June 8.
Riding into South Lake Tahoe was not as hard as it sounds, because most of us took the van. Henry, our trip leader, offered us the chance to shuttle ahead to one of the rest stops. Based on my performance the previous day, I thought it would be wise to do that. Several of us loaded our bikes on to the Fuller Center van, and went to the first rest stop. We set up a table of snacks and drinks, and we waited for all the cyclists to arrive. Two people are assigned as “sweeps” each day, and their job is to sweep everyone in. Once they arrive, we know that everyone has been accounted for.
Another crew was responsible for actually manning the second rest stop at Silver Lake. When our van of riders arrived, it was very cold and windy, and we were not thrilled at the prospect of getting out to ride. No one got out.
On to the third rest stop, where we set up our snacks again atop Carson’s pass, elevation of 8573 ft. The sun shone, then it rained, then it snowed, then it sleeted, then it was clear again. It was windy the entire time. No one was willing to get out and ride, even downhill. Too wet, cold, and windy. Riding downhill can be chilly even in better conditions.
When one of our most intrepid riders started down the hill and walked back up a few minutes later, we van riders were confirmed in our decision! We had no phone service and the phone batteries were all dying. We had no communication with either the riders who had managed to ride ahead, nor with those behind. It was somewhat stressful, because we had to decide on a course of action without adequate information. The van was full and the bike rack was full, so we couldn’t accommodate anyone else who wanted to bail out. Eventually we decided to leave two people up top with the snacks in case any riders were still on the road. The van went down to the final destination in South Lake Tahoe to empty out and come back for more people.
Both support vehicles arrived at Carson’s Pass at about the same time. We were overjoyed to find everyone safe and sound. We loaded up and drove down into South Lake Tahoe, to St. Theresa’s Catholic Church where we are staying in their gym. We went to the Community Center for showers which really helped us warm up.
Today was a lesson in making decisions with limited information, taking authority when needed, and trusting God to take care of the parts we couldn’t personally take care of.