Day 2: Margarita Shots and Cornhole

Waking up to the tantalizing shrieks of a crow outside our tent may have been the best way to put our trip in perspective: After twelve hours of biking and a seemingly impossible 100 miles completed, we still had 4347 to go.

So with heavy hearts and the thoughts of a warm breakfast cooked by mom on our minds, we saddled up and began our day’s journey to Folsom, California (45 miles away from camp). The route took us through downtown Sacramento and we crossed the Tower Bridge, taking a nice group photo while waiting for the drawbridge to fall. After enjoying a great view of the palace of efficiency that is the Capitol Building of California, we made a left turn on Front Street, passed through Old Sacramento, and found ourselves on the scenic American River Bike Path that would prove to be our home for the next 30 miles.

Following the river up through Lake Natoma, we found ourselves cruising along winding pathways and gazing into the natural American beauty that Jason only dreamed about from his bedroom window in Manhattan. The trail picked us up in Sacramento, teased us alongside happy-go-lucky teenagers rafting down the river, and spit us out just 3 miles from our day's rest stop at the Garton residence.

From 3:00pm until 6:30am, Michael & Donna Garton gave us a home -- not just a shelter, but a family. From the minute they met our team of seven strangers, we were embraced with food, our own beds, and the warm hug of a loving mother. Mr. Garton went as far as to call a friend at Bicycles Plus where we received friendly, all-encompassing service on our bruised egos and beat up bikes. Going again above and beyond, Mrs. Garton cooked the perfect dinner with enough food to outlast even Zane's appetite. Cornhole (a backyard bean bag tossing game of sorts) is the family sport of the Garton's, and even after a day of gratitude, the two Midwestern riders, Kristen and Shane, felt no shame in showing the Californian's how to really play the game. A night of laughs quickly wound down to birthday pie for Kristen (yes, we checked her birth certificate to make sure she was actually 22), magic tricks by Mike, and the dismay of the gathered family and friends in realizing that the "Margarita Shots" we packed we're simply Clif Energy Gummies and had a Tequilla content of 0%.

"We brought you into this home and love helping you all along your journey because we believe in what you are doing." As the day started with perspectives, the day ended the same. We we're just two days into our excursion, but somehow we had already taken a snapshot of the pure, innate love and beauty that resounds through this land and the citizens that call it home.