MY Cause

I said i was at a crossroad and i mean it, both figurativley and literally. I am in Sacramento very near the heart of California, home is to the north, but San Francisco is southwest. The couple I'm staying with have been really good to me in so many ways. They have even arranged a ride home in a week if i want to take it, but i don't know. If i really do want to push for my cause I need to make my move right now. There are several Universities on my path at this point and i plan to turn to them for help...or at least some credibility. If i can get a university to help me create more pamphlet's then I think i could get a few schools (elementary or middle) to let me talk to a few classrooms about the importance of biking and good health. I've noticed by now that people look at me with a measure of respect, admiration even, when they find out what i have done and what i plan to do. I would really like to be a role model for kids. I was never really much of a cyclist until a few months ago. I was a rickshaw driver but not much more than a month. It was a very recent turn of events that lead me down this path, but i think i've been making it just fine. I'd like to inspire kids to wonder what they could achomplish and try to convice them to consider biking even when they get old enough drive. If i can get a few schools to take me seriously then I'd really like to consider doing a trip like this again.

The Stand

At the moment I am staying with the couple I met at the Border Inn. I find myself at an interesting crossroad. Zane decided that it was a mistake to ask me to come with him and now he wants to finish the ride alone. He left me in a tough spot finacially as the only thing he gave me as we split was half a tube fix kit and $10 for a new bike pump. He said i was strong enough get home on my own, so he headed off so San Fransisco on his own. I'll be honest, several times now I have considered a physical solution to my problems (beating some sense into him) because well...I think it would have been justified. But 2 things stopped me from even getting that angry. One is the preservation of our friendship. Zane is a damn fool in a couple of regards, but he is an honest and mostly decient fool. If things really started going south for me I know he'd have my back. Secondly i think he is right, i can get home on my own, the question is how? Maybe the more important question ,for me anyway, can I do it with dignity? I feel i own it to myself and to those who supported me.

Division

We ended up rushing past Lake Tahoe without stopping to swim. It's a beautiful place but, i had the downhill slope of the sierra nevada's on my mind. We climed the last real peak we had to deal with and rode on down a very big hill. We spent the night on the outskirts of shingle springs. When we headed out in the morning Zane was in a foul mood because his gear kept failing. When an opportunity came he decided to ditch me...Not too much off a problem, but an irritation for me because he has alll the bike repair tools. We ended up riding seperatly all the way to Sacramento. When we got there Zane decided to throw me for a loop.

A Change of Scenery

A Major premice behind this trip was to advocate biking while on the road. When i was biking through the desert, i have to admit it was the last thing on my mind. A few days ago however we we finally reached "civilized" land. I've been questioning my motives, did i really want to convice people to ride their bikes? Well that is a lot of what my pamphlet is about and i ment what i had written. At any rate i decided to put it off until we reached California. Zane and enjoyed some Obama funded pizza in Carson City (the only city in Nevada i think i really liked.) Around this point in time i could tell that the tension was rising between Zane and myself.