Day 7: Fallon to Austin

Ride Stats:
Distance - 111 miles
Ave. Speed - 10.5 mph
Elevation Climbed - 4620 ft
Temperature - 54 to 115 F

We rolled out of bed at 5am, out the door by 6:00, and on the road by 6:15. We knew this was going to be a grueling, long, hot ride...and we were right. We pulled into Austin at 7pm...after 13 hours on the road. As you can see from the temps, it was blazing hot.



It's still dark, as we leave our Motel 6 room. We went next door to a mini-mart, to buy a sandwich and a drink for our lunch on the road.


We started riding before sunrise. With the lights on our bike, we had no problem. The drivers in Nevada have been very good about giving us plenty of space.



The early morning riding is actually very nice, with temps in the 70's to 80's. However, once 10:00 hits, the temp is usually rising into the 90's.


A bit hazy in the desert today. It can't be humidity. The dew point for today was 34 degrees! You can't get much drier than that. I'm here to tell you that when the temperature climbs over a 100 degrees, it's bloody hot! Don't believe all that "but, it's a dry heat" mularkey.


We rode by miles and miles of rock graffiti today. It's usually people's names, but sometimes you'll see websites or religious statements. We didn't feel like gathering up enough rocks to write anything today.


These are sand dunes, located in a park that allows recreational (ATV) vehicles. These dunes are quite far from where I'm standing, so they're actually much bigger than this picture shows.


We rode on lots of black pavement today, complete with rumble strips. They should call them "teeth-chattering" strips, since that's what happens when you accidentally steer into these.


The sides of these hills have some interesting lines in them. Erosion? You tell me.


The first of many passes that we climbed up to, today.


The second pass. Notice all of the bullet holes. We noticed that many signs along our route have been used for target practice by the locals. It makes you think twice when you're standing anywhere near these.


There's a tiny town (well, actually a bar and a motel...that's it) called Middlegate. We pulled up to this place after 45 miles, at 10:30. We ordered a 2nd breakfast, and then decided to keep going. Neither one of us wanted to stick around this place for the rest of the day.


I read recently that the big bartender, that was famous for advising so many cyclists on the best way to Austin, was killed. Hence the change in population...


This is the new Shoe Tree. The original one was located nearby, but it was cut down last New Year's Eve by a young man that was mad at his girlfriend (she was reportedly cheating on him). They used to go to the Shoe Tree together. It was one of their favorite places. So, he rented a chainsaw, had a few drinks, and cut the tree down. He turned himself in, under intense public pressure. He served community time, for his crime, but one of the conditions for turning himself in was to leave his name out of any public reports. The Shoe Tree was such a popular landmark, that he feared for his life. The new tree (above) has quite a few pairs of shoes, but the original tree was packed with shoes.


This was a nice surprise. We weren't counting on any services between Middlegate and Austin. This little store was just the ticket, for water and a snack.


We crossed paths with our first fellow cycling tourist. This is Dave Conroy, from Vancouver. He's biked 18,000 miles around the US, Canada, and Mexico. You can learn more about him and his travels at www.tiredofit.ca.


Actual clouds! Today was the first day, since we've been here, that clouds shaded some portion of our ride. It happened in the late afternoon, and it couldn't have come at a better time.


The third summit...



The fourth summit. (We actually climbed over two other passes, but they didn't have any signs at the top.)


It's starting to get late in the day now. We've been on our bikes since sunup. Now, it looks like we'll be getting to the hotel a bit before sundown.


Karl and his trusty water bottle. I have never drank so much warm water in my life, as I have on this trip. You can fill your water bottle with ice, it won't be long before the 120 degree road temps start to warm it up. But, warm water is better than no water. I was dreaming that someone would drive by and toss us something cold to drink. Is that too much to ask for?