mount doom

aka sonora pass. 

I know we are only a week in, but sonora's climb might end up as the most singular experience of the trip for me. mentally, physically, spiritually - it was a moment in my life I will never forget. 

the morning started out with yet another unanticipated (for lack of a better word) "problem" (these things can, and almost always will, happen on a bike adventure of this length, and so there not really "problems" per se, but just another part of the trek). the o-ring on my bike pump started to go, and wouldn't hold pressure into the tire. perhaps we just happened to be in pinecrest where there just happened to be a general store that just happened to have the right size o-rings (picture a 3/4" diameter rubber ring  about the width of a wedding band). I don't think all of that just "happened", but I'll leave the decision up to the readers. 

our first few hours were a glorious roller coaster of Sierra Nevada vistas and climbs. top speeds were around 40mph. the air was clear, getting cooler with each foot of elevation gain, and we saw our first clouds (non-forest-fire clouds, that is) in more than a week, which provided a luxurious shade when the giant redwoods and pines alongside of the road weren't as thick. 

a quick stop in Kennedy Meadows brought Laura, Heidi & Carter into our life, who recommended we look up Laura's sister in Lee Vining the next day on our way down from sonora (more on this encounter later, and how the Lord used it to spark a chain of events that lead to an unforgettable night just outside Nevada). Kennedy Meadows was that sleepy, old wooden town you'd always imagined would be nestled somewhere in a range like the Nevadas, and wouldn't mind being snowed in for a week or two if a storm so happened to roll through the pass. good company and good food. 

right outta Kennedy we hit sonora's first ascent. casual and serious bikers listen up: you probably have ridden a bike before with gears that shift so low you wonder why in the world someone would ever want to ride that slow. at the start (and finish) of sonora, I learned just how pivotal the difference between 1-2 and 1-1 on my gear set could be. 

the ascent was nothing less than a once-in-a-lifetime surreal journey, through breathtaking mountain passes (pun goes out to my bro Dave). no one makes it up that pass without prayers, songs of praise at every slightly-less-steep segment, and a full-on mental and physical determination that transcends what I thought I was capable of. 

you start to hit "zones". times when you can't believe your legs and heart are still going but they are. you can't stop, so you start singing and making up songs as you slog up the winding pass. 

your head stays up. sonora is chocked full of views you'll get nowhere else. even when a mountain thunderstorm takes you at 8000ft up, you are in awe of your surroundings (and grateful for the natural "cool down") and it becomes a catalyst to reach the pinnacle. 

can't say whether the start or the finish was the most challenging. both were around 27% grade (I think, mark will know for sure). if that's tough to imagine, picture your car. now tie a rope to your car and put it around your waist. find a hill you'd enjoy sledding on in the winter. now climb up to the top of that hill with your car in tow. twice. 

goodness, I almost think another blog is in order just for the descent. well, we made it to the top, donned some warmer gear and gloves, and bombed our way back down the backside at (often times) just as steep a grade as we climbed. a car brakes worst nightmare, and we gave out bikes' a few as well. 

hairpin turns, huge dips in and out of the rocky face of the mountain, long rolling stretches before we coasted to the plains below - was the climb worth it? I'm not telling (unless you ask me nicely), you'll just have to try it yourself someday. 

we'd hope to make it to Bridgeport on the other side of the pass by nightfall, but adrenaline and energy levels were starting to run low. we stealthed our first campsite just off the road behind some bushes, and after a quick dinner, slept beneath a sea of shimmering stars, the Milky Way in full swing doing its thing across the sky. 

another day, but a day unlike any other. thanks for your continued prayers - we've felt (and continue to feel) God leading us across this great nation, one pedal at a time. 

until next time,

may God hold you in the hollow of His hand

josh & mark

the lifecycle team