Day 63: Lee Vining, CA to Groveland, CA

• Distance: 77.80 mi
• Elevation: 5,584 ft
• Dedication: Uncle Tim
• Ride group: Santi, Jack, and Glenn
• Host: Groveland Evangelical Free Church

Today was a very atypical day from start to finish but was ultimately one of my favorite days of the trip. Our route went through Yosemite National Park (very, very cool) but we somehow didn’t realize until this morning that the vans would need to enter the park before 6 AM; otherwise they needed a permit which we didn’t reserve in time. So, the vans ended up rolling well before the team did, and, because a lot of people weren’t feeling up for the imposing 10-mile climb to start the day, we ended up doing a dedication circle with like 12 people. It felt very strange to have such a small group but we did it inside and Casey really brought the energy for our cheer so we were still pretty loud!

Whenever the vans leave early we inevitably leave something behind. Today that thing was Chase’s wheel (he’s planning on coming to San Francisco for arrival so we kept his bike). I ended up strapping it to my Camelbak and carrying it on my back to the first water stop. This was also easily our coldest ride of the trip. After weeks of wishing for shade we suddenly had plenty of it and didn’t want it! The lowest temperature I saw on my Garmin was 41º. We could see our breath, my light cycling jacket really wasn’t enough, and my shoes were still wet from yesterday’s ride so I was very chilly! Glenn ended up buying a sweatshirt at a gas station, where we saw a seagull in the parking lot– we are getting close to the coast!

The climb getting into the park through Tioga Pass was one of our most challenging of the trip, but it felt manageable. I’m finally starting to feel as good physically as I did before I got COVID which is a really good feeling. Although my legs and muscles felt good, my knees started to give me some trouble. I’ve had an achiness in the past but the climbing today really irritated my kneecaps so, with Casey’s help, I joined the ever-growing KT-taped knee club to help stabilize my kneecaps (I can only describe them as feeling loose or wobbly, which sounds strange I know). But, with all the uphills we had plenty of downhills, so this was definitely a rewarding ride and I was never really in pain. We had some gorgeous views of the mountains and lakes of Yosemite, which was a little rockier than Rocky Mountain National Park but still beautiful. I think it’s my favorite park of the trip!

After conquering the first climb we had a few rolling hills before our first water stop, which was next to an idyllic creek. Our groups were a little spread out so my group had plenty of time to enjoy snacks, nap, and simply sit and relax by the water.

From there we had a few more short climbs and more fun descents. As we were descending to our second water stop I got very unlucky and hit a bee stinger-first :( Thankfully I’m not allergic but my chest was burning for several minutes and I got a decent welt. Our stop was at a gas station in the park where I tried an It’s-It ice cream sandwich, a San Francisco staple! It was so good– like if an oatmeal cream pie and a Klondike bar had a baby.

As if the seagull and ice cream sandwich weren’t enough, we had another (much more blatant) reminder that we are getting close to our end destination, even if we did go in the opposite direction:

Our original route had us passing through Yosemite and directly to the host in Groveland, a route that would not take us through Yosemite Valley and the major landmarks there. The team agreed that the ride down into the valley would be much more worthwhile than the ride to Groveland, so we decided to ride down, enjoy the valley, and rack to Groveland from there. The descent down was pretty incredible in terms of views and only a little sketchy in terms of road quality. I ended up riding my brakes most of the way after hitting a few bumps that scared me. We also went through a few tunnels which were very cool but very dark!

It was so worth it, though– on the way down we got a glimpse of Half Dome and were then pleasantly cruised through the valley, past monumental rock formations including El Capitan (subject of the 2018 documentary Free Solo, which captured Alex Honnold’s incredible ascent without any ropes or harnesses) and a closer view of Half Dome.

We had little to no cell reception down in the valley so coordinating the team took forever but I thoroughly enjoyed the time we spent there. I grabbed some snacks from the gift shop and then biked a short ways over to a little beach on the Merced River with Santi and Glenn. Dan, MJay, and Greta joined us a little later for a cold but super refreshing swim.

After wrangling the team and making sure everyone made it in a van we drove out of the park and back to Groveland. This was one of our latest arrivals to a host so after a quick wipe shower and sink laundry session I was ready for bed! It was a happy day that made me appreciate the little moments:

• Fleeting whiffs of pine
• Feeling the sun’s warmth after a cold morning
• Drafting Glenn and Santi downhill at 30 mph for a few seconds (until I got freaked about being so close that fast and backed off lol)
• Sunset in the valley illuminating the rock walls and waterfalls
• Whooping in the tunnels to hear our echoes

Until tomorrow,

Lauren