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Wednesday, 6-25-08, Middlegate Station, Nevada
Today everyone rode but Sarah and Mama. We got a pretty early start, around 7 am. The weather was calm in the morning and there was little traffic on "The lonliest highway in America", Highway 50 east of Fallon. We stopped once and backtracked to see if we could catch any of the fish that were in a shallow ditch, carp. No luck. The smoke in the air from the California fires weakened the sun's rays, so we kept relatively cool. After around 25 miles east of Fallon, we started a gradual climb over the first pass. From now on, we will be in mountainous terrain until mid Colorado. Everyone did pretty well and no one walked. The ride down the pass was thrilling. Adriana and I hit our top speed to date -- 46 mph. Towards the end of the day, we were drying up a little bit, at least I was. I couldn't get enough liquids; all I wanted to do was drink, which I did. We finally arrived at Middlegate Station, Nevada around 3 pm. What a neat place! Lots of interesting photo ops of Western decor around the place, carriages, old cars, saloon front, western furniture, outhouses. The people who run the place are great. Free tenting and showers. The kids can use the pool. Horseshoes, basketball, laundry, and the biggest hamburger this side of the Mississippi. Friendly, down to earth atmosphere. Right now I'm typing this blog on the owner's computer and he's nowhere to be found. No problem. His only instructions: Don't move anything around on my desk. This place gives America a good name.
Another cross-country cyclist, Jacob ?, came today from Carson City, over 100 miles. He's going across quickly, in about a month. Nice guy, Air Force Academy grad, wants to eventually be a missionary. The kids went swimming and played basketball. Adriana and Becky have written almost 100 pages in their journals. I hope they don't loose them. They will be great to read later. 49 miles.