Saturday, June 13, 2009

Day 7: Lovelock to Winamucca -- First time for everything.

Miles: 75; riding time: 4:03 avg speed: 18.6 ; max speed: 35; total trip miles: 513 ; weather: rain, low clouds, 60's f . Alt change: mild undulations. Pictures are coming later. Map so far is here.

Pictures, Thanks VERY MUCH TO BOB HORN FOR THESE! are here and there are some good ones! Worth checking out.

Great down home family style dinner last evening at the Cowpoke Cafe served up outdoors by very cheerful young ladies bearing large tins of roast chicken, potatoes, green beans, fresh bread and finally bread pudding for desert. Everyone loved it and said this was best so far. Good chat with Jay (Brad's dad) over dinner comparing notes on inner city ministries. Jay retired from Eli Lily 5 years ago and now focuses on grand kids, riding, some traveling and ministry. I'll remember him for his gentle manner and ready smile. We walked the 1/2 mile back to the Sturgeon Inn joking about how nice it was to get this shower and the cool evening to offset tomorrow's desert heat a bit.

But that little shower was only the edge of an unusually cold and lengthy front that has moved into north western Nevada and looks like its here for a few days. We got up to light rain and as I rolled the bike to the lobby there it was: my first flat of the ride. The tire had gone down overnight. Sure enough, I had picked up a half inch length of wire that had worked its way through the tube overnight. Better in the parking lot than out on I80. Flats draw Gerard like a gameboy draws bored kids and before you could say "We're biking to Winamucca", he had the tube installed, the wheel mounted and me ready to roll. Gerard's techniques is to take off the tire entirely, install the partially inflated tube into the tire and then mount the whole wurst at once.

Soon everyone was on the way back down to the Cow Poke Cafe for breakfast in the rain, gazing at the rain out the window over great gobs of food and finally when it could be delayed no longer rolled out into the rain. But once wet -- and don't let anyone tell you they have the gear that keeps the water off -- you just roll along at a speed that keeps you warm enough all the while enjoying the very neat clouds settled over Nevada hills, cows tramping through mud that used to be just dirt and highway spray kicked up by semis roaring by on I80.

The pace to the first rest stop 25 miles out was a leisurely 15 mph or so with Bob, until Brad & Sean joined us. Sean had already had his 2nd flat and as it turned out was working on his 3d, making every effort to overtake Brad who was at 4. Brad and I rode much of the way to the lunch stop at 46 miles together, hammering right along to stay ahead of a big cloud bank looming behind us. Once at the stop, he opted to shove off for the last 25 miles after signing in, while I opted to join Jim, Bob and Zero for lunch. And what a lunch it was. Unlimited chicken soup for $3.00 plus half a Subway sandwich in the middle of the Nevada desert.

By the time we finished the rain had slowed considerably and we were soon back on what had become our good and familiar friend, I80, for the next 15 miles. With the bad weather tailwind, the pull of passing semis, the smooth untraveled berm asphalt and the prospect of a warm shower I could crank it into the high 20's and even low 30's for much of that stretch. I have become an I80 fan for sure.

Once in, riding gives way to what is now routine. Cleaning and prepping the bike (big job today) , shower, call my lovely lady, upload pics and blog, check the evening's schedule, get some quality time with Sean at wrench time for a shifter adjustement (have a couple of mishifting gears), route rap, dinner and bed by 9:00. Body and bike continue to hold up, though we still have 4 days to go to our first rest day including two back to back centuries for the final push in. AbB puts it this way.

The high desert plain slowly gives way to the Ruby Mountains. We will roll up and over eastern Nevada and then stretch out our legs for the final push across the Bonneville Salt Flats and cycle into Salt Lake City for our first day off

1 comment:

  1. So good to talk to you....it's interesting to me how you loved that ride today, while many riders probably felt the opposite. But that is why you make a great adventurer--willingness to deal with what comes your way and, of course, having Gerard along:) Enjoy your descriptions of the day and looking forward to the pics! XOX YOO

    ReplyDelete