Day 6 - The Beauty of the Nevada Desert

82 miles today, from Lahontan Reservoir outside of Silver Spring to Middlegate Station (don't look for it on a map -- it's a former Pony Express Station between Fallon and Austin, and probably hasn't changed much from its heyday.) Since leaving Fallon this morning we are traversing "The Loneliest Road," although the passing vehicles are not too infrequent. The worst part is the almost continuous rumble strip which takes up most of the shoulder, forcing us to ride in the traffic lane. Fortunately, most drivers are very courteous and give us a wide berth.

Highway 50 across Nevada is a seemingly endless series of mountain ridges, separated by wide valleys. When you clear the ridge and start down, you can typically see for many miles, well up the next ridge. It's a very dramatic landscape. The ride went well again today. One of the major highlights was in the last 10 miles or so, when Janet (Chuck's wife) delivered some ice to help fill our water bottles. Much appreciated!

I forgot to mention an encounter that happened yesterday. As we passed through Dayton, just northeast of Carson City, we passed a man walking on the side of the road, with signs on his back saying (approximately) "End Corporate Influence" and "Restore Democracy." We stopped and spoke with him, and he told us that he and a partner are doing a relay walk across the country to call attention to the influence of corporations in governmental decision making, especially since the recent Supreme Court decision, and calling for an end to corporation personhood. They had left San Francisco 15 days previously. We wished each other well on our respective journeys.

A very short distance later, two young women were walking together, wearing t-shirts proclaiming that they were part of a pro-life walk across the country. We didn't stop to talk to them.

Tomorrow has us going from Middlegate Station to Austin. Only about 60 miles, but several major climbs.