After we left Tonopah, NV we rode with the winds to our back through many mountains and valleys to finish around 73 miles. We sighted our first bear roughly a quarter-mile to our left and decided to keep going for a while before looking for somewhere to camp. We used our water sparingly since we wouldn't get to Rachel, NV until our 40 mile mark the next day.
The land we were on (and the following 75 miles) was marked with "open range" signs with the silhouette of a bull. Pretty straight forward. Now, these bulls turned out to be very curious of the two cyclists riding down the road. They'd form up along the side of the road, or what Andrew called "an ambush". It is pretty intense when multiple Bulls on both sides of you bluff charge and act like they want to impale you with their horns. We survived and pedaled harder than ever while yelling taunting words to the nosy beasts.
We rode through the Military testing zone with loud and ground shaking explosions towards Rachel, NV. This famous small town of 79 people is known for its interest in beings of outer space. They even named their one business the "Ale-inn", even though it's spelled ALIEN. While there, we realized that AREA-51 (the top-secret military sight-- impossible to penetrate) was about 20 miles south of where we were. That might also explain the excess of white SUVs with strange license plates driving by us at 75 mph. Jets were flying everywhere, and there were random patches of land with zero vegetation. Strange.
We left. We found ourselves biking later than usual and ended up pissing off more bulls at night while looking for somewhere to camp. Under the stars and high up, we slept before our trek to Caliente, NV. It was hot and our water supply was running short on the way to Caliente. With an 8 mile downhill we arrived in this small town and decided to stay before leaving Nevada in the morning.
We'll be in Utah sometime tomorrow since we only have 30 miles to the border. After that we have a 10,000 ft summit to achieve. We'll keep you posted.
Be sure to check out the link to our photo-wall on www.pedalacross.com
5 comments:
Your Dad and I howled at the image of you two screaming past the bulls!
Where is the link to your picture wall?
PLEEEZE get a good pic of both of you riding (maybe wait until you find some friendly folk in UT?) Email or post it. Thanks honey.
Mom (Marsh)
Recent siting of the guys...
Saw two cute guys eating donuts in front of the local grocery down the street. Had to meet 'em. Both are in great shape, very friendly and curious about what lies ahead. Glad I was able to provide my local perspective regarding their next leg of the journey. Best wishes on your endeavor and journey. Susan in Caliente, Nevada
Way to go guys! Helen, Bev, Mark, Kim, Tim, and I are all enjoying tracking your adventure. We are all very impressed with your progress and looking forward to reading more. Stay safe, hydrated and motivated and we'll see you here soon!
Your huge brother, ;)
Adam
Grats on getting another state down. I hope you took some pictures of the bull ambush... that's badass. You're my heros.
Hey guys I am keeping track of your weather while you bike across the great USA! Add a line or too in your blogs about the conditions out there so I can keep everyone updated! Especially Charlie Oscar! He is very interested in your well being! Already miss y'all around the APL-66!!!
AGC
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