We're still on the loneliest road in the U.S. Read our last 4 blog entries to catch up with our not-so-lonely journey.
9-22-06
Start: Hwy 50, MP 0, NV
Destination: Eureka, NV
Elevation: 6380 ft.
Miles: 12.0
Weather: Cold morning, cool afternoon, and lighter wind (yeah!)
This morning when we woke up, mom stepped outside, and I stared up into the crisp, clear sky. There were trillions of stars twinkling like crazy. It was beautiful. And I saw a falling star. I wished that the wind would give us a break for a day. And I think it came true! We had a few small gusts after the sun peeked over the mountains, but that was okay - the sun was there to keep us warm.
And last night we had a little scare. Earlier, before we got to our camp spot, we met an interesting biker. I mentioned him briefly yesterday. He was riding an older mountain bike with some sort of backpack-rig on the back. He had a teddy bear tied onto the back, and a cotton tote strapped to the front. He was wearing green corduroy pants, and a wool jacket with leather sleeves. When talking to him, he seemed very nice. But I have to admit, he made us a little nervous. We can never be too careful! We were heading in opposite directions, so we chatted a while, wished each other luck, and we hiked west. We turned around a few times, and he was still in the same place. We didn't think twice about it. Until later at night.
We were lying in our tent, enjoying the chorus of coyotes yips, barks, and howls. When they're not close, they are very neat to listen to. Anyway, the coyotes stopped, and mom and I were lying there in silence. I started to hear a very faint sound of music. We were along Hwy. 50, but no cars or motorcycles went by. Maybe I was crazy... But then mom whispered, "Do you hear music?" We listened, and started to get nervous. Could it be that biker? The sound eventually faded, and we fell asleep. Whew!
So we got to Euraka this morning, and checked into our hotel right away. We were sitting in the lobby, and two guys came out with bikes, saddlebags, the whole works. These guys were for real! I asked if they were heading cross-country, and they were, so we started talking. Phil and Devon were really great guys! Phil was explaining how he and Devon are really traveling laid-back style. They just bike town to town, leaving whenever they get going, sometimes into the night. I asked which direction they were heading, and he said west. Hmmm... "Do you have a radio on your bike?" I asked. "Yeah..." Well, mystery solved! These two guys came wheeling by our tent late last night, and that' what we heard! How weird is it that we met up with them today, and the meeting and conversation led up to our finding out the mystery of the late-night tunes? That is so cool!
That got long, but it just blew me away. I've got another strange Eureka story, but I'll save that one for tomorrow!
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