A 10,000+ mile self-contained bicycle journey of the U.S.A., Canada, and Mexico Raising funds and awareness for the forgotten children of Ghana, West Africa
and the dreaded Malaria that constantly threatens their lives.
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 DAY ONE: (California) Central Valley to CopperopolisMiles: 53 • Start elevation: 50 ft. • Ending elevation: 971 ft. • Temp. 104F
I'm like a kid before Christmas prior to each and every bicycle journey, and this was no exception. In fact, the anticipation was even worse. You see, I had originally planned to start in mid-May, and had routed out a much larger journey than what actually took place, so I was eager to hit the road by our July 13 start date. The bike, my vintage 1983 Specialized Expediton, had been tuned-up and the panniers mostly packed for a couple of months in expectation of the earlier start date.
It was a bright, clear morning as I wheeled my hundred-pound steed out the door. The temperature was in the mid-60s, but promised to heat up to the triple digits. Almost immediately, as I silently pedalled out to the edge of town and into the rural orchards, I could feel a sense of calm come over me. As I rode past the familiar farm land I looked around at their beauty as if viewing the scene for the first time. I wasn't more than ten miles out and already the thirst of my soul was being quenched by the wonder and beauty of creation.
It was a mostly flat warm-up ride to the tiny village of Farmington, on Hiway 4. I paused for a little while and chatted with Sue, the keeper of the General Store. She shared that the old store had been used a number of times in some of Hollywood's films. After a few pictures of my own, I headed east on Hiway 4 toward the Sierra-Nevada Mountains.
I was now riding the roller-coaster terrain of the Sierra foothills—and the temperature was already approaching 100F degrees. This section of California is marked by mile after mile of rolling golden fields with a few Live Oak trees scattered in for contrast. There is also quite a bit of granite outcropping that juts up through the earth for added variation. It's all very nice to look at. But, these golden foothills are famously steep, and began to test my strength and stamina. The afternoon sun was really bearing down, trying it's best to roast me on this first day of the trip. I spotted a grove of the Live Oak trees off to the right, so I pulled off the road to refresh myself under their branches. I leaned the loaded bike up against one of the trees and decided to sit down beside another. After leaning back on its trunk and munching on a Cliff Bar, suddenly I noticed little stinging bites all over! I jumped up, my arms flailing, frantically trying to get the red ants off of my body. They were everywhere! I must have looked like a mad man as I was jumping and swinging my arms about! My peaceful rest under the oak trees had been pretty much ruined, so I continued up the road.
Copperopolis is an old mining town from the mid-1800s, and still maintains much of that flavor. The temperature was now 104F when I pulled into town and I knew it would continue all up hill from there on. There was no apparent place to camp, so I asked one of the local folks if there was a place to stay nearby. He was busy dipping ice cream for a young boy, but offered that the "Old Corner Saloon" on Main Street had rooms to rent above the bar. I had been just a modest 53 miles, but I was feeling the heat and thought I'd look into it.
Well, it seems that the Old Corner Saloon is the second oldest working bar in the state of California—being established in 1861. Sure enough, I was able to secure a room above the restaurant/bar, in what was, in the mining days, the bordello! Definitely a first for me!
You can view the photo album here. |
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