Paul's Day 3 Summary

Happy Summer Solstice-
I was please to hear we would have over 15 hours of daylight- I thought I might need every minute of it to get to Alturas.
We started the day by meeting with Gary Jones, Modoc County Superintendent. It was a pleasant surprise when we walked into the office and the support staff greeted us with , "You are HERE!. We were just looking at the blog!"
I first met Gary when he was Principal at Tulelake Lake High School. Tuleleake has always been on the cutting edge with the use of technology, and a large part of the district's success has been the support they receive from the administration. Commitment, Creativity, and Technical Knowledge exist in a symbiotic partnership. The infrastructure, programs, and staff make it a great place for students to learn.
We had a great discussion about what CTAP is doing, the services and products the CTAP Region 2 Ride for Resources will provide to Modoc, and also about the roads to Tulelake.
The more we talked, the more I got excited and energized. Gary was talking about how it is the "people" that make things happen up here. It is the collaboration, the friendships, and the trust that we put in each other to get the job done. Thanks, Gary for the support.
About 8:45 we rolled east out of Alturas. My biggest concern would be riding directly into the wind- but so far it was calm.
The terrain was rolling hills for the first 20 miles to Canby. Legs were getting loose and the wind hadn't materialized yet. BUT I wasn't taking anything for granted.
After a short break in Canby we headed north towards Tulelake and the Oregon Border on Highway 139.
I went about 1/2 a mile when I pulled over to the side and looked at the sign- NEXT SERVICES 46 MILES. A flashback of part of Day 2 rolled through my mind. Checking water bottles, tires, and my sanity, I started up the road. Yes UP, again. Surprisingly, the climbs didn't feel too bad. A few miles into it I felt the wind come through the gap- or at least i thought I did- and swore it was getting warmer. In reality there was only a little breeze compared the 30 MPH gusts I was beaten with yesterday. The temperature was in the low 80s. The hills not nearly as long or steep as the prior days.
I was forced into the car by roadwork- but only for one mile.
I continued riding over rolling hills through some beautiful landscape. The forest area had suffered from a devastating fire in 1996. Over 40,000 trees had been replanted and were in various stages of growth. The road was in good shape. Traffic somewhat light.
There was a break in the trees to my left and I saw my first glimpse of Mt. Shasta. It is magnificent- even from a long distance away.
I couldn't believe I felt so good. We were over half-way and the day was young.
More forest and then high desert-like conditions. Lava Beds National Monument was off to my left- a little too far for a detour. As the tree cover lessened the wind did increase.
I kept riding- watching for Gene- who was leapfrogging me about seven or eight miles at a time. I didn't need to stop as much and new that Tulelake was in range.
We didn't have good cell connections so we couldn't upload very frequently.
I was riding into the wind when I saw the small town of Newell appear... we were close.
Tulelake was less than 10 miles out.
The sound of wind in my ears was frustrating. Combined with the invisible force pushing against you it makes flat ground worse than hills. I could see Tulelake in the distance.
Neither gene nor I could believe it was only 2:30 when we arrived.
We celebrated with a greasy hamburger and fries and took some photos. I also took the opportunity to purchase some of that amazing Tulelake Horseradish- it's delicious.
While we were eating I came up with the idea of riding "Summer Solstice Bonus Miles." Every mile after Tulelake was a bonus- the more I could ride today, the less I would have to ride on Sunday. So we pushed on westward.
Riding into a now much stronger wind and directly into the sun I began to think I may have made an error in judgement--- so it was time for distraction. We were riding on Stateline Road which runs directly along the border between California and Oregon. The north lane is in Oregon, the south lane is in California. So I amused myself- when trucks weren't coming- by running a slalom course between the strips. California, Oregon, California, Oregon.... and so on... and so on.. and so on... I did this for a total of 1000 turns... 500 in Calif... 500 in Oregon... Gene was even brave enough to stand in the road and video tape it.
We were now traveling west through the Tulelake Wildlife Refuge. Amazing views and and vantage points to observe the wildlife in the area. Gene took many photos while I kept pushing into the wind.
We decided to call it a day when we arrived in the town of Dorris. I was pleased we did the "bonus stretch", but I was wiped out. The additional bonus miles put me right around 100 miles for the day- and placed us close enough to Yreka that we could drive to Gene's house for a night at "home" before leaving for San Francisco today.
We are almost half-way! Though I feel it- I still can't believe it. I am still excited about bringing more resources to CTAP Region 2.
Day 1: 151
Day 2: 105
Day 3: 100