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!