Hopkins 4K for Cancer

July 27, 2003

The End Is Near
Groveland, CA to Stockton, CA

Day 57



John rejoined us today from his excursion to Las Vegas. He says he had to go see a doctor, but we suspect otherwise! He still couldn’t ride because of his injury, and he missed some beautiful scenery. In the morning, we went down a steep, windy road called Priest Grade Road that dropped about 1000 ft in elevation in one mile! There is actually a steeper road named Old Priest Grade Road that drops the same height in a shorter distance. You can see some pictures of Old Priest Grade here. I am glad we didn’t have to ride on Old Priest Grade because my brakes would be worn down to nothing by the time I got to the bottom. At the bottom, we got great views of the Don Pedro Reservoir.



We had our first break in a town named Chinese Camp. VJ was disappointed by the lack of anything Chinese in this one gas station town. Nevertheless, the water break was much appreciated because we had not ridden in this kind of humidity in a long time. I really did not feel like getting back on my bike. As a result, Dave and I were the last ones to leave the water break.



The terrain was quite hilly for all but the last twenty miles of the ride. Dave and I moved along at a pretty good clip. We didn’t know how tired we were until we took a break inside a fast food restaurant after entering the Stockton city limits. The restaurant was air conditioned. Once I stepped inside, I realized how hot I was. My head was burning, and I started to sweat profusely. I found out that it was over 105 degrees outside. We waited here until we were rested enough to bike the last seven or so miles and pass out on the church floor. We met Drew’s parents at the church, and they were nice enough to bring us gatorade, popsicles, chips, and precious ice.



Everyone was glad to get back to the conveniences of urban life after having spent the better part of the past month in extremely rustic locations. Dave and I celebrated by going to Taco Bell to get dinner.



We are getting very close to the end of the ride. For many of us the end will be bittersweet. On one hand, being done with the ride and not having to be on the move each and every day will be a welcome change. On the other, having to part with our fellow riders and friends will not be easy, but hopefully we won’t be apart for too long.



Rajeev Mahajan