We awoke to find it comfortably chilly at 58 degrees F, a hot bowl of oatmeal did the trick and we were on the road by 6:30. We escaped the urban sprawl of Sacramento quickly and found ourselves on the reportedly largest bike only causeway. During a stretch break we were interrupted by a man who warned us of the crazy homeless population that frequent the area. The exchange was a bit awkward due to the fact that it was hard to discern whether or not he was simply describing himself. At this point it may be prudent to inform the reader that he was brandishing a 9 iron and bragging about the wild turkey he had just slain with an overhand kill shot. We moved on quickly and followed the river for a another 30 miles, while slightly monotonous the ride was easy and relaxing. At one point a fellow rider stopped to enjoy some wild grapes with us. After lunching in downtown Folsom we did our first bit of climbing, gaining 1,600 feet over the next 10 miles. Slow and steady was our mantra, having established that today's only obligation was cycling up the foothills of the Sierra it was easy to be patient. Today was our hottest day yet with a high of 94 degrees F, I am tempted to describe the sun as brutal but perhaps I should save such choice words for the deserts of Nevada. -Lucas

Check out this article we got in the East Bay Express! http://t.co/d7WT9Q6

What a day! After leaving Bay Area Bikes we meandered north of Oakland on a surprisingly nice urban bike path. Before we knew it 20 miles had passed and our send off party departed leaving us on our own. We soon crossed over the I-80 bridge and lunched at a pizza parlor that could not have been better considering our appetites. The afternoon consisted of a few gradual hill climbs under clear skies and rising temps. From there we essentially coasted into Fairfield pushed by tail winds. We were amused by the names of familiar locations in our own town, at one point we pasted Bridgeport Ranch. We reached our destination after almost five hours of riding and 56 miles (61 including heading to the beach this morning), overall we are quite happy after our first day on the road! - Lucas

And we are off! Lucas and I started our day at 6:00 am and took a very leisurely ride down to the ocean to touch the Pacific before we took off. Then we headed to Bay Area Bikes for one last stop, and to have breakfest (provided by Farleys). Were are leaving RIGHT NOW on our way to Fairfieild, CA for the night. Thanks again to Glenda and Clay at Bay Area Bikes for all the help. Also big thanks to everyone who came out to the send off party and are joining us on the ride along out of Oakland. - Joe

Today is the last day before we get on the road. Both Lucas and I are getting really antsy and ready to get riding. Yesterday we did some final prep for the take off. We finalized what we were taking with us, packed, and also decided what food we would carry with us for the first few days. We also looked into where we will be staying the first night and ironically it is Fairfield, CA, named by a ship captain from Fairfield, CT.  We called around and had some trouble finding a camp ground, so I ended up calling Solano Community College, just outside Fairfield, and they were nice enough to let us pop tent on their campus for the first night. Our bikes are ready to go, and we finally think we have all the needed accessories, big thanks to Bay Area Bikes, Glenda and Clay, and all the guys at the shop, Dale, John, and Matthew, for helping us get what we need and letting us take over their shop to put it all together. Donations for Simply Smiles and CT Challenge are starting to roll in, thanks to all who have helped out, and if you still want to donate visit our Simply Smiles page or our CT Challenge page. Be sure to come see us off tomorrow if your in the Bay Area, at 2424 Webster St. Oakland, CA 94612, we will be having breakfast provided by Farley's at 9am-10am and will start riding at 10am sharp, along with anyone who wants to join for the first few miles.