Illini 4000

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Day 66: Klamath Falls, OR to Mt. Shasta, CA

***First, I want to make you aware of a separate post I made last night containing San Francisco Arrival Information. Please refer to it if you plan on meeting us on August 7th.Now, on to today! We are all very excited to be in California!Our ride was dedicated to Forrest Meyst, a friend of Mike, the owner of Yeti’s Lair, where we stayed last night. Forrest passed away this year from cancer, and he was a great man loved by many in Klamath Falls.We crossed into California around mile 16. We spent a lot of time there taking group and individual pictures. It was really fun to see everyone so excited, and we are all so proud of ourselves. I can’t imagine what it is going to be like actually crossing the Golden Gate Bridge!We had an amazing view of Mount Shasta almost all day. Steven described it as “Majestic.” It’s even taller than the Grand Tetons, and still has a lot of snow covering it.  The mountain is visible from 100 miles away in some areas. The hills were pretty big today, and it got warm, but we all pushed through and enjoyed our route. The first half of our ride was desert, but the second half is how I imagined northern California. Tall evergreens lined the road, and it felt like we were on a bike path. It was very pretty. We also got multiple donations from strangers today, which is always humbling and exciting.We all stopped in a town called Weed after lunch. I’ll admit that we were unsure about what to expect, but it is a nice little town with a small college. We all enjoyed coffee or milkshakes as well as some air conditioning for a bit.We are staying at Hope Community Church in Mount Shasta. We got dinner donated from Say Cheese Pizza and Round Table Pizza. Always a bonus to not have to cook dinner!So far, California is treating us well!DR