, and actually had been on most of my bike tours.  He hangs out on the back of the bike, but he's been a little buried this trip, especially since I picked up a sleeping pad in Bend.  I wanted to give him a better view for today's big ride over Tioga Pass.  He should be much happier now!

Acts of Kindness

Two very kind people helped me out yesterday.

First, while riding up Walker River Canyon, a car pulled over in front of me, and a lady got out and said "You look like you could use an ice cream sandwich".  So she gave me an ice cream sandwich!  And a reflective leg band; she likes to see cyclists being safe.

Second, I arrived for the night at a motel and RV Park just south of Bridgeport, CA.  I asked for a place to set up a tent, and the lady asked where I was riding from.  When I said Seattle, she said "oh goodness - would you like a room?  My treat".  So she gave me a room for the night!  And coffee in the morning.

I think many touring cyclists have similar stories.  The world looks out for us when it's not honking at us to get off the road.

Nevada!?

That's right, a semi-planned detour into a whole new state!  From South Lake Tahoe I had the option to continue south through Markleeville and over Monitor Pass to Topaz Lake, but I opted to go east (into Nevada), up and over Kingsbury Grade (wheee!) and down into Minden to stay the night with my friends Daryl and Jackie.  Veteran blog-readers may remember Daryl, I stayed with him at the beginning of my trip across Nevada in 2012.

So, the route today has been Highway 395, taking the back way to Topaz Lake.  It's been a nice taste of high desert, just a little reminder of that 2012 trip.  Not that I'm tired of all the rivers and forests I've been riding through but it's nice to have a change of scenery.

The other picture is the view of Topaz Lake from the top of the highway.