Day 3: Sacramento to Jackson

It has been a couple days since I have posted, and I can tell all 12 of my viewers so far have been anxious. Today was an easy 45 mile ride through the rolling meadows of Sacramento through El Dorado National park and into Jackson, CA. I took on the role of sweep and coasted in the back the entire ride. The sweeps are the 3 cyclists in the back who are not allowed to pass the other 19 cyclists in the pacelines ahead of them. It's fun because you take it easy, relax at crew stops, and best of all, get to eat first at that night's dinner. We got into Jackson at 11AM where a police escort was waiting to take us to our friendship visit. This day was extra special because it was the 30th anniversary of visiting with the Arc of Jackson. We rolled into the cookout to see over 80 people holding JOH signs and cheering our arrival. We parked our bikes in line and one by one, each person came by to shake our hands and ask for autographs. We mingled with the residents at lunch and afterward, lawn games and dance parties ensued. After several hours flew by, our group set off for the high school where we were staying for the night. As we climbed this massive hill, out of nowhere, our 6 crew members came out of the trees and started throwing hot dogs at us. Little did I know, Hot Dog Hill had also been a strong tradition at Jackson for many years. After settling in, our team went to a huge dinner at Mel's Diner hosted by the local community service organization, The Lion's Club. The members spoke of the joy they got from serving Journey of Hope each year, and it inspired me to join a similar service organization to give back once I am established in my career. An evening of basketball ended what was an amazing visit in Jackson.