Stats Sunday, Aug 8 – Middlegate to Austin; day distance 64.8; ride time 4 h 58 m (6 h); ave speed 13.03; total climb 3,288; total distance 446.2. Car count today on Hwy 50 – the loneliest road in America that passed us: 88 cars/RVs and 20 motorcycles. It’s not the loneliest road!
What a day! Breakfast at Middlegate. We were told that it began at 6:00. But it wasn’t really available until 7:00. We packed up from our night in the “sleep shack” (which, by the way, I forgot to mention in yesterday’s blog had no lock or latch – we slept with the door open – any critter or person could have come in).
The restaurant / bar’s ceiling is decorated with dollar bills (mostly $1 bills). There may be $2000 stapled to the ceiling. Seems that the custom is for guests to write their name and the date they visited Middlegate on the dollar bill and then have it stapled to the ceiling. But…we didn’t have the need to leave our signature and dollar bill on the ceiling. So, I guess, we can’t prove were we there.
The breakfast cook was quite the character. He implied that we were a little “soft” as bicycle riders. From Middlegate to Austin two routes are available. One on Hwy 50. An alternate on Hwy 722. The Hwy 722 option included a 7,500’ pass that we did not want to tackle. We will have plenty of other passes to summit in Nevada. The breakfast cook told us than an overweight woman rider had made it up the 7,500’ pass just fine. So…you guys should have no problem.
An hour into the ride we stopped to take a picture of a Pony Express Trail sign. We heard a strange rattle sound. I asked Mick if that was his tire on the gravel on the side of the road. He said, “No.” The rattle continued. It was a RATTLESNAKE! About 10’ from the side of the pavement. For a while we thought about approaching the snake as the late Australian, Steve Irwin, (crocodile hunter), might approach a croc (or another dangerous creature) – pick it up by the tail (say aloud with an Aussey accent). But…we both want to finish the ride. So we declined.
The remainder of the ride treated us to expansive awesome views of Nevada mountain ridges and valleys. Nevada is BIG. One of the “gunslingers” at Middlegate last night told us that the Federal Government owns 93% of Nevada land.
Nevada and its people are great. This morning Ted Oxborrow passed us in a Jeep and then pulled over and stopped to talk to us. “You guys doing Ok? Do you need anything? Do you have plenty of water?” Ted handed us his business card. Ted is the Nevada State Coordinator for American Discovery Trail – Americas Off-Road Coast to Coast Trail. “You call me if you need anything.” Ted grinned and drove off.
Nevada and its people are great.
Oh, by the way, our accommodations tonight? Camping in the Austin City Park. Free!
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