*A bad picture of a beautiful place: Note snow covered summit is obscured by telephone pole*

Today was a wild ride. It started with a cold, crisp climb over the Sierras. I decided to test my Insta360 camera and captured a slow-motion fall right into the pine needles after Google Maps sent me on a trail to avoid Highway 50. Funnily enough, I fell just as I talked about how Google Maps had sent me on such “neat adventures” yesterday. If I can figure out how to post it, I will!

I climbed about 3,400 feet (well, technically, the unicycle did—I just stood on it), reached the summit, and then dropped down into South Lake Tahoe. The descent was a little nerve-wracking: there was almost no shoulder, but cars moved fairly slowly and gave me as much space as possible. I’ve driven that road many times but never looked over the steep drop-offs on the way down. Let’s just say that I was very awake even though I hadn’t had coffee yet.

I stopped for a Starbucks in Stateline and tried to chat with a guy who had a small dog. Neither he nor the dog seemed interested. I didn’t attempt my Duolingo Spanish because I didn’t think either spoke Spanish. In hindsight, maybe I should’ve tried French or left them alone. I charged up, had my coffee, and headed over Spooner Pass down to Carson City.

Google took me on some more interesting adventures in Carson City. At one point, it directed me onto a path that dead-ended at a giant dirt pile. After that, I ditched Google Maps’ bike directions for the rest of the day.

The transition from the beauty of the Sierras to the gritty stretches of country between Carson City and Fallon was dramatic. I passed a bunch of funny spots and snapped a few quirky photos.

For a stretch of the ride, I even got to cruise behind a pilot car because they’d shut Highway 50 down to one lane. Honestly, I now wish I had a pilot car for my whole trip!

*Next time I’ll rent one for the whole trip!*

As I approached the outskirts of Fallon, I spotted something that confused me: a funky-looking gas station called Skip’s. It looked odd enough that I wondered if it was some performance art piece.

I have a friend named Skip—he’s an artist and a former investment banker/private equity guy. Until his show last weekend, he’d done all his art under a pseudonym. Skip is the kind of guy who likes to do big things under the radar:

He made a documentary about college kids building a satellite to send into space.
He rides around in police cars in Watts, figuring out how to help kids escape poverty and violence
He’s even snuck around Stanford campus putting funny labels on things.

Skip was supportive of me doing this trip, and for a second, I imagined him pulling something next-level, like creating a fake mini-mart, naming it Skip’s, and dropping it right here as a private joke. Skip is one of the key people who inspired me to do this senseless and futile gesture. If it goes poorly, please blame him. Honestly, if I had his imagination, skill, and follow-through, I’d probably be doing something a lot cooler than this.

*Its obviously fake, look at the gas prices*

I spent a good chunk of today’s ride—cruising through the splendor of eastern-central Nevada—thinking about friendship, and how much my friends have made this trip fun and meaningful, even from afar. I’ve been getting silly texts, supportive ideas, and calls that make me feel connected, even when I’m out in the middle of nowhere on another Google Maps wild goose chase.

I appreciate their support, especially for something as silly as this adventure. . These people step up and support others when facing real problems, not just self-imposed ones like my trip. I’m grateful to have them in my life.

From Falling to Fallon

Visited Teacup Sally’s Former House and Talked Taxidermy

Great First Day!