They Weren't Kidding!

...when the sign said "Cattle on Roadway"!

The ride to Bass Lake was mostly uneventful except for the road construction where I had to ride on fresh asphalt (you think, smooth as butter, right? Well, more like butter with a bunch of sticky honey!) and the cows in the road. I had to brake as I came around the corner. I said to myself (and quite possibly, out loud), "Whoa! Cows!" I had just passed a sign that showed a picture of a cow! They didn't seem in too much of a hurry to move either!

After crossing the San Joaquin River, it was a long uphill grind to North Fork. At the mini-mart, I had my, now standard, 32 oz. bottle of Gatorade and Snickers Bar (the King Size version). A guy stopped to talk to me. I told him I was going to Bass Lake. He told me it was uphill, but I knew that from my map. As I was leaving the mini-mart, I was unsure whether I was supposed to go the Southshore way or the Northshore road. The guy, Zack, said to go the Northshore Rd. After about 2 miles of climbing, I looked closer at my map and realized I needed to go to the South Shore of Bass Lake. At least, that's where the campgrounds were. So I turned around, enjoyed the ride down the hill I had just climbed, and returned to North Fork and proceeded up the Southshore Rd. As I was riding, a guy named Mike rode up alongside me. He rode with me all the way up the climb. It was great because I was tired and we just talked our way all the way to the top. It was a great distraction. After Mike and I parted, I had a mostly flatish ride to the lake. I skipped the first campground I came to. The next was Spring Cove. I turned in there (by then it was about 6:15). I was immediately greeted by Dave, the camp host. He said the park was full. He radioed the next campground (Lupine-Cedar), but it was also full. I asked if I could share a site with someone (I don't need a lot of space). Dave checked with two women who had come in earlier in the day. They agreed to let me share their site. That's how I met Suzan and Natalie, mother and daughter from Boulder, CO and their cute dog, Odie. It could not have been more perfect! After I set up my stuff, we spent the rest of the evening chatting. Suzan and I discovered we both have the same favorite number, 27. How amazing is that? I feel like I have made new friends for life!