Biking For Wishes and Quest West: 06/12/11

Day 7

Woke up to a beautiful sunny morning in the 60's! I was sad to leave Sierra Hot Springs but need to keep moving down the road. Started the morning off patching my first flat tire and then started the big climb up the hill to Truckee. I saw several deer and biked alongside the Little Truckee River. Really enjoyed the beautiful weather and the fun downhill sections. After arriving in Truckee I headed for the Hampton Inn and Suites and checked into my donated suite. Thanks Hampton Inn!!! My room was awesome! After relaxing a little bit Ruth Geresy from the Truckee Chamber and California Visitor Center picked me up and took me to Zano's Family Italian and Pizzaria. I got to meet a really fun, kind, supportive group of people and had an excellent dinner! Thanks for the dinner Zano's, it was delicious!! I had a wonderful time meeting everyone and sharing stories, what a great group! After dinner Ruth gave me a nice tour of town and took me to an awesome viewpoint of the town and Donner Lake. I can't thank you enough for everything Ruth and the Truckee Chamber!!! Thanks so much for the room, dinner party, tour of town, all the gifts, raising $115 for Make-A-Wish, and making my stay in Truckee so wonderful! I will be back someday!

http://www.truckee.com/
http://www.hamptoninntruckee.com/
http://www.zanos.net/

Road leading out of the Sierra Hot Springs

Start of the first climb towards Truckee

Little Truckee River

Big White Fluffy's - my favorite kind of clouds! :)

Hampton Inn and Suites in Truckee

My awesome suite!

The super rad dinner party!

Nathan Keese, Me, and Jenny Geresy

Nathan and Jenny are both wish recipients for Make-A-Wish and super awesome people!

Jenny went on a shopping trip in New York City and Nathan is going to Disney World!

Group shot of me with my newest friends!

Me and Ruth with Diane, the owner of Zano's - thanks again for dinner Diane!

Ouside of Zano's with the chamber ladies

Awesome!

View of Donner Lake from high above

Still plenty of snow in the higher elevations

Day 8

Another beautiful sunny day in the 60's. After a really good continental breakfast at the Hampton Inn I go to meet Melody Rebbeck, the director of sales and marketing for the Hampton Inn. Thanks again so much for the suite Melody! On my way out of town I stopped at the Truckee California visitor center to say goodbye to my new friends. Ruth gave me even more gifts and we took a few more pictures before I started out the ride. Thanks again Ruth!! My ride was amazing today! Started off by biking down alongside the Truckee River and then hit an incredible bike trail that would lead me into South Lake Tahoe. At the start of the trail was Squaw Valley, hope of the 1960 Olympic Winter Games. It was an amazing place with all kinds of outdoor activities and things to do. I biked around the area for a little bit checking everything out and then proceeded down the bike trail. After a really nice ride I reached Tahoe City on Lake Tahoe. The lake was so beautiful, even better than I imagined! I found a nice Mexican restaurant where I sat outside and watched all of the action. The town was busy with people biking, shopping, and just out enjoying the beautiful weather. I got lucky too, the bartender made a mistake and I got a free margarita, woohoo! My next stop in town was Olympic Bike Shop. I met with one of the owners and he gave me half off of a tire which I needed to replace. Thanks so much Olympic Bike Shop! I started riding down the lake and made several stops to take in the amazing views. I met several very kind people including Eagle Bear and Joel Fleishman. I stopped and talked with Eagle Bear for a while, a very kind, positive, and wise fellow. Joel offered to show me a back route into South Lake Tahoe so I wouldn't have to ride down the busy highway as much, thanks Joel! While biking down the lake I came into Emerald Bay State Park. Wow, what a beautiful place!!! The views were incredible and there was a giant waterfall leading down into the lake. I could have spent hours here but daylight was going away and I still had some miles ahead of me. After riding into town with Joel I arrived to the Horizon Casino where I planned to stay for the night. The casino donated an amazing jacuzzi suite to me on the 12th floor overlooking Lake Tahoe! Thank you so much Horizon Casino, my stay was excellent!!! Also, thank you so very much Tahoe Chamber for helping me get such an amazing suite! After checking my bike ( first time I have done that ) I headed up to my room and relaxed on the balcony and watched the sunset over the lake. Awesome! Headed to the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner and then went back to the room to soak in the jacuzzi. What a great day/night!!!

http://www.olympicbikeshop.com/

http://www.tahoechamber.org/

http://www.horizoncasino.com/