I said I'd let you know about Eureka being the friendliest town on the loneliest road, and I'm happy to report that we weren't disappointed. Last night at Sloppy Joe's for dinner, the owner picked up the tab after hearing about our ride (great place, by the way). This morning, we went to the Pony Expresso Deli for breakfast with the Mercy coast to coast riders (the group we wrote about in Middlegate), which opened its doors early just for us. If there's one thing I really enjoyed about Nevada, it was the people. Everyone we've met seems to love living out here, away from everything, doing as they please. They are a self sufficient, genuine crew, with kind hearts. The riding through Nevada, however, started to play mind games with us.
The Nevada landscape can best be described as corduroy-like. The hills come one after another on route 50, throughout the state. Unlike the hills in California, the Nevada hills are long- miles of uphill, miles of downhill. While cranking uphill in the midday heat, we frequently question our sanity, dream of swimming pools and beaches, and think of creative ways keep our route as short as possible. On the long downhills, with cool winds and effortless riding, our plans become ambitious- let's go see all the national parks we can, add on to our daily itinerary, ride faster, etc.
On the upside, Pat and I made a new snack (patent pending). BBQ fritos and peanut butter, wrapped in a flour tortilla. Don't knock it til you try it.
The highest peak for us so far, before coming into Ely.
Train tunnel just outside of Ely.
It's been a mentally draining few days through Nevada, but tomorrow is our last push to the Utah border. The Main Motel graciously donated a room for the night, and Rack's Bar and Grill gave us a great deal on dinner.
We're looking forward to be leaving Nevada, but we're glad we came through and met the great people we did. After the ups and downs of route 50, we're excited to see Utah, and then we're on to Colorado.
Hey I just found articles in both the Cheshire Herald and West Springfield Record. I haven't been able to find them online to share links.
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