Day 79

Seventy nine days down, 2 to go.

The end is closing in on us far quicker than I ever imagined. I looked at a map today and saw how far into California and how close we are to Santa Cruz now. My jaw hit the floor and I nearly started crying right then and there.

The ride from Davis to Brentwood was about 80 miles and was filled with surprises. Before we left we finally succeeded at doing a Captain America-esque cheer that Brynne made up when we were in Ontario. It set the tone for a great day ahead of us.

When we were given our cue sheets we noticed something different from anything we had ever seen. Sarah had inserted on the directions that we would be taking a ferry across the channel a little over halfway through the ride. She also added in there a cryptic message about how that means nobody would be getting every single inch of the trip as a joke.

When we rolled out I left with a large group again. None of us wanted to miss out on time with one another do we jut left all together. The first part of the ride I spent mostly up front with Kate, Brandon, and Sarah. We spent a fair portion of the beginning on a bike path. Soon though we got on a beautiful road that was great for riding on. There were cyclists everywhere.

At one point I started going a little faster and began to lose the group, but Paul caught up to me fairly quickly. Eventually, Kate, Jackson, and Sarah caught us as well. Kate needed to pee A few miles down the road so we took a break in the shade. Jackson then noticed he had a slow leak and pumped his tire. Just as we were getting back on our bikes I felt something weird I my front wheel. It was flat. I couldn’t just go a few days without having a flat. It’s simply not possible.

While I was changing it, multiple groups passed us. Then, a woman stopped and asked if we needed any assistance. Apparently, she lived just down the road and owns a bike shop. However, by now I have become a complete expert in all things involving flat tires. I know slow leaks, explosions, pinch flats, and even punctures so I needed no help.

I quickly changed it and we rode the next few miles into lunch. I was feeling extremely antsy while we ate so at the first mention of my group leaving I jumped up and was ready to go. I took off so quickly that I lost my group without realizing it, but when I did notice I kept going. I had been feeling emotionally overwhelmed by the thought of everyone leaving to go home so I just needed some time to compose myself.

Unfortunately, I also ended up taking a wrong turn because of that and rode probably an extra 5 or so miles. When I found out I needed to turn around I had no idea if I was still ahead or if I was behind the group. So I rode hard assuming they weren’t all that far behind me and ended up going the correct way. Luckily, I was correct and caught them within the next 10 miles or so.

It was around mile 50, I believe, that we came upon the ferry. The channel looked fairly calm, and my body was beginning to get over heated. So, as we had discussed earlier, Paul and I decided to swim t and send our bikes over in the ferry. We weren’t sure if it was allowed so we asked one of the men who worked on the boat if it was ok. He said that the current was pretty strong. All I heard by that was it is legal. So I said great, and threw my jersey and helmet over to someone to watch. Then, Jackson, Lauren, Matt, Paul, and I went to find a place to get into the water. We attempted to read the current, so we walked a bit upstream on the hot blacktop without shoes on so that we wouldn’t have to fight the current the whole time we were swimming. We walked through a rocky, burr-y, possibly snake filled tall grass to get to the water. I climbed over the drift wood and submerged my overheated body in to the perfect chilly water. It was the easiest open water swim I’ve ever done. At one point though it felt like we weren’t going anywhere.

It put everything into perspective when we realized that the ferry had made it to the other side in the amount of time it took for us to just get to the water line. Many people waited for us on the other side. I walked out of the water with a huge grin on my face. It was absolutely a high for my week.

The last part of the ride was a little hairier. Kate got a flat from a 2 inch nail driving into her tire, which was nearly impossible to pull out. I lost my phone when it popped out of my pocket during a bumpy part of the ride (luckily Paul spotted it and Brandon went to grab it for me). We went up a giant bridge, and finally descended down into Brentwood.

When we arrived at the host we all crashed. I passed out instantly. Then, I woke up to my mom texting me that she was outside the church. Just as I stood up to find her I heard Stewart screaming my name. Apparently, she had wandered inside and he stumbled into her. She handed me memory cards for my camera and a ton of avocados.

Maria, Nate, and Elle had just woken up so we all piled into the sedan and went to Starbucks and Jamba Juice. It was like a mini vacation. Then, just as we were leaving I got a text from Kate saying “WHY DIDN’T YOU WAKE ME UP????” I guess she really wanted to see my mom. In fact she even had a dream about her while we were gone.

When we it back it was time to put out laundry, inventory the trailer, and almost dinner time. We did our last dinner presentation when we finished eating. It was a strange feeling. It was the beginning of the end.

When trailer crew returned from laundry we all joined together in our final town hall circle. The warm fuzzy bag was completely full, which was a first. Alyssa had even written one to every single person. I started to lose control when the highs and lows got started. Tears rolled down my face as I reflected on my last week. I had so many highs and so few lows. Definitely taking the bypass riding into Cassel, swimming the channel, and star gazing in mineral topped the charts for my highs. My low was definitely one of the lowest lows I had for the trip. I had come into the trip thinking I’d take every opportunity to grab life by the balls and when I missed going to the water fall the day riding into Chico. I sat there alone on the side of the road waiting for my friends and realized how incredibly lonely I am going to be in just a few days.

When we finished highs and lows we read every last warm and fuzzy. Britt then finished the meeting with a letter she wrote to us. It was beautiful and wise. That little woman has in fact climbed every mountain and then proceeded to bomb down the other side. She’s a beautiful person that I would follow anywhere.

We then went to bed in a large cuddle puddle. I laid between Sarah and Britt as we tried to decide what song needed to be played on the second to last day. There were many songs thrown around. Some sad, some ridiculous, but we decided on Good Riddance. I went to bed happy and sad simultaneously. It just can’t be over yet, but I’m overjoyed by every experience I’ve shared with my new family. I’m madly in love with each and every one of you.