The 'Big one'

Day 56. Total miles 3456. Days miles: 112.

Yesterday was a LONG day, 112 miles in total, just over 9 hours of riding. The previous day, we had covered 101 miles so followinf that another big day and we would be rewarded with a rest day. We had camped 20 miles west of Eureka, and it was a cold night. So much so that i woke up several times and eventually had to put on my raincoat, which as you can imagine is not that comfortable to sleep in. It has become apparent that even after hotter days, due to the lack of cloud cover, the nights are cool if not cold in Nevada.

We set off quite early at around 7:30 covered 30 miles or so, and soon ran into a rather strange cyclist coming the other way. Most of the people we ride past are 'normal', this one was not. Anyway after a brief as possible encounter with 'Mr Strange' we bumped into couple riding. We talked for quite a while and the gave us great advice on minor detours we should take, including a route to lake Tahoe. They said we should certainly go out of our way to visit it. After a lengthy session of banter about the soccer world cup, sorry i have become Americanised-i mean the 'football world cup', and an interesting observation that we looked thirty years old, we forged on slightly behind schedule. I think that the long hair and the beard makes me look slightly older. However, being a true 'cycle tourer' i will not cut my hair or shave until i return, it adds to the persona that all cycle tourers are hardened men. Anyway we arrived into Austin at around 3, and had only covered 48 miles, so over 60 miles to go after a very late lunch. At Austin we chatted with the gas station attendant, who claimed to be best mates with the top gear crew who had passed through the little town the previous year. His stories of the drunken Jeremy Clarkson were amusing even if the validity of them were questionable.

By the time we left Austin it was 4pm at least, so we could tell it was going to be a long one, but we put our heads down and forged on. I have, after 50 odd days of riding, eventually acquired some saddle sores. In addition my cycling shorts are on their last legs, so are falling apart in all the wrong places, creating a constant rubbing. This slowed my process somewhat, as had to adopt for a large stretch of the afternoon, a 'standing riding' position.....bit tiring on the already lethargic muscles. Nevertheless we pulled into Middlegate, about 50 miles west of Fallon, at about 9pm, finishing our ride in the dark. To our relief there was a bar, so we indulged in two huge burgers and a couple of beers a piece. The bar which also doubled as a bar/motel/restaurant/camping ground/pool house/meeting place of local drunks, had a shack which they offered us for $10. The shack had a couple of bunks and a shower house next door. We snapped up the offer quick, as a night out of the clod and off the hard floor of a tent, is always a welcome relief. Even though when i pulled back the blankets from the bad a rather large Caterpillar scuttled away, it provided a great nights sleep.