Day 6: 63 miles of nothing.

Everybody says that the first 2 weeks are the hardest. The first 5 days we dealt with jet-lag, our first elevation climbs ever, hot temperatures, and adjusting to the bohemian life. It is actually fairly tough to figure out what to carry and what to send back home. Yesterday we stopped at fed-ex and sent a lot of things home so that we could carry a gallon of water each into the desert (on top of our 4 water bottles per person). 

Now day 6 is here and there is a completely new challenge: it is desolate. In the next four days we will be going from morning to night without seeing anything but the desert. There will be no where to eat and there will be no where to refill our water bottles. We will be riding up 11 summits.  Below, you can see I prematurely bought a postcard...

Well these problems probably bring you to a question: Why in the world are you taking this way? I think I have a good answer! 

The first reason is time. This route is a little over 4,000 miles. Starting in the northwest and avoiding the desert would add about a week to the trip. The second reason is much more interesting! We wanted to cross the desert for the thrill and history of it! Above you can see that this man riding a pony is popular. We are riding an old mail route. 

In the 1860s nearly half a million Americans lived west of the Rocky Mountains, and it took a long time for news from the East Coast to reach them, because neither telegraph wires nor the railroad tracks continued past Missouri. It took 5 or 6 weeks for mail to get to California via boat that went through Panama. When the civil war happened, these boats could no longer be relied on, so the Pony Express was born!  We are going to be on the Pony Express for a while.

Here was an old ad from 1860: 

Wanted: Young Skinny Wiry Fellows, not over eighteen. Must be expert riders willing to risk death daily. Orphans preferred. Wages $25 per week. Apply Central Overland Express. 

In Nevada, we have already found that things haven't changed much since those times. Nevada has this interesting connection with the past. As we pedal through, we can't help but feel a connection with those young wiry fellows. 

Above is Jon with a rock with a petraglyph, a drawing done by natives nearly 7,000 years ago. 

So today we rode from Fallon to ... well its not a city, but it's an old station from the Pony Express called Cold Springs Station. It's really nice and cost us $10 to pop our tent in the only grass we have seen all day. We've now used the showers, and plan on getting dinner when I finish this post. The owner is a real character and has had us in stitches a few times. He is an old man with a belly laugh, and one eye that doesn't open. He is the kind of guy that you like immediately, but don't know why. When we walked into the bar/restaurant here they had Black Beauty playing on the TVs. I don't think they get cable. Everyone here has told us they like it here because it is quiet and peaceful. They are right, it is quiet and peaceful. 

In case you're keeping track, we did 64 miles today. We couldn't go the next 53 to the next campground, we will be waking up tomorrow though for (hopefully) a 113 mile day! Going to see two "towns". 

 

DAY 7 115 Miles & 5 Summits

We knew today was going to be long. We really wanted to make it to Eureka, two towns east of the Cold Springs Station. The first stop was 45 miles away in Austin, Nevada (population 192), and then we would need to go another 70 to Eureka (population 494). 

So we got up at 4 AM, and were riding by 5 AM. Around 6:00 the sky looked like this. 

The sound track was howling coyotes. Also, we passed by a freshly hit coyote on the rode. It was bloody, gross and sad. I like to think that the pack of coyotes  howling in the distance were singing some sort of memorial dirge. 

I must say the sunrise in the desert was awesome. 

Climbing the summits wasn't our definition of fun.  Something strange about the desert is that you can't see hills until you're on top of them. So it feels like you are riding on a level surface, but are going really slow. It is really bizarre. 

In this picture, we started the morning from where my left (your right) hand is. We came down that summit, did about 20 miles in the flat, and then came back up over the course of 10 miles to where I stand. I realize now that this pose is textbook nerd-pose.


Jon and I both hated Austin Summit, but you'd never know by Jon's smile.
 

This is towards the end of our journey from Austin to Eureka, 70 miles of no services. We saw no civilization for 70 miles. Really strange, and not ideal for filling up water bottles.

Because it was such a long day, we rolled in around 7, and now need to go eat dinner. I'll add a picture of the town tomorrow!

 

DAy 8 Meeting Other Travelers!!!

Today was very similar to yesterday. Lots of desert. Today we went 78 miles, from one town to another, with nothing in between except the 4 summits.

But what was different about today is that we met other travelers for the first time! First was Tony. He is from York, England. He is coming from Yorktown, Virginia to San Francisco. He is almost done! We think he likes the color red.

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Next was Sarah and David, also British. They were riding from Pueblo, Colorado to San Francisco. We got good advice from all of these guys because they've gone where we are going. 

Finally was Frank (left) and Conrad (right). They are form Holland and have been riding hours behind us from day 1. They said many times they've walked into a gas station, hotel, or corner store and here, "Oh we just had two guys in here a few hours ago, doing the same thing!" Well they caught up with us, becuase they're much faster than us. They are riding to Colorado in the next few weeks, and will finish their trip across the country next summer.

We finished in the town Ely in Nevada. It's nice, and has population of 4,000 people! AMAZING!

Also, riding all day under the hot desert sun makes cool patterns on your body!

Day 9 Last Night in Nevada

Today's scenery didn't change from what we've been seeing for the past few days, but our ride felt a lot different. Our friends from Holland caught up with us early on in the day and we kept seeing them on and off until the end of dinner just now.

Seeing some friendly faces along the road made all the climbing a whole lot easier. The views from the top didn't hurt either. 

It's crazy to think were only six miles from Utah. Nevada has never ceased to amaze us with its strange, historic and sometimes outright scary scenes.

There were two big summits today. This one was the first and as you can see we were feeling pretty good about it. The second summit of the day really challenged us.

The nice thing about uphills is: there's always a downhill.

Our day ended in Baker after 68 miles. Baker is home to the Great Basin National Park Visitors Center, which we visited upon arriving. They had great maps that showed the topography of the route we've taken through Nevada. So many summits! We must say, we're feeling proud of our journey through this desert. Next up is Utah!

Nevada has been brutal and mostly the same, but these mountain scenes never get old.

Nevada has been brutal and mostly the same, but these mountain scenes never get old.

DAy 10 Utah! 

Today we entered Utah! We traveled 88 miles from Baker, Nevada to Milford, Utah. There were no-services between the two, which we have gotten used to in the desert.

Last night Frank and Conrad bought us dinner, and this morning they bought us breakfast. It was their way of helping us with the trip. We really appreciated all of their advice and company. Two really great guys. Thanks!

miles into the trip we crossed the border.

I have been unable to post comprehensive videos because I forgot my USB cable for my hard drive at home. I will spare the logistical details, but know this: I will be putting together a more "professional" video next week!

Here are a few clips from today's journey!

eautiful landscapes were plentiful!

Frank & Conrad told us that finding a routine is really important, and we are making an effort to do so. We feel like we have found a rhythm. The bicycle feels like home.