Our first day riding in California was truly a memorable one. The views and downhills were absolutely breathtaking. The downhill views rivaled that of Chamberlain, SD. The climbs were tough, but we had a great group. Myself, Ben, John, Kara, Heather, and Maddy made a great, fun team. There was a lot of up and down in the ride. In the last twenty miles, I had a little fall that took me to the emergency room in Placerville, CA. A small chin laceration and a hairline fracture in my jaw were the result of the fall, which led me to a few days riding in the van to heal. Unfortunately, I did not get to do a lot more riding in the last week. I did join in on the coastal fun. I joined a group of girls in the last 20 miles into the Sonoma Coast. It was freezing along the coast. It was bittersweet knowing we were so close to the end of the ride, with just a few days left and only about 100 miles between us and the Golden Gate Bridge. I decided to ride the entire ride into San Francisco, and I am so glad I did! It was a nice ride. Though getting to the bridge and into the Bay area was so cold. I couldn't believe it at all. We all made it to the bridge and took a lot of pictures before heading over to Baker Beach, where family, friends, and champagne were awaiting our arrival. The San Francisco Illini Club awaited our arrival, as well with a great lunch. We really appreciate it!After our arrival there, Heather, Elyssa, and I headed to our hotel room. It was so nice to nap and shower in such a nice place. We then headed out to get some real clothes and get cleaned up for our awesome dinner at Lou's Fish Shack on Fisherman's Wharf. It was so nice to see all of our friends in new clothes and eating awesome food, enjoying ourselves together. I realized how lucky I am to be a part of this group and how we will share this bond and these memories for the rest of our lives!
New to Nevada
Not even a mile into our ride out of Wendover, UT, we hit the state line of Nevada. We had been warned about Nevada the previous days, so we approached with care. Though we had made it over 3,200 miles and we had seen it all by then, so we knew we could handle whatever Nevada had in store for us – heat, climbs, interstate travel, anything. Our first day in Nevada had quite a few climbs, but they were somewhat relaxing climbs, which led to some fun with Heather and Maddy. That was the day of the birth of the “Cheese Sasswich.”While in Nevada, I have truly come to understand what it is like to be thirsty. It is so hot here and I am going through water like you wouldn’t believe. It is crazy to drink about 50 ounces of water in an hour and still be thirsty. Nevada not only presented me with something new to deal with: flat tires. Yes, I finally got my first flat. And by first flat, I mean I got 5 flats in two days. I totally blame Nevada and interstate riding. All of my flats were due to the wires within truck tires on the side of the road. The following morning, we woke up at 4:30am to set out on a 103 mile ride. I rode with Heather, Jacqueline, and Elyssa. It was nice knowing about when each of the climbs were coming, because we could mentally prepare ourselves. Seeing the signs that read “Next Services: 68 Miles” was a little scary, but we were ready to face the day. We took it in stride and helped each other continue. The climbs were tough, but around mile 80, we stopped at a convenience store and bar in Golconda, NV. It was great talking with the people there. The men that frequented the bar reminded me of my grandpas, and they were so impressed with what we were doing.Though the days are long and hot, we are really enjoying our time in Nevada, meeting great people and making the most of our last few days on the road.Nevada has really allowed us to test our mental and physical strength and speed along the road. I have truly come to see how much I have grown as a cyclist while in Nevada. We were determined to finish our 73 mile day today before the sun had a chance to heat everything up again. Because of the tailwinds, downhills, and determination, we finished our 73 mile ride before 11:30am. It was quite an accomplishment.I spent that night at the Lovelock town pool. We meet so many people along the road, most, though, are adults. It was great to talk to the kids in the pool, while they asked about our tanlines and what we were doing in their pool. It was great to enjoy the cool pool in the hot Nevada weather. Our ride into Reno, on the interstate, was pretty scary and difficult, but it was good to finally arrive there and know the following day we would be hitting South Lake Tahoe, California.We were warned many times about the climb into South Lake Tahoe, but I was so happy to ride in with Je, Rishy, and Maddy. Je and Rishy are great, fast climbers. So they would speed ahead and wait for us every couple of miles, while Maddy and I just trucked along and enjoyed the gorgeous views of the climb. The downhill was pretty scary, but again, the views into California were beautiful. Lake Tahoe did not disappoint. It was truly amazing. Maddy and I even dove into the lake in our jerseys. It was so refreshing and knowing we had the following day off made it even more refreshing!
Utah - less than 1,000 miles!
I was really excited to take on a relatively flat 107 mile day with two of my close girl friends on the team. We passed the time on the road by singing, telling stories, and playing games. We dealt with headwinds and a little bit of rain and heat. By the end of the day, we crossed into Utah, and it felt like a major accomplishment. We were also a bit delirious which led to lots of laughs and joking. All in all, it was a great fun day, but we were excited to get off the bike and arrive at our campsite somewhere around Logan, UT.The following day, everyone was in great spirits. We started the day with a great Mosher, where we sat in a circle and gave the person to our right a back massage. On top of that, we had to compliment the person in front of us. It really shows just how close the team is getting. I feel so honored to be a part of this team and to grow in friendship with them. We were also in great spirits because we knew arriving in Salt Lake City meant we would have the following day off. I was most excited because I knew I would be spending my day off with my cousin, Linda Miller. This was enough to get me to SLC. The ride was great. We were on bike trails for most of the day. Though the heat was pretty tough to deal with and there was barely any breeze. Of course, our ride ended with a huge hill climbing up to the stay-over.Salt Lake City was absolutely amazing. We stopped at the Huntsman Cancer Institute just off the University of Utah’s campus where we meet with three researchers who are beneficiaries of Damon Runyon Research Grants. We discussed research triumphs and ideas over tacos while meeting the future of cancer research. It was incredibly inspiring and motivating to meet the researchers who are using our hard earned fundraising dollars directly. I am honored to be a part of this incredible research and I pray these researchers continue to love their research and discoveries. Being with Linda was amazing. She treated me to a great salad for dinner, a pedicure, and a few drinks. It was just the taste of home I needed to get me through the last two weeks of the trip.I was also lucky to drive the van the day after the event day, which is always nice, especially on the day into Grantsville, UT. There was a crazy, steep, narrow, and rocky climb around mile 25. I was quite happy to not be on my bike, though driving the van up the mountain was also quite scary! The following day, we hit the famous Salt Flats. With some nice tailwinds and flat terrain, we were able to fly through the 95 mile day into Wendover, UT, which lies on the border of Utah and Nevada, on the cusp of the Pacific Time Zone. This is a truly bittersweet feeling, knowing we will be entering our second to last state, but we are pumped to see what Nevada has to offer!
The End of a Journey
Sixty-eight days. We’ve been together nearly 24/7 for sixty-eight days. It seems like New York City was such a long time ago, but at the same time, it feels too short. Our journey can’t be over quite yet, but we awoke to a late wakeup on the final day, we knew it to be true. We were slower, perhaps it was because there was nothing that could be done about late bags, or maybe it was because we were all in thought. Today would likely be the last time we saw all of us together as a team. We had our last bowl of oatmeal, and circled up for the last ride dedication. We dedicated the ride to Jake Grecco, an eight-year-old victim of brain cancer, and Greg’s dad, Tom Colten, who also passed from brain cancer.We formed our groups, and we were off on the seventeen mile trek to Baker’s Beach. We got a little lost, but the ride was short and uneventful. We talked and shared stories, and reminisced on past rides until we rolled up to the Golden Gate Bridge. We took pictures, both as a team and with friends. Then we crossed our final bridge. It was slow going, as we had to avoid the many pedestrians, but it was exciting to look up and see the bridge rise up to disappear above the morning fog. We followed the last few cues that wound down a hill until we saw the beach open up in front of us. Our welcoming party held up banners and played music as we rolled to a stop. We had made it. It had taken us two months, be we had ridden across the country. We were served lunch by the San Francisco Alumni Club and were welcomed by our family and friends. We took pictures, laughed, cried, and left to explore the city.Later, we met back up at Lou’s Fish Shack at Fisherman’s Warf for dinner. It was strange to see everybody in “real people” clothes. Many of us had gone shopping or had been brought clothes from their friends and family. We were able to laugh and hang out for one last night before finally saying our goodbyes and slowly going our separate ways.The 2013 Illini 4000 Bike America Team would like to thank everyone for their amazing support. Without the generosity of others, this feat could not be accomplished. We would like to thank friends, family, strangers, and everyone we met along the road for their support and encouragement. We have finished our trip with a new sense of confidence and with the addition of new friends. And now, the 2013 team can say that they are proud to join the rest of the Illini 4000 alumni.
The Penultimate Day
It's so strange to think about how today was the last full day of riding for the 2013 team! It once again started cold, cloudy, and covered in dew/mist/whatever the chilled air was filled with this morning, but after tearing down the tents (for the last time), we set out for the road. It took some time, but eventually we all regained enough motor skills in our frigid hands to pick wild blackberries along the side of the road. In what is apparently typical fashion for this part of the country, the sun came out in time for us to be escorted in style behind a pace vehicle through a bit of construction on our way to San Anselmo and our final evening spent together as a team. It’s certainly been an eventful summer, and the ride into San Francisco tomorrow will be as sad of a departure as a final push of victory.
Coast to Coast
With a cloudy and brisk start to the morning, we quickly realized the central California coast is far from the oft romanticized sun-kissed shores of So Cal. Once we had layered up with plenty of warmer clothes, we hit the road. After getting out of Napa Valley, it was back into the winding, wooded hills. We spent the morning climbing into the foggy mist and rapidly coming down a steep grade on the other side into some smaller rolling hills as the fog of the morning slowly burned off. After some bike paths and lunch at a Mexican grocery store, we soon came to the famed California Highway 1, Bodega Bay and the nearby beaches of the Pacific Ocean. It seems like only yesterday we were stopped on the shores of New Jersey, staring into the churning waters of the Atlantic several thousand miles away. By nightfall the tents were up and we hunkered down to dine around the fire, once again facing the brisk shoreline summer temperatures blowing off the ocean at the Bodega Dunes Campground.
I Heard It Through the Grapevine
Today we departed Sacramento, where we were lucky enough to have breakfast provided by the Chinese United Methodist Church, for the grape laden land of Napa. After navigating the maze of Sacramento traffic and some confusing cues, we were out on the road in some fantastic weather, working our way towards the rolling hills of wine country. We made our way across sunflower fields, fruit orchards, and the greatest sight for sore mid-western eyes, an errant corn field. Though the sun was hot and many of the fields were dry, before long, the canopy of the trees on the mountainside provided great shade for the beautiful, winding climb on California 121 through the hills and vineyards. As the afternoon faded to evening, so too did the warm breezes of the afternoon fade to the chilled winds off the ocean, no longer blocked by the hills. Fortunately, before long, we shivered our way to the stayover and settled in for the evening, setting about chores and preparing for the trek to the ocean the next day.
Farmers and Palm Trees
Today our team rode 70 miles from Pollock Pines to Sacramento. Compared to yesterday’s ride, today was pretty flat. In fact, the team climbed 5,000 feet yesterday and only about 500 today. In addition to a flat route, the majority of the ride was on beautiful bike trails. After a tougher ride yesterday, we were more than happy to have a relatively easy ride, away from the traffic on the streets. A highlight of the day was riding through Placerville. In Placerville, the team stopped at a farmer's market! It was full of fresh fruit and baked goods. We talked to the various vendors and gave out business cards. Some people even received free food! Needless to say, we all enjoyed the short snack stop at the market. As we got closer to Sacramento, the temperature slowly climbed. When we arrived at our stay over, though, we were greeted by a sprinkler system. It was a great way to cool off quickly after a hot day on the bike. In other news, we only have 4 more days left till we arrive in SAN FRAN!!!!A special thanks to the Chinese United Methodist Church for letting us stay at their church and for cooking us a great barbecue dinner! Your hospitality and generosity are greatly appreciated.
From Lakes of Blue to Trees of Green
Today we rode 76 miles from South Lake Tahoe to Pollock Pines. The morning started out with a scenic ride through Lake Tahoe. It was a little chillier than usual, but after so many hot days in the desert, the team found it hard to complain. The several groups also got the chance to talk with a couple of fellow cyclists who were also headed across the country to San Francisco! Around mile 10, the ride got a little tougher when we reached the base of a Sierra Nevada mountain range. We spent the next 30 miles climbing through them. Although the first half of the ride involved much climbing, the views made it all worthwhile. The teams stopped at many of the scenic overlooks to take pictures and just enjoy the gorgeous scenery. From mountains to forests to lakes, there was never a dull moment. In addition to the beautiful views around us, we also enjoyed the many downhills. The turns were wide enough that we were able to zoom down them with ease. In fact, several riders hit personal records for fastest speed on a downhill. Overall, the team enjoyed dour last ride of over 70 miles. From now on, t he rides are going to get shorter and shorter until we ride over the Golden Gate Bridge.We want to thank the Christian Life Center in Pollock Pines for hosting the team. We look forward to our ride into Sacramento tomorrow.
Our Day in South Lake Tahoe
After yesterday’s climb, we all woke up feeling grateful to have a day to rest our knees. In the morning, we explored the town and enjoyed a variety of activities. We were excited to find out that a festival started today! Near the beach, there was a craft show, and on the beach there were food stands and live music. We were lucky to arrive in South Lake Tahoe just as this event started. During the day, some people went out to eat, others did laundry, and some headed to the beach and festival. Overall, it was a well-deserved & relaxing start to the event day.Later on, we all met at the stay over for our Christmas in July gift exchange. It was pretty entertaining to see what creative gifts were given. Some memorable ones were pine cones, roadside debris, and candy. It’s the little things, like celebrating Christmas in July, that we will all look back on and laugh about. After our gift exchange, we had a team meeting to discuss the logistics of our final week. With just one week left, we’re both excited and anxious about the days ahead of us. Ready or not, San Francisco here we come!
San Francisco Arrival Information
With our riders about to begin their final stretch to the Pacific coast, it’s time to think about how we’re going to wrap it all up. Once again, the San Francisco Alumni Club has graciously volunteered to put something together. It all starts at 10:30am on Wednesday, July 31st at Baker Beach:Location:Baker Beach - look for orange and blueBattery Chamerblin Road - off Lincoln Blvd and Bowley StreetPresidio of San Francisco, CA 94129415.561.4323.Riders are expected to arrive around 11am. The Alumni Club is ordering box lunches for the event, please visit the Alumni Club’s website before Saturday, July 27th to place your order. The alumni club will be providing lunches for the riders. Please bring your own beverages and seating. Things should wrap up around 12:30pm. Questions about the event should be directed to Sylva Kung via email vp_events_eastbay@sfbayillini.org or text/call 925-765-7143.We look forward to seeing you there!
Hello California!
Well, the team has finally made it to our final state of the ride. It seems like just when we adjusted to the idea of biking across the country, our adventure is practically over. It is definitely a bittersweet feeling to be this close to our goal. We feel excited to almost be reunited with our friends and family, blessed to have met so many wonderful and supportive people, and proud to have accomplished such an amazing feat.Our ride into California went well. Not only was the weather gorgeous, but the route was also full of breathtaking views. The majority of the ride was spent biking through valleys, so we were surrounded by towering mountains and winding rivers. But don’t be fooled, the route wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Biking through the valleys meant that we would eventually have to climb out of them towards South Lake Tahoe, and boy, did we climb. At times, it was difficult to find the motivation to climb a mountain, especially after having spent the day cruising in the valley. But knowing this was one of our final climbs of the ride, the team wanted to give this mountain everything we had. After all, there aren’t many chances in life to do what we do.Once we showed that mountain who was boss, we were greeted by the beautiful Lake Tahoe. The team could not be more excited to spend our event day here! There is so much to do; from shopping, to swimming, to hiking, the team will have plenty to explore tomorrow. South Lake Tahoe is a great place to spend our first nights in California.
Rushing to Reno
In Lovelock, the tradition is to put a lock on a chain and then throw away the key to show your love for someone, so we put an I4K 2013 lock there this morning and will throw the key off the Golden Gate Bridge! After participating in that fun tradition, we set out to ride nearly 96 miles into Reno, as carefully as possible to avoid flats. In the past two days, as a team, we unfortunately have gotten more than 20 flats mainly because of the heat and interstate conditions. Luckily, we are all professionals at changing flats by now!How many college students wake up during their summer vacation at 4:30 a.m.? We do! Waking up at 4:30 a.m. to avoid the sun and heat is our normal lifestyle in Nevada. Today, we got lucky and it was cloudy, which protected us from being scorched by the sun and getting too hot. This favorable weather and mostly flat terrain boosted us to the stayover, the Church of the Good Shepard. The air conditioning feels great after a long, hot day in the sun and we are so grateful for their generosity. After we took refreshing showers at the church, some of us went to a bike shop to restore our tube collection and other necessary bike gear. The bike shop in Reno was really cool, and the people there were extremely generous! Thirty new tubes were bought for the team in hopes that we can make it the last leg of our journey without running out once again.Tomorrow, we finally arrive in the last state of our journey, California. We are almost there!
Flat/Downhills + Tailwinds + Heat Intimidation = The falcon day of the trip
After a 100 degree, 100 mile day yesterday, we were determined to finish our 73 mile day today before the sun had a chance to heat everything up again. A combination of tailwinds, downhills, and rider determination propelled all groups to the finish before noon; some even made it in before 10:30! It was amazing to be able to say "Let's have brunch!" after we completed so many miles. Many riders used the extra time after arrival for laundry, phone calls to home, and patching our countless flat tires.We are so grateful of our awesome hosts at the Bethel Baptist Church that cooked up a fantastic barbeque for us this afternoon. As we were leaving, we were also given goodie bags of snacks and T-shirts from Renown Institute for Cancer.We also got a chance to the pastor of the church about his own cancer experience. Scott Davis was diagnosed with stage three embryonic carcinoma when he was 16, with it being only weeks away from stage four. He was given a 60% chance of living longer than five years. He underwent surgery to remove one testicle only to discover that there was a second tumor attached to and bigger than his kidney. Scott underwent four months of intensive chemotherapy. Before his second surgery to remove his kidney tumor, the doctors found a benign tumor in his lung. After his third surgery, Scott underwent another four months of chemotherapy. Although the cancer treatment caused him to miss his senior year of high school, Scott continued to have a positive attitude. “I know that if it is my time to go, I’m gonna go. Then it’s my time to die. I knew this wasn’t gonna kill me. I knew it right away. I had to convince my parents of that.” Scott gave us some advice as his parting words. “Early detection is the key to the cure. Denying it makes it harder. When I would come home and have to go back for antibiotics, I would look sick, almost dead. I would feel sick, I didn’t want to move and I had no energy. But after that last round, once I had accepted everything, you couldn’t tell that there was anything wrong with me. So once you learn what chemo does, accept it. A positive attitude will take you a long way.” Scott is now a twenty-eight year survivor.It is 8:30 pm as we write this, and half of our team is already asleep in anticipation for tomorrows 4:30 am wake up leading into a 95 mile ride into Reno, Nevada. Wish us luck!
Fun in the Sun....Or Not...
I smell bad. Everything I own smells. Every article of clothing, even those that I haven’t worn yet, have been permeated by the smell. I haven’t taken a shower for days, if a quick hose down can be considered a shower. My only comfort in this is that my personal stink is masked by the cumulative stink that is our team. It’s the kind of smell that you can’t shake, no matter how hard you scrub. Rarely do I get a whiff of it, but today I can’t avoid it. It’s everywhere. It’s in my salt-encrusted jersey, it’s in my sweat-stiffened gloves, it’s in my hair, and it’s in my socks (oh Lord, is it in my socks!).It’s no secret as to why. We’ve been cycling through the hot desert heat for the last few days. I’ve stopped looking at the weather forecast, for fear that the temperature is only going to climb higher. Ninety-six, ninety-eight, one-hundred, one-hundred and three, it just keeps going. We’ve started waking up an hour earlier to get a head start and get some miles in before midday and draining our water bottles dry like it’s the elixir of life, which in this case, it truly is. I can’t imagine what our ride would be like without our support van. We’ll see signs on the road, “No Service 66 Miles.” Yeah, good luck finding water out here.But there’s something fun about riding in this, some type of masochistic enjoyment from being able to say, “Yeah, I biked a century through the desert.” Because bragging about the ability to withstand this kind of heat on a cloudless, 103 mile day is cool right? Yeah, isn’t cool how much the human body can withstand?The best part is that water only goes so far. I’ve drank at least three full, 24 oz bottles by every 20 mile rest stop plus a bottle and a half of a 32 oz Gatorade. That’s approximately 408 oz of water. That’s about three gallons. That’s twenty-six pounds, or about 20% of my body weight.And that’s not even enough.You see, at about 1:00 every afternoon, a 13+ mph wind whips up. And you can put your money on the fact that it’s going to be a headwind. At 1:00pm, we were at mile 84. We had just finished a downhill ride in which we were barely able to go over 10 mph. That does not make for a fun time. At least, I’m assuming it wasn’t fun, because I honestly cannot remember the last 20 miles of our ride. I recall a brief period of delirious joy in which I soaked every bit of my cyclist clothes, from my gloves down to my sports bra, in a rest stop sink. That period lasted for only 7 minutes until the heat had returned my clothing to its bone-dry state. I recall waking up from my daze in a Jack in the Box in Winnemucca, Nevada, 14 miles later.All in all, it really isn’t that bad. My dramatic prose is meant to allow my readers to get an idea of where the devil likes to vacation at. The ride itself is very much enjoyable, but that’s thanks to the company of my teammates. The blistering days are broken up by the frequent, on-the-bike water gun fights, outbursts of singing, and odd conversations. And I mean very odd conversations; the kind that only occurs when you’re spending every hour of the day together and you’re biking across the country. Sometimes, I wonder what someone would think if they overheard us. Then again, I don’t want to know, because that would just be another reminder of how far removed from society I am. But that’s okay, because as long as I’m living this lifestyle with the people I love, I’m fine. I dread the upcoming goodbyes in San Fran that are quickly approaching, but until then, I’m going to enjoy every minute of this, no matter how hot it gets.
Feel That Temperature Rising....
This morning began with an early 4:30 am wake up to beat the heat. The team enjoyed a great breakfast of cereal, yogurt, and fruit to start off the day right, thanks to the Eisenberg family and to the members of Carlin United Methodist Church. After we waved goodbye to an amazing stay over and pastor in Carlin, Nevada, we set out on our 103 mile ride. Teams were eager to keep moving and drink as much water as possible.Around mile 80, when everyone was hitting a wall and getting quite hot, we were excited to stumble on a convenience store and bar in Golconda, NV.It was great talking with the people there. They generously shared Gatorade, their air conditioning and ice-cold water. It was just what we needed to make it the last 20 miles to our stay over in Winnemucca. We thank the United Methodist Church in Winnamucca for letting us stay the night and the local soup kitchen for kindly donating hotdogs, beans, pasta salad, and chips for our dinner.Though the days are long and hot, we are really enjoying our time in Nevada, meeting great people and making the most of our last few days on the road.
Feelin' Hot, Hot, HOT!
This morning, we set out on a 74 mile ride from Wells, Nevada into Carlin, Nevada. We knew it would be a hot one, so we made sure to keep as hydrated as possible. We drank lots of water and even made up some fun water games to pass the time and keep hydrated along I-80. The 25 gallons in the van were just enough to keep us going, but we made it!We are really excited to be staying at the First United Methodist Church in Carlin, NV. Our host, Monique, was gracious enough to invite us into her house for nice, refreshing showers. She even left us breakfast for tomorrow morning. We are truly thankful for her hospitality.Tomorrow, we will be waking up early to set out on a century ride through Nevada. We know it will be tough, but we know we can do it. The reality check of having only 11 ride days left is setting in, but knowing that is helping us make the most of our rides.
The Final Timezone
After arriving at the cusp of the pacific time zone, we found ourselves in quite an awe-inspiring moment. We had finally reached the last time zone in the United States after traversing over 3,200 miles. Changing time zones not only provided a much needed reprieve from early wakeups and sun-drenched days, but for some, it marked the beginning of the end of our journey. Most of us remember a sort of melancholy feeling passing over from Wendover, Utah to West Wendover, Nevada, especially after realizing that the next state up was California. Fortunately, we had some hard climbs in front of us that forced us to think about the present and not worry about the ride ending. We all got through the tough climbs though, and with a shorter day of 60 miles, all of the team made it into the stayover in Wells, Nevada early in the afternoon. Many of us spent our extra time working on our bikes, taking naps, and having picnics. We’re looking forward to a great downhill tomorrow, but you never know what the Nevada desert has in store for you.
A Stung Pride
Riding your bike across the country can teach you a lot of things you never knew about yourself. You get to know your limits and how you can go much farther than you think you can. You learn how to sleep anywhere, for any period of time. You learn how much food you can eat before you get to the “Oh-god-I’m-so-full-I-can’t-even-sleep-because-it-hurts-so-bad” point. You learn how strong you can be and also how quickly that strength can be taken away by the simplest of things. I didn’t discover the last bit until a few days ago.It happened on one of our more interesting days. It was a 50-mile day, which is easy enough, but we were faced with a mountain between us and our destination. But even mountains aren’t a huge problem. What made it difficult were the gigantic rocks covering the road. We had to walk our bikes a mile and a half up to the top because we couldn’t ride over the rocks, only to discover that the downhill was a dirt road for two miles. So after our lunch stop, it was back to walking our bikes. It was during this slow-going decline, that I had the one of the most terrifying encounter in my life with the Bombus aggressiveness, more widely known as the common bumblebee.Yes that’s right, I’m talking about those fat little fellows you see pollenating your garden. Those big, round, happy things that just mind their own business as they tend to the flowers. I’m convinced this one was different. I think it was planning to kill me.It started its attack by flying straight into one of the vents on my helmet and pinning itself against my head and protective headgear. The vibrations of its angered attempt at flight caused me to drop my bike and throw the helmet off my head.“What is it? What’s wrong?” Greg, one of my teammates, asked.“There was a bee in my helmet.” I shrieked.“How do you know that?”“Because I felt it buzzing in my hair!” I stand there trying to calm myself down from the sudden encounter. It’s no big deal, really. My grandparents keep bees, and my grandpa would tell me, “Bees are some of the most curious creatures in the world. They’re not gonna hurt you, they’ll just fly up, take a good look, and fly off on their business. They’ll only get ya if you threaten the hive.” Well, I didn’t see a beehive around, so I have nothing to fear, right?Wrong. Within seconds, I hear its angry buzzing, the sound of its thorax muscles vibrating at 200 times per second, faster than any nerve cell can fire. The insect circles my head, and I dance around, trying to rid myself of the pest. It lands on my leg, I brush it away. It flies by my ear and I swat at it. The buzzing stops. Great, it’s gone. Nope. I look down at my hand to see the little booger burying itself under my glove. I let out a squeal of panic as I tear my glove off my hand.“It’s in my glove.” I scream, stomping on my blue Pearl Izumis. I hear the buzzing again.Elyssa calls out, “I don’t see it. Are you sure it’s still around?” How could they not see it?! It was everywhere. I’d turn to my side, and there it was, just chilling on my hip. I swat at it and it disappears, but the buzzing continues. I blink, and it’s burrowing into my other glove. That one gets torn off to join its sister on the ground. The buzzing continues. I tear my hat off and swing it around blindly in an attempt to knock the bee out of its flight. Maybe I’m going crazy. Yeah, that’s it. There is no bumblebee. I’m just hallucinating. The heat must have gotten to me, and now I’ve dancing like a lunatic, running back and forth in a wild attempt to rid myself of this imaginary insect, as my teammates watch with incredible confusion. I just need to calm down. I come to a standstill and take several deep breaths. No buzzing. I laugh to myself. Wow, what an idiot I was. I continue to laugh as I put my hat back on my head. There, right in the brim of the hat, was that demonic bumblebee. It turns to face me and says, “’Sup bro.”I shriek. It’s a shriek that belongs to a victim of a gruesome murder. Its sound bounces of the rocks around me. I throw my hat as far as I can and take off sprinting in the opposite direction down the hill, still laughing maniacally. I swing my arms around, blindly flailing at the winged terror that assaults my eardrums with its incessant buzzing. There it is again on my arm. I start running yet again, this time uphill. I’m running in circles. I begin to slow, my energy drained from the three minute long panic attack. My soul shatters. I’m done. I give up. This bee can have whatever it wants. I’m too exhausted and destroyed to take another step. Tears begin to fall and I stop, lie on the ground, pull my knees to chest, put my arms around my head, curl up in a ball and begin to shake. Any respect or dignity I had is gone. I’ve lost the game. I’ve been reduced to a sobbing, curled up shell of a person because of this bumblebee. Somewhere, I hear the sound of shoes on gravel, but I don’t have time to process what that means. I’m too busy flinching from each crescendo of buzzing as the bee circles around my head. I hear a quiet smack.“There, I got it. It’s okay Rebekah. It’s gone.” Greg says, trying to calm me down.“Is it dead?” I manage to cry out between sobs.“Yeah. It’s dead. It’s right there, see?” I look between my fingers at the small body lying in the dirt. There it was, lifeless, harmless, and insignificant. “It was a slow bee.” He adds.I sniffle, stand up, and try to pull myself together. I walk over, still hyperventilating, to pick up my things. I pick my bike off the ground, turn to my teammates, and say, “Let’s go.”It’s another ten minutes before I can laugh about it. It’s stupid. I was destroyed by bumblebee. I know I’m never going to live this down. And I had done so well the past fifty days. I had been strong; I had climbed mountains without a complaint, fought my way through fierce headwinds, and earned the respect of my teammates. And now, that image had been destroyed, all thanks to a single bumblebee. I know God has a way of keeping me humble, but I often wish it wasn’t in such embarrassing ways.
Racing Across the Salt Flats
Today, the team had an early wake up to get a jump on our 95 mile day from Grantsville to Wendover, UT. Despite the long distance, the flat terrain and tailwinds made the day relatively easy. Towards the end of our trip, we passed through the Bonneville Salt Flats, made famous by the land speed records broken there. With the recent rain, the water and salt looked like ice and snow. Since this is new territory in I4K history, everyone is excited to be the first ones to experience it. We’d like to thank ABC Pastries and Richard Schuh for providing dinner for the team tonight. We’d also like to thank Wendover High School for hosting us this evening. The team is excited to see what Nevada, our second to last state, has to throw at us!