Sequoia Sun Rescues 2 Cold Cross-Country Cyclists.

Here I am again…desperately scouring my mind for a clever way to begin this post. After  power housing through 60 miles toting 100 pounds of gear in 20 degree weather, my brain is melting, and my thoughts are a blur, and using correct grammar is far from my mind…so just forget that. I suppose I’ll just be straight forward, and if anything you read stimulates your noggin…well, that’s a bonus!

Steve and I are currently sitting in the well heated and cozy home of Sequoia Sun, who rescued us from the cold. We are watching Crazy Heart. A movie about the comeback of an old country singer (Jeff Bridges) However, that’s getting ahead of ourselves…

Steve and I woke up at Hans’ at about 7 A.M. Steve and I cooked the breakfast. I was in charge of making the omelettes which consisted of kale, cheese, and onions. “Succulent”, Steve called them, while Hans referred to them as, “excellent”. Steve was in charge of making bean patties which consisted of 2 egg yolks, almonds, fennel seeds, and black beans. I must say, my taste buds were quite happy with those patties, and seeing as Hans kept sneaking more leads me to believe he rather enjoyed them as well.

After breakfast Steve and I did the dishes and wrote Hans a “thank you” note. Our enioyable host had a meeting at 10, so we packed up our things and headed out the door. THANKS HANS!

We hit the road and less than 5 miles into our ride, we stopped at a compact hot dog shack called Manny’s. It was delicious. “I need 8 more of those”, Steve said directly after he scarfed his down.

We road the coast for about a mile before the ocean disappeared as abruptly as it had showed up.

The rest of the ride was cold. We stopped at Macdonalds for lunch. Later, we stopped at Starbucks to warm our toes and our stomaches.

We entered Darion: a clean town occupied by happy folks. At about 4:10, we were still about 11 miles from our destination. The sun would be setting soon and the temperature was rapidly dropping. We rode by a “town hall” sign and agreed it would be best to see if there was a closer location to sleep at. The parks an recreation department told us they could not help us. We pedaled about a half mile more and stopped in at the police station. No luck there either. It was about 4:35 now and we needed to find shelter. (Now, I’m sure when my parents read this they will scold me for being unprepared…well, in the sake of being honest in this blog…I’m telling it the way it went down!)

Steve and I had to act quick. We decided we would take the train into NYC and stay in a hostel. We left the police station and headed to the library down the street to find train times and available hostels. Well, who would have guessed that there would be no hostels in New York City under 100$. This was well out of either Steve or I’s price range. I sat there zoning out as my mind began to weaken and my physical strength was rapidly decreasing.

“We should just write on a piece of paper asking if anyone could have us spend the night.” If we were to have luck with a host, it would be in this town. Steve and I stood outside the library freezing our bodies to the bone. My teeth chattered and my spine shook. My comrade held a little paper sign that read: “Place to stay for tonight?”

The people that walked by reminded me of fish and we were the lure. They looked at us, and appeared interested. However, they continued about themselves. One woman came by and was willing to give us a room, but it was her brothers and she needed his permission. Moments later, a man walked by and laughed at us. His name was Sequoia. He was surprised that we were riding in this temperature. He hesitated a moment and jostled the idea in his mind. After some time, he said, “I might have a place for you, let me go inside and get some books first.” Excitement filled Steve and I as we awaited his return.

When the tall middle aged man came back out, he looked at us and laughed once again. He offered us his home and drew us a map.

When the door was opened to us, I felt a blast of warmth reach my face. I was excited to be here.

Sequoia’s home is an old farmhouse. The interior has a cool vibe…that’s the best I can do to describe it. (You can see his house in video’s that will be uploaded at a later time)

As I lugged my panniers inside, I smelled potatoes cooking. For dinner, we enjoyed red potatoes, sweet potatoes, and brown potatoes, Onions, salad, and acorn squash. Can’t forget the glass of sparking grape juice that was intended for New Years Eve. We ate, we laughed, and had a merry time.

Through discussion, we learned that Sequoia is an expert of sail boats.

This brings us to now. I’ll let you know how everything goes! God bless Sequoia.

* Videos coming soon!

Take care,

Taylor

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