Feb 5- Lee Vining

Location: Lee Vining, California

Another gorgeous day! Most of the day was a gradual climb with the steepest part right in the morning. By the late afternoon and after several thousand feet of climbing the landscape had switched from dry brush landscape to snowy forest. Mind you the snow pack was much less than it should be at this time of year but it was enough to make us fell like we had hit winter again. The descent into Lee Vining was chilly but beautiful. In the distance we could already see Lake Mono and its oddly shaped island.
There were no good camping spots out of town so we ended up asking at the road maintenance station if we could put our tent in a corner of their huge parking lot. The guy said that was not allowed but suggested we go ask at one of the local churches. Nobody was around at the Catholic church but at the Prespyterian church we had more luck. Pastor Rebecca told us cyclists stay at her church on a regular basis and in the summer time entire groups come by so she showed us to a heated room in the back of the church with a bathroom and shower across the hall and a kitchen for us to use. Of course the bikes were allowed to come inside also. She also said we could use some of the food in the pantry to add to what we were already carrying and if the weather turned bad tomorrow we are welcome to stay here until it improves. What a welcome! Needless to say, we had a lovely evening and a very good night.

It seems like the emphasis of the last few posts has been very much on eating and sleeping, and that for good reason. On a physically taxing trip like this, life naturally starts revolving around basic survival and the questions of "what will I eat today?" and "where will I safely sleep tonight?" step into the foreground. Mind you, we are well equipped to deal with all kinds of weather conditions and always carry plenty of food but the offer of a warm room to sleep in and a place to cook dinner without freezing your fingers off is so amazing. I love how this trip makes me appreciate the things I have taken for granted most of my life such as having a roof over my head, a cup of hot tea on a cold day and running water.
Even though we were prepared to camp out all these nights, the Lord had led us to these kind people who gave us so much more than we asked for!

THANK YOU REBECCA FOR YOUR KINDNESS. A HOT SHOWER AND A SHELTERED PLACE TO SLEEP ALONG WITH SUCH A WARM WELCOME EQUALS FIVE STAR LUXURY AFTER A LONG DAY ON THE ROAD.