the west, orange juice & our new/old route into Yosemite

day two of riding brought us in and out of Tracy, CA in a way that we couldn't have planned if we tried: a great leg workout in the AM (getting up out of the valley) followed by our easiest stretch yet in the PM (long gentle downhills as Mark mentioned). God knows our strengths and weaknesses, and it's certainly a LOT easier to start strong and finish easy than vice versa (as we saw on day one).

just a few quick notes on our ride from Del Valle to Caswell. 

the west lives on. 

we rode through miles of dusty fields, each one anchored at one of its corners by a ramshackle house built piecemeal from metal scraps/siding/roofing with even more metal scraps, wheels, tractors, swingsets and rusty old trucks strewn about the front yard. life's different  out here, and I'm itching to get some local perspectives. 

orange juice overdose = cramps

drank half a gallon of that stuff at lunch and my hands were cramping up two hours later like you wouldn't believe. legs followed shortly after, but weren't as bad as the hands, and by then, I'd discovered my mistake and got plenty of good 'ole water in me instead. 

the LORD opens roads as well as doors. 

in a completely unanticipated turn of events, 120 (our original route into Yosemite, closed because of its proximity to the wildfires) is now OPEN! we couldn't be happier :) continuing to pray for Tioga Pass as well, which would allow us to bike over the Sierra Nevada mountains on what is arguably the most beautiful pass through to Nevada. even a few days ago we were sure a trip to Yosemite would mean backtracking and going up and around the forest fires. we're hoping that's no longer the case. 

thank you all for your support and prayers, may the wind be always at your back,

josh & mark

the lifecycle team