78 miles. Ely, NV to Eureka, NV
Aside from Red Cloud, Nebraska Eureka comes pretty close to being my favorite town name of the trip. Today i thought i might try some riding alone to see if it altered my experience of the trip. I got about 25 miles out which was the farthest I've ever done solo and it was pretty nice actually. The wide open desert doesn't lend itself to too much soloing for fear of going insane, but being the only human within a 15 mile radius in that crazy desert is a really interesting feeling you can't get too often. It was especially cool when right after a downhill I was able to sustain 35-37mph for a while from my own pedaling, which induced that awesome superhero-like feeling i always get at those speeds.
Even better though was at the start of the day when i was again having ridiculous trouble pedaling i actually found a problem with my tire rubbing. I fumbled with it and soon enough i was actually cycling and not just inflicting masochistic pain on my legs. Its kinda nice to know that i wasn't going insane last week, but unfortunate that i had to put up with that tire rubbing for so many days. Even more unfortunate are the stupid drivers(especially of humongous RVs) who don't bother moving into the other lane while passing us when they're the only car on the road for miles. Seriously man, what the hell is so hard about that. As you can guess, some of them have been way too close for comfort lately. I'd say 90% of the drivers are fortunately very generous but its those really scary 10% that stick in your memory.
While the open desert is nice and all, i think its very clear that US-50 is starting to take its toll on us. Its just the same mountain basin, mountain basin constantly. Being able to see 10 miles of desolate road in front of you that seemingly never ever gets closer is also just unbelievably demoralizing. On top of everything the basins are just full of headwinds that combined with the ridiculous visibility just crushes my soul sometimes. The crosswind can get especially bad and i swear i thought i was going to eat it today when the wind pushed my bike a full 5 inches over. Imagine pedaling slanted to the left like that trying to cut the wind for your life for a good few miles after just having climbed a mountain and expecting a break. Yea I dont want to either. Oh yeah, and the road isn't exactly littered with ice cream shops either.
Today the Regatta took it up a notch with the eating and drinking contests with competitors from each team. Sonya drew victory for the Black Pearl with 5 PB & J sandwiches but Doug from the USS Enterprise stole the show by chugging a full 3 liters of water. Disgusting and unnecessary on both counts, yea. Oh boredom...
Getting in early is awesome and so destressing and i've been making a point of doing it this week much to my happiness. As a result i got to replace my chain today(and learn how to) which will definitely pay off in saving later expenses. It still amazes me how remarkably complex bikes are and how much serious maintainance needs to be invested in them as a result. Its definitely given me a better perspective on how to treat and maintain cars and other vehicles in the future.
Highlight today was seeing a christmas tree in the desert today, as in a pine tree covered in garland and ornaments in the middle of nowhere. I guess we're not the only ones who get bored out here... Also when showering in the pool building two dudes came in with gas masks yelling that chlorine had leaked and then ran out screaming frantically when they saw us. Now imagine experiencing all that while naked and scrubbing yourself in the shower with 3 other dudes. Such a good moment!
Oh and can't forget Pancake Summit!
As for a facial hair update, i've apparently acquired the loose nickname of wolverine, which i suppose can't be totally bad. I'll see how its received back in the real world but I'm really thinking of leaving it for a while after the trip. I really value change in hairstyles and i've never done this before so why not. Now if only i could find some adamantium claws...
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