After loading up with pizza the night before and taking a rest from the bike seat, the start from Ely was like starting the trip all over again. The clouds on the start from town were ominous. It is interesting watching the storm clouds from a plateau at over 6,000 feet. We were fortunate to miss most of the storm for the first 20 miles and then my luck ran out. Hard rain and then hail from a group of clouds I thought I could outrun. Once the rain was over it warmed up a bit so it wasn't too bad and I dried out quickly.
We all met up again before the start of the first climb. The police stopped all traffic for a rather large pressure tank on a truck that took both lanes of the road. This thing was so big that a second tractor was hooked on the stern for extra braking power. When we started the climb up this pass, I understood why they needed extra brakes. This one topped out at 7,720 feet. Just keep pedaling and you get to the top. Eventually!!
The rest of the ride was spent dodging thunderstorms that were lined up and drifting down the valley.
Today we said good-bye to Highway 50, the "Lonliest Highway in the US". Six miles from the Utah border we turn off on Route 487 to our stop for the night in Baker, Nevada. Population 30? Maybe!
Sue came out to meet me about 3 miles from town and we stood on the road and watched a storm move over town. Complete with massive lightning strikes and thunder booming across the valley. Quite a show.
The stop for the night was a small 4 room hotel. We had 3 of the rooms so of course we acted like we owned the place. Good time for all.
I was very interested in seeing the stars at night because this valley is at about 6,500 feet with very little surrounding background light. The heavy clouds remained for most of the evening so no luck. Too bad!
No comments:
Post a Comment