Day three of North began at 5:30 am with everyone getting prepped for the ride from Sacramento to Jackson, CA. The 50 mile ride through the countryside was nice, only made better after a descent into the main part of town. Once we arrived, the cyclists were staged-up and had a police escort to the Arc of Amador and Calaveras Counties where we had lunch and a friendship visit provided by Ms. Karyn Gregorious. This visit has been part of our trip since 1989 which is unbelieveable. The initial arrival into the event was incredible. Over one hundred people were wating for our arrival and cheered us on as we cycled in. Seeing this turnout and the pure joy of everyone present really helped reinforce the true meaning behind why we are on this journey. The facility and food were both awesome, but the individuals at the event were what made this event truly memorable. I specifically rememeber talking with a young man named James who had all of the energy in the world and was thrilled to see all of us. Another moment that really stuck out to me was when “Elvis” showed us his moves as he reenacted dances from the King which had everyone on their feet. I don’t think anyone has ever given so many autopgraphs or signed the amount of shirts that we did which was humbling. Overall, this visit was very memorable and will be one of my favorites of the summer.
From there, we rode to our lodging for the night which was providedn by Argonaut High School. After everyone was cleaned up and presentable, we had a quick drive to Mel and Faye’s Diner in town provided by Bart Gillmon. The Lion’s Club was present during dinner and after a quick ceremony and introduction we had an awesome spaghetti meal. All of the Lions gave us very nice words of encouragement for the rest of our trip and had some great stories to tell.
Today’s events will certainly stick with us through the whole summer and the friendship visit at the Arc will be one that I never forget.
Griffin Armstrong
University of Florida – ’17
Cyclist