Sept. 13 – The “Real” Middle of Nowhere!

We all throw the term around; I’m sure you have used it to describe some forlorn place you have passed through. Here in Nevada it takes on a whole new meaning – at least for the US. The middle of Siberia or the Sahara Desert might be more “middle of nowhereish “ – but this is pretty close! Here are some photos that capture the feeling:

Yeah, it messes with you! Anyway, I got up and tinkered around breaking camp at Middlegate – made breakfast and coffee. Max and Zach took off earlier. Right as I was taking off another rider came in from the East – he had been on the road for 70 days starting in Virginia and headed to the West Coast. He was a nice guy and gave me his phone number in case I had any questions about the roads headed East – I appreciated it. He was definitely a bit road-worn and maybe a bit crazy – that might be what you have in store once I return! Beware. There were two routes I could take to my next stop in Austin, NV – the shorter Hwy 5 or the longer and less traveled 722, which I presume is the old hwy. I chose the latter and it was awesome because in 50 miles I probably saw maybe 50 cars. It was very peaceful – although that route did contain a 10 mile climb that rivaled my previous tormentors. AAArghh. I made it though, and on the ride down met a cyclist going the other way – a Frenchman named Michele who had started in NY and would end at the coast. He was proper and chipper, just like the stereotypical French rider should be. We said a hearty “Au Revour” and went our separate ways. Soon after I had my first animal rescue as there was a 2 foot bull snake sleeping on the road – primed to become road kill. He was not happy with my removing him to the side, in fact, he put on his best rattlesnake imitation act – which is common to bull snakes. I didn’t get too close and learned that my selfie stick makes a great snake removal tool!

I kept pedaling, and just after 5 rolled into Austin, a small town in the middle of the middle of nowhere. I had gotten some intel on a little motel here, so I had made a reservation – and good thing since they were sold out! I met Sarah, the owner, who told me that she was an ex-truck driver who decided to change careers and bought the motel and was remodeling it bit by bit. It is a pretty nice place for a roadside motel and you can tell it is getting nicer. I told her about my stay at Middlegate – her comment was: “yeah, for being a bunch of meth-heads, they do a pretty good job.” Hmmmm. Explains a lot. There was one place to eat in Austin- a bar that was, by the looks of it, Middlegate’s first cousin – although more run down if that is possible. One bartender was pouring drinks, cooking burgers and doing shots with customers. And, surprisingly, doing them all well. I have been eating a lot of burgers! And guess who was at the bar? Max and Zach – in the end they had taken the same route that I had, but since they left earlier and are younger and stronger – they arrived ahead of me. We hung out at the bar for awhile, fitting right in the with the collection of bandits, survivalists, travelers and derelicts. Then we all rambled back to our dens – me to my my cozy room at the Cozy Mountain Motel and those guys to their camping spot at the town park. It rained hard last night – I hope they did ok. Now it is the morning and I am preparing to take off. I have to pack a lot of water as there are no services between here and Eureka – 70 miles and then another 70 or so to Ely. Will probably be out of touch for a couple of days. Say a little prayer for tailwinds and good camping!