Day 2: Ely, NV to Bishop, CA
This turned out to be a great day of riding! Just under 500 miles (with only 350 planned).
Would love to tell you that I saw lot of interesting stuff but it was not much more than high desert scrub brush and miles of lonely backroads. And I love that.
I left Ely at 7am on a beautiful clear, crisp morning. The sun was shining and the sky was blue and it was a brisk 46 degrees. Lovely riding weather. I passed exactly one car between Ely and Eureka. I stopped in for breakfast at a local diner/casino where the locals proved that Eureka is indeed the "friendliest town on the loneliest road." A couple guys stopped and asked me about my Triumph and told me about their bikes. This is something I enjoy the most about riding through the US--talking to the locals. I never fail to learn something new about a town from the good folks who stop by to chat and discuss motorcycles.
I realized quickly that most of today's ride would be above the 6,000' level. I never lost sight of the tall, snow-covered mountains to my front and sides. I skirted those beautiful mountains all day...and believe me, I felt their presence.
I saw the foundations of long-deserted dwellings on my way to Austin. Some were marked as historical; others just stood sadly by the side of the road. What they might've been is anyone's guess. About 20 miles east of Austin I pulled off to see the Hickison petroglyphs. There's a small, unhosted site 1/2 mile off the highway down a gravel road (motorcycles be warned). Really not too much to see as the pictographs are faded and the petroglyphs are pretty much worn off. The UFO carved into the sandstone was as amusing as it was distasteful. That was an interesting 15 minutes.
I gassed up in Austin and received my one and only stamp in my Highway 50 Survival Guide from a nice young lady at the Chevron there. As I was leaving she ran out and asked if I was continuing west. When I confirmed that I was, she warned me to watch for black ice on the New Pass...a location that rarely sees sunlight. Very kind of her to pass along that info.
I had been told of a bypass shortly after Austin--the 722. I decided to stay on the 50 and soak up as much loneliness as I could stand. I didn't see anything too exciting, though. Maybe the 722 would have been a better idea. Next time...
Again, nothing too exciting between Austin and Fallon. I passed by Sand Mountain but didn't hear the Singing Sands. Maybe they rest their vocal chords on Sundays?
Fallon was by far the biggest of the towns on the 50 thus far. It appeared to be a booming metropolis of cowboys and ranchers. I think I even saw a WalMart. I continued on to Dayton where the speed limits are artificially low. Try driving 25 MPH for 5 miles. I guess towns are trying to boost their revenues in tough times but I don't like it. Caravans of slow-moving vehicles looked on as other drivers were being targeted in speed traps along Dayton's borders. No good.
From there I reached Carson City in no time. The wind was blowing and the air was chilly. My Aerostich heated vest kept me warm the whole ride...though my toes were a bit cold.
Once I arrived to Carson City I decided I was way too early to check in to a hotel and I still wanted to ride some more. So I continued on the 50 then turned south on the 395 and rode 200 miles to Bishop. Brrrrr! It's cold above 8,000 feet.
There was a slew of signs warning of icy/slippery roads. And I saw two snow plows coming down the hill. Well, the road wasn't closed so off I went. I have always loved snow in the pines and it smelled great as I zipped over the passes. My tires got a little squirelly on some ice/gravel/snow but nothing major. Out of Nevada and back into CommieFornia.
I arrived to Bishop at 5:30, just as it was getting dark. I found a hotel with parking right in front of my room and called it a day. That makes for a much shorter ride home tomorrow.
All in all it was a fine day of riding. Some may not enjoy the monotony of a road like the 50, but I just loved it. I listed to my music or sorted out the thoughts in my messed-up head and soaked up the high desert scenery. Lovely.
Here is a selection of the tunes I enjoyed today:
Sleeping Monkey: Phish
The Window: Steve Miller
Every day is like Sunday: Morrissey
24 hours at a Time: Marshall Tucker
I want to go to the Sun: Peter Frampton
6 days on the Road: Dave Dudley
Back home Again: The Mahomes
And a mess of old blues (RL Burnside, Johnny Copeland, Son Seals, Melvin Taylor)
I'll wrap up Day 3 tomorrow.