I Don't Know Who Bob Scott Is

July 22, 2013

Day 29: Eureka, Nevada to Austin, Nevada

A boring day in which not much happened, except I moved closer to San Francisco.

I slept alright after I moved the tent under the pavilion last night. I did wake up very early in the morning when I heard Andy and Claudia getting ready to leave (not their fault: I am a very light sleeper), and I vaguely remembered having some sort of brief conversation with them before they rode off. Hopefully I didn't say anything ridiculous in my half-awake state.

I got ready to go more quickly than usual, and stopped at a convenience store at the edge of town and bought some snacks. This was going to be another day with no services between towns. Yay.

The ride started off with a descent from Eureka, which was nice, and then levelled off into a long, fairly flat stretch through unexceptional desert scenery. I did see one new thing today on the Loneliest Road: The most minimal "rest area" imaginable: A picnic table and a trash can. No bathroom, not even a pit toilet. Come on, Nevada: Don't continually make me do the walk of shame into the desert to do my business on these long, long stretches between towns.

At the rest area I discovered that the apple pie I had bought this morning was two years beyond its expiration date, and thus was inedible, even for me with my low, low standards. Instead I dipped a Payday bar in the Nutella. Not for the first time, I was thankful that Joy packed that Nutella.

Back on the road, I cycled through what my map called "Bean Flat", which was as flat as its name implied. Unfortunately I was not riding very fast, due to a slight headwind that plagued me most of the day.

Finally, I started climbing. The first summit was barely worth noting. The climb to the second, Bob Scott Summit, started almost immediately. Note: I don't know who Bob Scott is (or, more likely, was), and am too lazy to try to find out. In any case, this was hard. I'd much rather do these long climbs first thing in the morning rather than in the hot, hot afternoon, of course. But the spacing of the the towns in Nevada does not always allow for that. And that's why this is a very difficult bike route.

I finally made it up, sweating profusely, then descended about five hundred feet and started the third climb, to Austin Pass. I had noticed this double-summit on the elevation profile on my map, of course, but had managed to convince myself that it was no big deal. It kind of was, however, and it took a while to get to the top.

The descent to the quirky town of Austin (pop. 192) was fast and fun. I first stopped in the town park, where I found Andy and Claudia along with two young, shirtless dudes who were riding west to east. They had only been on the road perhaps a week and a half, and had already sent back an enormous amount of stuff, including 14(!) pairs of socks. They had started off in busy California, and seemed a little taken aback by the relatively unexciting nature of the small town of Austin (where I believe they had taken a rest day.) I wonder how they will feel as they travel the rest of the way across the USA on the Western Express and TransAmerica Trail, both of which go through small towns almost exclusively.

The park looked appealing for camping, but there was one big problem: The pool, and the showers, were closed today. It was hot, and the thought of an air conditioned room, a bed and a shower were appealing, so I rode downtown to check out the motels. The first one was rather run-down and cost in the $40s. I told the lady I might be back. I walked next door to the marginally more attractive place and was immediately put off by the lady there who quoted me a price 50% higher than her neighbor, and then referred to the other place, her competition, as a "dump." What a turn-off. I told her thanks, and as I walked away she called out to me "I guess that means no thanks, right?" Yes.

I checked into the cheap place, and got a 10% discount without asking, perhaps because I looked so skinny and tired. The place really was very run down, but it was acceptable.

Later, in the hot evening, I walked around Austin, which had several interesting old buildings. Some of them, which local people had recommended I check out, were on extremely steep streets, up which I was just too tired to walk, so I didn't see them. I had a big day planned tomorrow, so I went to sleep early.

A rare rest area (however minimal) on the Loneliest Road.

The beer can at the roadside memorial was unopened. I was thirsty, but not that thirsty.

Claudia and Andy with two shirtless dudes riding across the country.

Today's ride: 72 miles (116 km)
Total: 2,347 miles (3,777 km)

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