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Day 2. Vacaville, CA to Davis CA.Yesterday: Day 1. San Francisco, CA to Vacaville, CA.Tomorrow: Day 3. Davis, CA
Synopsis
It's really about the people. Today's route was only 30 miles, but the 30 miles took me into Davis, California which I understand has the highest number of bikes per capita in the U.S. Along today's ride, I passed several cyclists, each of whom had lots of questions to ask about where I was heading... One guy in particular rode side-by-side with me (as did one yesterday, whom I forgot to mention...) and chatted about the route I was taking and how they had become inspired when they saw me lugging the gear up the side of a hill before riding to catchup with me to chat... I was out the motel door around 8.30 this morning after *trying* to hit the road earlier.... I was definitely sore this morning and still feeling dehydrated and hungry. Finally after getting plenty of sleep I hit the road. I made it a point to roll out of Vacaville verrry slowly so as to let my legs get blood moving through them before needing to do too much work.. Flush that lactic acid, baby. Clean up the scar tissue baby.. Nice. Today's route saw me move from the wine-countryesque hills and into the pancake flat farmlands of California's Central Valley. 2.5 hours later I rolled into Davis on dedicated bike paths for the last 4 or so miles (they appreciate there cyclists here, indeed!). Rolling into town at 11am, my motel room was not yet ready. This minor predicament lead me to a local cafe, where I sat outside eating my sandwiches next to the bike.... which prompted a TON of people to stop to chat. In the 3 or so hours I sat there, I told the story a half-dozen times to different people. One women gave me her phone number (in case I need help) and her address (to send her postcards). Another woman with her two curious children had a ton of questions and all 6 of their eyes were filled with excitement... ...and regardless of how hard I tried to resist, the women shoved a $20 bill in my hand and said "when you get to the grand canyon, lunch is on us... just remember Davis". These are the stories that make up bike touring. Unbelievable. Just two days and many turns in the saddle, I am quickly realizing how major of a role navigation plays in bike touring. The trek is not as easy as just hopping on the interstate and driving until the sign says to exit. With the help of the Adventure Cycling maps, I have been able to eliminate the need of mapping out the route myself, but executing the route definitely takes some concentration.... and as you might guess, mistakes can be costly (measured by hours in the saddle....). It certainly is not comparable to back-country hiking, but the attention needed for navigation makes the journey just a bit more interesting. The wobble of the rear rack yesterday was no big deal. It turns out that one of the 3 hooks on one of the rear panniers had come unattached at some point which lead to a bit of an instability and wobble. All was well on today's ride with this. I just need a shifting tuneup and a little oil in the front brake to further reduce the occasional drag that I have been noticing. After starting today's ride very slowly, the hamstrings definitely loosened up, so no worries there. My only concern is with the saddle, but a little chamois cream and a little time and all should be well. Maybe that was too much information. It is funny how quickly things can change. Just this morning I was aching and not sure of myself. Once I was on the bike for about 20 minutes and my legs were warmed-up, this attitude changed completely. There is no better place to be but on my bike in the countryside. Most likely will stay in Davis another day to rest-up, get the bike tuned up a bit, and to visit the post office to mail a few things back already (if i find that i actually need them, i will buy them later...).
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