Crossing Nevada

6.25.11 - Truckee to Fallon - 112mi
Got an early start to the day. Lots of miles to be covered and we wanted to avoid the heat. Plus, we were heading to Lake Tahoe and we definitely weren't just going to buzz by that. The road down to Lake Tahoe was nice. We picked up a bike path near Squaw Valley (home of the 1960 Winter Olympics) and we were able to cruise that down the valley to the west shore of Lake Tahoe. We loved the beauty and tranquility of the Lake. We stopped at King's Beach and admired the views for a while before setting off round to the east shore where we'd pick up Route 50, into and across Nevada. On a side note, Rt 50 is known as the lonliest road in America. We soon learned why. But back to Lake Tahoe. We skirted the lake as the road rose and fell along the water's edge and marveled at how the big, smooth boulders seemed to be all that held the tall pines from marching into the clear, blue-green water. It was a perfect way to leave California and we held on to that image as we crossed the parched deserts of Nevada.
Out of Cali and into Nevada, we climbed up to over 7000ft before descending, over the course of about 9mi, to around 4500 ft in Carson City. It was a shocking change of scenery as we left the lush mountain environment of California and entered the hot, barren desert of Nevada. We pushed our way across the landscape and made good time to Fallon. The harshness of the land was offset, however, by the kindness of the people we met in Fallon. We stopped for dinner at Don Julio's and they were incredibly kind in donating our meals. We were famished and the food tasted fantastic. Then we went across the street and the Best Western also graciously donated a room for the night. We learned that they were also donating rooms to families of victims of a nearby trainwreck so we were very grateful of the generosity. While in the lobby, we met a man who overheard us talking about Lea's Foundation and right there on the spot donated $40 so we could buy lunch and dinner the next day. As we spoke with him, he told us that his father had passed away not long ago, after battling cancer and he thanked us for doing this ride.

6.26.11 - Fallon to Austin - 114mi
According to James, this ride shouldn't be too bad. We had a few modest climbs by which we would gain about 1500ft. By the end of the day, we had climbed no fewer than five 800ft climbs and netted over 4000ft of elevation. This was our hardest ride yet, and will no doubt be the toughest one of the entire trip. We baked in the barren desert for over 12 hours as we climbed relentless hills, sweat pouring off us with each spin of the crank with naught to look at but dried brush, parched earth and each others backsides. The monotony was broken only by a bar/restaurant, seemingly dropped into the middle of nowhere. It was called Middlegate and we could only assume that somewhere along the line, they had dropped "of hell" from the name because that's exactly where we felt we were.
But fortune threw us another line. As we sat eating, rehydrating and hiding from the scorching heat, we met another cross-country cyclist named Terry, a retired gentleman who has been biking and competing in Ironman Triathlons for 20+ years, heading in the same direction as us. He was faster and his bike was lighter so we agreed that instead of falling back to our pace, we would meet up later in Austin.
We slowly crept out of the rustic comfort of Middlegate and headed off to finish the remaining 64 miles. We hoped for an easier ride, but it was not meant to be. We struggled, swore, sweated and finally managed to drag ourselves into Austin. Off course, the town wasn't going to give itself up so easily to travelers. After 12+hours spinning our wheels, we had to climb up several hundred feet over the last 4miles, which in our debilitated state, took nearly an hour. We secured a room, and wandered across the street to the International, restaurant/bar with a strong western character and ordered pizzas. While the owner couldn't afford to donate dinner, the waitress helping us was sweet enough to pay for our sodas, which we guzzled, craving anything cold and sugary. We took the pizzas and cokes back to our room, devoured everything and collapsed into our beds.

6.27.11 - Austin to Eureka -71mi
We each woke and wondered who had come into our room last night and taken a baseball bat to our legs. They were sore and ached in places we didn't know existed. The town of Austin itself clung to the side of the mountain and to get out, the only way was up. A steep up. Not what we had in mind. On the way out, we stopped at a gas station for some road snacks and when we mentioned our purpose for the ride, the attendant said that her son-in-law had died at the age of 41 from Leukemia and said our snacks were on her. We continue to be amazed at how many people are touched by cancer and we're happy that we can at least do something and help by raising a little money.
We arrived in Austin in the late afternoon, battered by a billowing wind for the last few miles, unbeknownst to us foreshadowing what was to come. We were unable to find a room for the night but Austin had a surprisingly nice little public park and we joined our cycling friend Terry (already there and set up) in putting up tents in the lush, green grash. It was such a stark contrast to the burnt orange of the mountains we climbed that that park seemed like a tiny paradise and we settled down in comfort. Just as we were about to hunt down dinner, we got thrown a curve ball as the sprinklers in the park came on. Luckily enough for us, they came on in sections and began watering an area just out of reach of our tents. We were able to contact the sheriff's office and they very kindly got someone down there to turn the sprinklers off for the night allowing us to get a peaceful and dry nights sleep.
We found a local restaurant and had a great dinner and a couple of beers with Terry, sharing stories and having a good time with a fellow traveler before we all headed back to the park and our tents.

6.28.11 - Eureka to Ely (pronounce it E-lee or else risk getting yelled at by the ederly market sheckout lady) - 80mi

When Elements Attack - WIND!! That's all we remember about this day. We pushed and fought for every last inch of that road. I couldn't tell you a single thing about what we passed today. The only thing I stared at was the ground under my feet as I ducked my head and tried to minimize the drag my body created. Funnily enough, we checked the weather at the end of the day and found out there was a severe wind advisory for our area. Glad we didn't know that before we left.
Mother Nature waged war on us today. We can only assume that she felt we were mocking her by trying to cross rt 50 on mere bicycles and unleashed on us the fury of the wind, ravaging us with headwinds of 30-40mph. Regardless of which direction the road headed, the wind was never at our back. Never before have we had to climb DOWNHILL. We pedaled with all our might to get uphill only to be met with a wind so forceful, we thought it would push us right back up. When the wind wasn't driving headfirst into us, it was pushing us from the side in an attempt to put us into oncoming traffic. Then, as we were about 15miles out from Ely, Mother Nature, in Greg's words, assaulted us with water. Massive gumball sized drops of rain were whipped at us at speeds of 40-50mph and I thought the paint from my bike was at risk of being peeled away. Undeterred though, we rode on. When Mother Nature saw our determination, she changed tactics, sending the wind in waves. One moment we were fighting to stay upright, then the next we were puzzled as we rode in nothing but a gentle breeze. But then, without warning, we would be hammered with a gust of wind that would nearly stop us in our tracks. But we rode on. Try as she might, we weren't going to be stopped. We rode into the town of Ely in the early evening and fortune smiled on our efforts and rewarded us in the form of a kind hotel manager at Main Hotel who gave us a room for the night. We met up with Terry again and had another great, filling dinner before crashing into bed for a recovery.

6.29.11 - Ely to Border Inn on the Utah/Nevada Border - 65mi
The wind started early and for the first 20mi we battled another strong headwind. But today, we knew how to deal with it and as we headed into the mountains, we had the wind at our back and we were able to make good time. We stopped by the side of the road for lunch allowing Terry, who started after us, to catch up and join us. He rode with us for the second half of the ride, which spiced things up a bit and as we crested the last pass, we could look down on the open valley ahead of us and about 8mi in the distance, we spotted the lonely motel where we'd stay for the night. The sole purpose of this motel was to give the gamblers of UT a close destination in which to leave their money. Happy to have crossed Nevada in one piece, we relaxed in the room and took care of our beaten and damaged bodies. The local weather forecast storms for the following morning so we kept an eye on the tv and hoped our stay on the border would be as short as possible.

6.30.11 - The Border Inn to Delta, UT - 90mi
82miles of lonely highway before we would be able to find food or water. We hoped that the storms overnight had flushed out the winds and when we poked our heads outside in the morning, we were relieved to see no a single blade of dried grass moving.
Terry joined us for the ride and we were soon climbing the more vegetated slopes of the Utah mountains and thoroughly enjoyed dashing down an 8mi stretch of valley squezzed between two towering mountains. Once out though, we crossed some of the flattest, longest stretches of road we've ever seen. With only a few climbs of a couple of hundred feet and no wind, we were able to crank through the miles with a feeling of euphoria and elation. No longer did we have to fight to go 6 or 7 mph on the flats. We were able to push 19, 20 mph (considering the weight we carry, that's pretty good) and the miles just fell by. The landscape began to change as the mountains became greener, apart from the salt flats we passed, as the land felt the relief of water.
With no impediments to our journey save for the physical ones imposed on us by our tired bodies, we made it into Delta in time to enjoy a bit of the afternoon. The local Days Inn donated us a room and we piled in, showering and taking advantage of the refreshing pool, washing away the accumulations of the road.