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Day 13. Fallon, NV to Middlegate Station, NVYesterday: Day 12. Carson City, NV to Fallon, NVTomorrow: Day 14. Middlegate Station, NV to Austin, NV
Synopsis
Wanted: Young Skinny Wiry Fellows, not over eighteen. Must be expert riders willing to risk death daily. Orphans preferred. Wages $25 per week. Apply Central Overland Express. So read the 1860 ad which attracted an overwhelming number of riders to join the famous Pony Express. Though it only ran from 1860-1861, its legacy lives on along most of the route that I have traveled since Sacramento. US Highway 50 across Nevada is known as the "Loneliest Road in America", thanks to a 1960's Life magazine article, and today's ride gave me the first real taste of what they were talking about.... but today was just the first of what will probably be 5-6 days spent traversing the middle of Nevada, across its empty desert. Just a short mile east of Fallon, the desert returned. Few cars, few people, few houses.... just big clouds and mountain ranges in the distance. Just a short time outside of Fallon, and all I could hear was the rubber of my tires humming along on the ashphalt. On occasion, some fighter planes from the nearby Fallon Naval Air Station flew overhead, the sounds of which contrasting the otherwise complete silence. From Fallon to Middlegate, the ride was largely uneventful. Nearly 2/3 of the passnig motorists waved as they went by, recognizing and appreciating what I was doing. Motorcycle gangs, vacationing RV's, desert-bound dune buggies, we all our exploring the remote highways of the Silver State. A light rain as I crossed a the minor Sand Springs Pass at 4600 feet (I had started the day at 4000) was the only weather issue I encountered all day.... until the last 5 miles. With about 10 miles left on the day, I turned around to see a massive thunderstorm brewing atop some of the mountain peaks. This prompted me to pick up the pace a bit in an attempt to avoind the rain and the winds... Although I never got wet, some treacherous sidewinds were trying to blow me across the road and it took every bit of energy that I had to keep focused on staying on the shoulder. But alas, off in the distance I finally saw Middlegate Station, an old Pony Express changing station (where the rider would change horses) turned into a one-stop shop for anything you might need: gas, phone, motel, restaurant, bar, rv park... This place is truly unique. You almost expect to see ths swinging doors, as once I walked through the front door, it almost seemed as the music stopped and everything in the place looked up from their glass to see what the wind blew in.... and after I asked about a room, everything returned to normal. Much to my dismay, the motel was booked and knowing that Austin was over 60 miles up the road, I asked if they had any ideas of where I might pitch a tent... "anywhere you want, son! just set it up right outside... we have free shower and laundry out back if you need it, food in here and bathroom free for you to use. enjoy your stay!" I learned a lot about the way of life out here during my stay at the Middlegate Station. I arrived there in mid-afternoon and spent the whole day wondering around the complex and talking to the various passers-through and ranch-hands that filled the place. I befriended a passing trucker from Dodge City, Kansas, who had come in for a mountain dew and he too discovered the hospitality of the place and stayed for hours, did some laundry, and swapped traveling stories with me. The night's dinner was a T-bone steak with baked potato and garden salad for $7.95. How could I resist? Add to that a nice cold can of Bud, and I had a great meal before I layed down for the night... right there, in the side yard of the Station... in between the picnic tables and the horseshoe pits. Heading up the road for 60+ miles with a few decent climbs, I anticipate that the trip to Austin, Nevada will be the hardest day to date. To illustrate the monotony of the Nevada desert, I took a photo of the road ahead of me every 10 miles. Photos do this landscape no justice, but perhaps they can spark the imagination.
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