Let's Get This Party Started

Sunday, July 23, 2017

Omg, The Boyfriend took forever to get ready.  I was like out the cottage door in 2 seconds, excited to see what Nevada City, in terms of cycling, had to offer.  We started later than we should have and learned our lesson about being at altitude and in the heat.  We decided to do the Oaktree Bridgeport loop, a 42 mile, 4200 ft. elevation gain ride.  It was a challenging route that afforded spectacular views of which The BF would have entirely missed had I not flung my arms wildly telling him to stop and smell the roses.

This being the first view that The BF simply sailed by as he crossed that bridge in the photo above.  If you look closely, you will see people floating in the water and lovers sitting on a rock. 

This ride involved a lot of climbing and fantastic descents.  Unfortunately, on one climb, The BF had a flat.  It was somewhere near a storytelling festival that one of our cottage neighbors planned to visit.  The BF has tubeless tires. He couldn't get a proper seal using the gas thingy so he had to rely on pumping as much as air as possible into a tube and going with that.  Amazing. 

We plodded on taking in the spectacular scenery.  I realized how much I love being on a bike, how it makes me feel happy and alive.  Until later, when the heat of the day zapped us of energy ....

Once again, The BF totally flew by and missed this little gem. 

Here we are inside the  Bridgepoint Visitor's Center at Yuba River State Park.  Luckily we didn't encounter this fella on our ride.  Apparently there was a terrible flood in the early 90s -- captured by the photos on the back wall. 

Boy we sure wanted to take a dip in the water.  We were beginning to feel the heat.

Smart people. Wish I could have joined them. (This is more of Bridgeport / Yuba River State Park).  By this time, it was late afternoon and the heat took its toll.  I began to see stars.  And firemen.  Oh wait, I did see firemen several times.  I swear they knew I was in town.  At one point, I had to get off the bike and walk up a hill.  I was so spent.  It was 95 degrees.  The Boyfriend charged off and got me water.  What a hero.  We went inside a bar and drank cokes laced with a lot of ice.  The BF amused me, making jokes about getting to Britney Spears (the road is called Britney Springs).  As I dragged my sorry ass behind him, I passed an elderly man in his garden who shouted to me, "He should be behind you like a gentleman."  Ha ha ha ha. What a day but worth it.