Day 2 was set to be a big one: 140 miles and climbing from sea level up to 8,000 feet. It started in Turlock through the flat farmlands, which I enjoyed. I got an early start, which meant the temperatures were nice and cool and I could just relax and enjoy the last few flat miles I would have for a few days.
The scenery began to change around mile 40. The hills were starting to pop up and I could see the big mountains off in the distance. I felt pretty good early on. I was enjoying the scenery and everything seemed to be going to plan. It seemed like it was going to be a good day. Unfortunately, I wasn't eating or drinking enough and that caught up with me later on in the day.
From miles 70-100 it was pretty much nonstop climbing and I just didn't have enough food and water with me. I was trying to travel light and relying on food and water from the car, and that ended up biting me in the ass. I had a funny moment at the entrance to Yosemite National Park. There's a little bathroom there and off in the corner there was a pop machine. It seemed like perfect timing. A cold sugary beverage was exactly what I needed. I walked up to the machine and the dollar bill part was broken and it was only taking coins. Bummer. I got a lot of water from the bathroom, but I really needed those extra calories.
Somewhere around mile 100 I was climbing at a snail's pace, just waiting and waiting for the Crane Flat Campground area because I knew there was a gas station there. I stopped at a pullout and just then, magically, my wife showed up with the car. I drank a ton and just sat there in the car for a long time. I even fell asleep at one point. I ended up staying there in the car for about an hour.
I slowly got going again and guess what? There was the Crane Flat gas station just a mile ahead. I wasn't feeling great, but slowly I started to get a second wind. At this point I knew I wasn't going to be able to finish the full 140 miles before dark. My wife was still with me for the first 2.5 days of the ride, so I told her to go set up camp and meet me down the road. I'd just add a few miles onto the next day's ride. This was the one time during the whole 23 days that I'd actually be able to call an audible like that, so why not?
My wife ended up turning in the wrong direction, so I got to ride a little more than I thought. It turned out to be a good thing, though, because the longer I rode the better I felt. I rode until it was too dark to continue. Again, I was relying too much on the car and traveling too light and didn't have my lights with me. If I had my lights I could have finished. At the end of the day I completed 136 miles, just 4 miles short.
Eventually my wife showed up to drive me back to the campground. The next day was a 150-miler (now a 154-miler), so there wasn't any time to relax. All I could do was eat, sleep, and wake up early to do it all over again in the morning.
