Day 16, Baker, NV to Milford, UT: 84 Mile Stretch of Nothing

August 7, 2017

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Mileage Today; 84 Total So Far; 735 Remaining; 861

Climbing Today; 4,216 Total So Far; 41,163 Remaining; 55,119

Max Grade; 6.0% Average Uphill Grade; 1.6%

Average Speed While Riding; 7.6 mph

Mechanical Issues; None

Photos credit; Bud, unless noted otherwise

Bud speaking;

The Stargazer Inn was an interesting place, and the Kerouac restaurant was quite good. Here’s a pic looking back at the Kerouac as I’m departing;

Leaving The Stargazer Inn In The Early Morn

It’s difficult to explain how totally eerie it is to travel alone in complete darkness with only the bicycle lights to illuminate my way. I tried several photos, but the limited light requires a steadier hand than I can muster while riding;

I reached the Utah border in only 6 miles, still in total blackness. I didn’t want to risk getting my little tripod out of the handlebar bag in the dark and possibly losing other things that might fall out in the process, so I just took a flash photo of the Utah sign and a poor selfie with my cell phone;

Cell Phone Selfie Is Best I Can Do This Early

The route I’m on is called the “Western Express” by Adventure Cycling, but it’s also a U.S. Bicycle Route System (USBRS) designated route. I’m traveling on USBRS 79, and it has been signed in Utah;

Apparently I'm Following U.S. Bicycle Route 79

While the sign indicates no services for 75 miles, it’s actually 84 miles when one leaves Baker until the next services.

Whereas Nevada had a very poor rumble strip design that made the shoulders practically unusable for cyclists, Utah has a great design;

The Utah design uses narrower rumble strips and places them very close to the fog line, which leaves more space for cyclists on the shoulder. The Utah design also includes periodic gaps in the strips, so that a cyclist can travel on the roadway (which has very little debris because it is swept away by the traffic) and then change over to the shoulder when a vehicle approaches from behind. Nevada could learn from the Utah design; the advent of autonomous vehicles will soon negate the need for rumble strips anyway.

Yesterday I was surprised when thought I had seen something that looked like a small grey fox in the poor light of the pre-dawn morning. Today I realized it wasn’t a fox at all, but a large bunny! These jackrabbits get quite large, and as you can see there is a greyish tint to their fur;

I rode completely across Nevada without seeing much in the way of wildlife, other than the single coyote I photographed earlier. Shortly after entering Utah I came upon this antelope;

I Saw An Antelope Shortly After Entering Utah

And some time later I spotted this fellow near the road;

These pretty flowers were abundant alongside the road. Bill Shaneyfelt posted and identified them as Rocky Mountain bee-plant; thanks Bill!.

These Pretty Flowers Lined The Roaadside

You need to carry plenty of water on these long stretches with no services. This is what happens to cyclists who don’t respect these long hot dry stretches;

Be Sure and Carry Extra Water On This Stretch

Today’s route is long and it includes 3 summits. Here’s the first one, which was referred to as “Halfway Summit” on the ACA map;

Halfway Summit - It Has To Be Halfway To Somewhere!

Interestingly, the ACA map listed the elevation as 6,309 versus the elevation of 6,240 as shown on the highway sign. This photo may help give you some idea of the feeling a cyclist gets when entering one of these long valleys; suddenly you feel so tiny and insignificant. I guess we really are tiny and insignificant all the time, it’s just that you notice it out here.

Working my way across the valley, I spotted a tiny spec that seemed to be moving toward me. Eventually it grew larger, and I was delighted to meet Rob;

Rob Started At Pueblo and Is Headed For San Francisco

Rob started his trek in Colorado and is heading for San Francisco. In 2014 he rode the Transam route from Virginia to Colorado, so when he reaches San Francisco he will have traversed the continent. Best wishes and safe travels Rob! Rob told me that 2 other cyclists had hooked up with him, but that they were late sleepers and I would eventually encounter them.

Rob and I departed and I labored on up and eventually crested the second pass of the day at Wah Wah summit;

Strangely enough, the ACA map lists the elevation of this summit as 6,723. Either the Utah highway department is wrong, or the ACA is. I had one more summit to go, and I was anxious to get started on it. But as I was enjoying the long downhill run I saw a cyclist coming up, so I braked and met Steve;

Steve, English Cyclist Traveling With Rob

Steve is an English cyclist who met Rob and has been traveling with him. We parted and I rolled on down the hill, and had to brake again in about a half-mile to meet Jacob;

Jacob, English Cyclist Also Traveling With Rob

Jacob is also an English cyclist. He and Steve did not know each other prior to hooking up with Rob to travel together. When I told Jacob that Steve was just a half-mile ahead, we parted quickly as he was anxious to catch up. I hope Steve and Rob both survived the day in good shape; they were about 3 hours or so behind Rob due to their late-rising habit. Rob was going to be able to make it to Baker in time to get some food and pitch a tent, but I fear that Steve and Jacob would be very late arriving that day.

As I rolled across the next valley and began the ascent, a storm was brewing and appeared to be headed my way;

I labored hard to reach the summit of Frisco Pass;

Frisco Pass Summit; I'm Really, Really, Glad to Finally Be Here

It was a 13 mile downhill run into Milford. You do have to pedal to keep the bike moving in the lower parts, but it is generally downhill and the effort is relatively easy. It’s a good thing, because I was quite exhausted and was very happy to get Milford in view;

Milford Is In The Sun While The Mountains Are In The Shade

Milford has a tradition of producing champion cowboys;

Milford Boasts Of A Lot Of Cowboy Champions - Oaktree Inn Is In The Background

I checked in at the Oaktree Inn. Tired though I was, I had to do laundry to have something clean for tomorrow. The clerk gave me the key to the laundry room, and even though I was weak and ravenously hungry, I stayed in the laundry room while the laundry was going and edited and uploaded the day’s pictures to this site. Hey, who loves you if I don’t?

I finally got over to Penny’s Diner (owned by the Oaktree Inn folks) and had the meatloaf dinner – not 1 single morsel was left when I was done. I need to get up early in the morning, so it’s another early night for me; g‘night all…

Today's ride: 84 miles (135 km)
Total: 733 miles (1,180 km)

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