2010 July 6th:
Mark:
I didn’t sleep very well last night. The moon woke me up because it was so bright I thought that it was morning. I’m glad that it was only a quarter moon; it would have been a lot worse otherwise. I did wake up around 5:30am and I couldn’t go back to sleep. I got up only to realize that it was very cold outside. I checked the temperature with the bike and it was 41°F.
The mountains to the south were well lit by the sun already and the sky was clear. I stirred the embers a little to see if there was any fire left from last night. Some coals were still warm enough to get something going again. I went for a look around and found some more dead wood to burn. I put the wood on the fire and before too long the fire was ripping again.
I got the little stove fired up and started to boil some water for us to eat some instant oatmeal. It only took a couple of minutes and the water was boiling really strong. I poured some into the bowls with oatmeal and we ate it right away. We cleaned up the dishes and put everything away.
It took us quite a while to get everything packed and ready to ride. When we left we headed the same way we were going when we stopped and we rode for 62 miles before we came to another town. We were out in the boonies. We only saw two cars going the opposite direction and none going the way we were.
It was a beautiful morning and the lower in elevation we got the warmer it got. We found a Starbucks in Angels Camp California and stopped to charge the cameras and to post the blog. We didn’t have any power or internet or cell phone service where we camped. We spent about 90 minutes there and found this place to be a very happening spot. It seemed to me that everyone knew each other and were quite friendly.
Once the cameras were charged, we left and headed up to Lake Tahoe. Niko seemed very surprised when we reached a lookout point where we could actually see the lake. I don’t think he realized that it was that big. Everywhere we went it was crowded and the traffic was terrible. We drove around most of the lake and then turned to go toward Carson City Nevada.
We found a place to stay and cleaned up so that we could go to dinner. I forgot to zero out the trip odometer this morning so I don’t know how many miles we did today but between yesterday and today we had 520 miles. We have a long day planned for tomorrow with over 350 miles to ride, so I’m off to get some rest. Thank you and have a good night.
Niko:
This morning was bright; making the inside of the tent glow, but when I stepped outside it was very cold. I quickly dressed, then helped dad get the fire going. Once the coals started up some dry wood we threw on it, the place warmed a bit and we set out to make breakfast.
After boiling some fresh filtered water, we poured it into instant oatmeal and quickly ate it. Dad washed the dishes and pulled out beef jerky. I promptly put the jerky on the end of a stick and held it over the fire to heat. The jerky was hot, moist, and somewhat smoky.
We packed up and heavily doused the fire, brushed our teeth and took off for Lake Tahoe. The morning was chilly and only warmed as we dropped 5,000 feet in altitude.
There were some awesome corners I ground some peg on just before entering Angels Camp, CA. We stopped at the local Starbucks, which seemed to be the biggest thing for everyone in town. We waited for camera batteries to charge, and dad started a war on the flies. Together I think we nailed about nine flies.
We finally packed and moved out, and arrived in San Andreas. The town was quite small, and we turned early, so we were out as abruptly as we arrived. We kept seeing statues and other weird things in the fields on the way to Tahoe, for example: a statue of a pig dancing with a cow.
When we saw Lake Tahoe, I expected a different view. Fewer houses, snow on the bank, and no tourists. There was a ton of people and buildings there, and some people were swimming too. Almost every lakeshore home had a private pier and boat.
Soon enough, I just wanted out of California. The drivers were poor and we were here at the wrong time of year. But now, we passed the border, and the first thing that happened in Nevada for me was a red light. It was practically part of Tahoe city! Next thing, of course, was a casino. Amazing how every border crossing has gambling available.
We kept moving until we got to Carson City, at which we stopped at Wal-Mart for some cheap camping gear; a solar water/shower bag, small folding hacksaw, deet, freeze dried dinner, etc.
We passed up a ratty looking Days Inn and went for Holiday Inn Express just up the street from Days Inn. We ate dinner at “Mi Casa Too” and saved some in case I got hungry later. After my stomach settled, I went downstairs to relax in the hot tub and came back to shower and blog.
It’s 12:50, so good night, I have to sleep because dad set an alarm.