4K Prom

Day 62: Fallon, NV to State Line, NV
Total Mileage: 90 miles

Woke up today feeling excited since today we’d be on our way to South Lake Tahoe, which means California is just around the corner. State Line, Nevada is about 2 miles from the California border, so we wouldn’t be crossing into our last state just yet. I looked at the directions and for the most part, we’d still be on 50. The elevation/grade chart got pretty rough towards the end of the ride into State Line, NV. They warned us that the last 30 miles would essentially be uphill, so mental preparation for the climb was necessary. Plus, we had a homestay, a rest day, and 4K prom to look forward to. Thanks again to the Andersons and Jan for hosting us!

Today’s team was with Katrina, Dany, and Will. Patti and Michael provided us with a wonderful breakfast, joined us in our dedication circle, and rode with us for the first 40ish miles (what troopers!). Our water stops were great since all the food we had leftover from last night were up for grabs, and we had fruit donated from the church pantry and local farm from Fallon. As predicted, the first 60 miles weren’t bad at all. The only rough part before the climb was riding on a busy six lane road. Cars and trucks were honking at us telling us to get off the road and pull off to the shoulder. The issue was there was barely a shoulder to ride on and the drivers on the road were just very impatient. We decided to take the lane to avoid any accidents. At this point, we didn’t even care that the drivers were beeping at us. We had to take the lane in order to maximize our safety. It was the only road to get back on 50-West, and we had no other choice. The next 20 miles was all uphill to Spooner Summit.

Over those 20 miles, the elevation gain was about 2000 feet with grades between 6-8%. It was a long and strenuous climb, but totally worth it at the end. One of the first things you see after the descent is Lake Tahoe, which is a scenic sight. Everyone that’s been to Tahoe love it, and I can already tell I’ll fall in love with the city. My team stopped by one of the overlooks to take pictures and soak in all that Tahoe has to offer. The view was amazing and the color of the lake was remarkable. I’d move here in a nutshell just by the grand views and the lake. The last 2 miles on 207 into the host were also tough. The ceremonial hill into the host never fails.

After arriving to our central hosts, Greg and Kim, we were divided into 5 other home stays. Thank you to Athina for getting in contact with the Rotary Club and securing our hosts in Stateline. Will, Danny, and I stayed with one of the most down to earth people I’ve ever met, Klaus, who has such a young and spirited heart at the age of 75. He’s traveled a lot, been to a lot of places, and has a lot of wisdom to impart. We’re lucky to have such an accommodating and hospitable host.

After everyone settled at their hosts, it was time to get ready for 4K prom. A few of us took pictures at Greg’s house before we went out to the casino. There was a backdrop with costumes you could wear for prom couple shots. Around 11pm, we met up with the other half of our team in the parking lot of Harrah’s and revealed prom king and queen. Cue drum roll… and the winners were Ali and Julie, prom queen and queen!

They even had a campaign and small cue card giveaways for the team. Abigale, Sasha, Athina, and Hilary wore actual gowns to 4K prom, which was lent to them by their awesome host. I personally bought a shirt and tie from a thrift shop in Green River, UT for $1.50. A huge thanks to Klaus for getting us a shout out from Artie the Party at Center Stage and for getting us into Peek for free. 4K prom was just as fun as high school prom. And I had the best prom date 🙂 I love my team!