Day 2 -- Vallejo to Sacramento -- 70 Miles

During yesterday's route rap, our cycling group was told that after a few tough climbs early in the day we would not have any other hurdles to overcome. This proved to be a little misleading. After the final big climb, the group was ready to hammer out our remaining mileage. Unfourtunately, we stumbled on some "road closed" signs posted on a chain link fence. Did that stop us from plowing ahead? Not exactly -- we figured hopping the fence with our bikes was a wise idea. Things got even crazier after that. We eventually found ourselves facing a "little hole" to get by. Or over. Or around. You get the idea.

As you can see from my photos of the day, we managed to find a ridge along the side of the chasm that allowed us to get to the other sides with our bikes. As I trekked along, I found myself a bit angry at how poorly this ridge was roped off, and how little attention had been paid to safety. Then I remembered that we illegally entered the site, quickly dismissed my negative feelings, and pedaled ahead.

The next 40 miles were great. We had a nice tailwind for the majority, and were able to cruise well over 20 m.p.h. for quite awhile. Furthermore, the scenery was great -- farmland, crops, animals. After seeing these great sights today, it's hard to believe I was in downtown San Francisco just 24 hours ago.

After stretching my legs and grabbing a snack at the SAG wagon, I pedaled another 15 miles, made my way through the campus at UC Davis, and came upon the sight that anyone mid-workout wants to see -- In 'n' Out Burger: the single greatest fast food burger joint around (Five Guys also deserves a shout out, but In 'n' Out is superior -- fact). As a cheeseburger lover, I felt obligated to treat myself to a double double (animal style of course).

After devouring the burger, I survived the self-inflicted food coma, as well as the final 15 miles to the Best Western-Sandman in Sacramento. Now, it's time to hydrate and get some rest. We have a moderate day tomorrow -- approximately 51 miles to Aubrn, CA -- and then we hit the Sierra Mountains.