Day 12: Best Sunset Ever

Woke up but heard sprinkles so kept sleeping a bit longer. Finally decided to get up and was on the trail by 8:30am just a tad behind schedule. I decided to skip breakfast so I could make it to highway 50 where I knew I got reception so I could call my dad.

Rode the 2 miles I had already rode and made it back to the highway. Immediately called my dad and he answered. I asked him what was going on and he explained he had this weird bump in his side so he went to get it checked out. They did a cat scan and saw that it was just his intestine pushing against his stomach wall due to his past surgeries. Nothing to be worried about. Whew.

But they also noticed that one of the stents they just put in his leg was already starting to blot which isn't good. He has to go back in 2 days to talk to the doctor to see what his options are. We talked for a little longer about how my trip was going and then said our goodbyes.

After I hung up I thought a lot about my dad and all he's been through the last few months. He had an aneurysm and could have easily bled to death. Luckily he was at the right place at the right time, the car races, and there just happened to be a helicopter that flew him directly to the hospital. They stopped the bleeding but he had some serious surgery coming up.

Not exactly sure what he had done but I think it was a double bypass using frozen arteries. Before he went into surgery the doctor told us he had a 25% chance of either dying or losing his legs. Very scary but thankfully everything went well and he came out ok.

So as I rode I kept thinking about him, how much I loved him and worried about his health. This is when tears welt up on my eyes for the second time on my trip. I am so happy I've been able to spend some quality time with him lately. I spent a few days at his auto shop replacing my convertible top before his surgery, then he found my van for me and helped me fix it up as it had front end damage. I returned the favor and spent two days installing the ceramic tile in his new master bedroom/bathroom. It was ready to be installed a year ago but he couldn't do it cause of his bad knees so I was more than willing to help especially since I've installed tile a few times before.

So I kept riding up the road. Was pleasantly surprised to see a bathroom at a trail-head that wasn't marked in my data book. I was planning on trying to wait 14 miles until one but now I didn't have to hold it in which was great.

By now it was 10:30am and I had only gone like 3 miles. Not a great start to the day. Started getting hungry so stopped at a creek where I made lunch.

It was a long climb up above the tree line. Along the way it started raining so I had to stop and put on rain gear. Then the sun came out and I got hot so took it all off. Up at the top it was windy and cold so put more warm clothes on.

Stopped at a shelter to have a snack and it started raining again. Tried to wait it out but put back on my rain gear. All this stopping and going was slowing me down. Plus the trail was wet, muddy and slippery so I couldn't ride as much as I could've if it were dry. A bit frustrating.

I knew I wasn't going to make my 25+ miles today as I wanted to do so decided to stop at mile 270.0 where I saw a cool campsite overlooking the valley and mountains. Ate some gummy bears and made this turkey dinner that was by far the best dry food I've had. It was like turkey and vegetables in a gravy. Yummy.

Decided I would make a fire and with the help of Frito's I was able to get it going in no time. I noticed this nice area where I could lay my sleeping pad which overlooked the view. It was like having a lawn chair in this incredible place. I sat there just listening to music while watching the sky change.

This wasn't a normal sunset. It was out of this world. Even though I was looking east, the sun was reflecting off the mountains. Clouds everywhere, each a different color...white, blue, red, orange and all the shades in between. Looking west thru the trees the sky was this amazing purple. I seriously would have to say this would be one of my top three most magical sunsets I have ever seen. And I just happened to be at the perfect place and the perfect time. I even asked hikers the next day that camped nearby and they didn't see the sunset as they were in the valley.

So after enjoying the sunset and the fire, I decided this was one of my favorite nights yet. Time for bed. Sweet dreams.