Not So Awful August #20

(If you haven't read my previous blog, go do that now, everything from here will make a lot more sense!) So it might sound all doom and gloom out here on the bike but it isn't that bad really. Firstly all the bike shops I went into were so nice to me, after laughing at me a bit, they were very happy to help and offer advice about where I was going and what to expect. Over Lassen Pass (pictured above) I met a really nice guy from Argentina who just rides around for 3/4 of the year then works winters in Spain! He was so nice and funny though so he rode with me and cheered me up a lot. I didn't climb the 8,500 feet of Lassen as they were redoing the road so I did 1,500 feet in the back of a pick up! Then during the 7/8 attacks the neighbours were so nice and caring, they totally looked after me like they were my parents which was so nice. They even offered to drive me to catch up! 

After I left I had a long day and ended up at the bottom of a HUGE hill just staring at it not having the energy to cycle up to the campsite at the top. Then out of nowhere, a jeep appeared with the two nicest people ever! They had cycled across country on a tandem before and were planing to go from Mexico to Canada soon. They (Andy and Kim) let me sleep on their back porch on a mattress staring at the stars, it was so nice! They even got me breakfast in the morning from a great little bakery! 

Next, at Lake Tahoe, there was no where to stay so I was just going from campsite to campsite until a guy grabbed me and said I could share his spot with his family! It was a total life saving moment and I was getting a little worried! A camp fire, food and conversation, so nice! Then a few days after I met a woman just starting here ride across country, ended up having an amazing meal together in this restaurant that did a 14oz burger! (Ate the whole thing plus all the extras...)

 

 

So people really have been the saviours for me and gave me just enough to keep going. It has been a really hard time out here but messages from home and amazing people out here have really made the difference! Not going to lie, defiantly better looking back on it instead of being in it! 

I have a video about all of this so go check it out on my YouTube channel!

Awful August #19

August (well at least parts of it) sucked! Started off on the 1st with my rear tyre literally exploding in the middle of no where! The tyre had a bike hole in it and I had no real way to get it fixed. I ended up using the now broken inner tube as a tyre liner and then the magical duct tape which ended up allowing me to ride for 30 miles with no punctures! It did give in in the end just before getting in to a campground at about 10:30pm, not an enjoyable day! 

The next day I got a new tyre and went on my way and got a nice campsite in the woods. Decided to have a rest day the next day to stock up and relax. Went into town to get some food and the ATM didn't let me get anymore cash out so I only got the essentials. Took it back the 5 miles to my campsite, when I got back I noticed I had an email saying I had my bank account locked as they thought it was fraud! After some frantic emails home to try to get my parents to put money on my phone so I could call the bank to unlock my account. As it was about to be sorted, battery died... Back again into town to get some power, an hour later I finally got it sorted and able to buy more food then cycled back to my campsite (20 miles cycled on a "rest" day). When I got back to camp, in the rush to get some phone power I left my newly purchased food out, the squirrels and birds had helped themselves... Fantastic.

I moved on from the camp and about 2 days later I came into a camp and got talking to the neighbours who felt sorry for me that I didn't have much food so they invited me over for chicken tacos, which tasted amazing. At 1:30am, they decided to fight back... I have never been as ill as I was that night! It is now known as the 7/8 attacks! The next day I had to stay at the camp as I could not eat anything or even stay awake for more than an hour. I had to push myself to get going the day after so I wouldn't be behind. That day I was okay, but they say after I really slumped again and was really worried. After a 12 hour sleep and another easy day of riding I was okay and in need of some food! Blueberry pancakes and bacon, is anything better! 

Then passing through Sacramento, my front bag struck a speed bump and bent the front rack an insane amount! A bike shop with a very creative mechanic with a lot of tape and zip ties straighten it out so I was able to keep going. I kept going but managed to hit almost every thorn in Northern California so ran out of tubes about 3 miles from San Fran... Another bike shop allowed me to make it the rest of the way! 

San Fran was really good apart from trying to cut my own thumb in half with my knife that I spent too much time sharpening! (Not clever Ross!)

Then as I left San Fran I noticed that my rear rack had snapped totally off the bolt and was now basically useless! Another bike shop and a new rear rack... 

That all leads me to now and I don't want to jinx it so I think I will just leave it there and not say anything at all!