Today was all about getting the bike fixed so after we ate homemade porridge and honey we headed out to Sonora. The man in the bike shop wasn’t surprised the chain snapped as the road was in the top 3 of the steepest hills in the state. He asked me why I didn’t just remove the two broken links. I explained that I can ride bikes but do not have a clue when it comes to bike maintenance. I left the bike in his capable hands and went next door for a coffee. I returned an hour later and completed a quick test drive. Everything seemed a lot smoother but I didn’t have the 45kg of weight on it! He warned me about potential dangers and the isolation that I am likely to face and advised me to get a bike manual. I smiled and thanked him for his advise and left the shop hoping he was lying!

To catch up on lost time, we drove back to Yosemite National Park and visited the Yosemite Village. The views were stunning. We completed the loop and saw El Captain and the Half Dome rock. We grabbed some grub, my third burger since being in the states, and headed back home to the ranch.
I spent the evening worrying about the next few days. I have to go through Yosemite and over a pass that is over 3000m high. This is higher than the alps we crossed on the previous adventure and I have lost confidence in the bike. The other massive issues is accommodation. The only campsite on my route is on a first come first served basis and I wont be there until late afternoon. The other option is to wild camp but there is a real danger of bears and lions. The other serious issues is food and water. If I want to take enough for two days, the bike will be so heavy I will probably break another chain. It will not be physically possible to take two days water on a 64mile/2500m elev. climb. Decision, decisions….

Right now I need everyone to put there hands together and pray for me! Fingers, legs, arms and nasal hair crossed please!