This is Jess here. My first blog post- I'm not too sure of the timing of the ride but we are flying thru our ride. We have spent this week in Nevada and will soon be in Utah tomorrow. We have had an amazing ride so far. I can't believe the generosity of the people we have met along the way- the Rotary club at Laguna Beach, the Jewish Community Center, the Pasadena neighborhood, Mimi, Barstow Community college. Even though it is still in the early stages of the ride, we have had a couple adventures already. My personal favorite was the Tecopa sandstorm- the 20-30 mph windstorms that rattled and battered our tents. We had tacos for dinner that night but it tasted a lot like sand.

I uploaded some pics of our Jimenez adventure- it was this Mexican restaurant @ Barstow. We walked in famished and tired into a restaurant filled with stuffed animals. Every hunted animal I could think of- deer, boar, bear, coyote. The food was slathered with grease and salad dressing but it was delicious/memorable.

This whole ride, I haven't been able to think of a better way to take in the beauty of this country than on a bicycle. My college graduation, my friend gave a talk to the senior class about his four years. About how much he had learned, how much fun he had. His biggest regret was not cherishing and enjoying the journey. I started the ride with the idea that I would not try racing ahead each day on my rides but taking a comfortable pace to talk with other riders and see the scenery. I've been able to have been able to tag along with some great riders. 

Edit: We had a slight hiccup today on the ride. Weather.com showed a balmy 50's in Alamo NV but failed to mention that it would be a steady downstream of rain + snow in the mountains. After conferring with everyone, Team C had to sweep up riders and scoop them up into vans to bus them to Panaca. The snow and sleet on the road made conditions dangerous for the climb and descent on the mountain. Currently staying @ the Volunteer Fire Department. Shout out to Ken- the nicest, most friendly man I've ever met, for cooking us a feast tonight and letting us stay at the firehouse.