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Day 9
Another day in Nevada...another day of interstate riding.

ROUTE: Battle Mountain to Elko NV DISTANCE: 72 Miles WINDS: Southerly 15-25...mixed bag of head and tailwinds depending where we were around the mountains
WEATHER: Sunny, windy, and warm...87 in Elko TERRAIN: Flat with a couple major climbs in the middle TOTAL CLIMBING: 2520 feet

DAILY DOINGS: Boy, we all really hate to leave Battle Mountain...but alas, we must take up our bikes and pedal.  There's so much to do here that we just didn't have time to do it all, but we must continue our quest to the east coast...today, Elko is our destination.  As we departed the bustling city, we rode on quiet county roads for the first 22 miles, then we got on the interstate for the remainder of the day except for a short 5 miles on frontage to bypass the Carlin tunnels.

Our departure route was flat to gently rolling but if you looked ahead, there seemed to be a wall of mountains blocking our way (right).  The shadows on the mountains accented the contours before us as we wound our way through and around these mountains making our way along the valley floor.  Karen and I left the motel after everyone else had departed and spent the day riding up through almost everyone while taking photos and checking on their progress. 

After our first SAG at 26 miles, we reentered I-80 and started to climb to Emigrant Pass at about 6100 feet...a long and steady climb to get us ready for tomorrows big climbs to Wendover and then the big ones in Colorado.  One of our challenges besides the climb, were the rumble strips in this section.  Nevada is fixing most of their bad rumbles, but they haven't gotten to them here yet.  The rumbles here run all the way across the shoulder and have about 20 grooves in close order that give a slight vibration to your arms and bike as you ride over them (left).  Most of the riders didn't find them to be of any significance, but riding over them is not the most pleasant experience.  After the summit, we were rewarded with a great 5 mile descent into the second SAG in Carlin...the only civilization between BM and Elko consisting of a few houses and a truck stop.  From there we picked up a frontage road that took us through Carlin Canyon and around the infamous Carlin Tunnels.  That frontage road was the highlight of the day as we found ourselves following the river through scenic high canyon walls on both sides (right and below left).  The only problem was the canyon became a wind tunnel and the wind force was doubled into our faces as we tried to make our way around the mountain.  At the end of the canyon, the road came to an end at the westbound lane of the interstate so for us to continue on our way, we had to cross the interstate on foot...not a real problem since the traffic wasn't heavy and we had good sight distance in both directions.  When we started to roll on the interstate, we were still getting pummeled with a pretty vicious headwind for a mile or two before we got away from the mountain and the road turned a bit more to the north.  From there we got a great kick of a tailwind all the way to town.  For a minute after reentering the interstate, I was thinking we would have a tough day into town, but as it worked out, the wind really helped us and the shoulder got smooth when we got into Elko County.  Life is good...or life is sweeeeeeet!

Karen and I rolled into town just after 12:00 and got a bite to eat at a DQ.  I needed to find a dentist to take care of my tooth, but when I found one, he didn't have very good news.  I need to have a wisdom tooth pulled and he couldn't do it...because of the root pattern, it will take an oral surgeon...yikes, that's all I need right now.  Now I have an appointment in Salt Lake on Thursday to have my tooth extracted...bummer.  I was really looking forward to riding the Colorado section.  Hopefully, I'll be ok by the time we get to Gunnison...I really want to ride over Monarch Pass...we'll just see how it goes.  I think I'm falling apart...first my forehead in San Francisco, my left knee is swollen from a slight muscle pull, and now my tooth is going bye bye.  I just hope I have all my body parts at the end of the ride.

Everyone seemed to be in good spirits at dinner and ready for the challenge tomorrow.  We'll get up early and get on the road before the winds pick up too much.  Hopefully, we can get down the road before it gets too brisk.  But whatever, we'll ride all the way to Wendover...see you then.  M

DAILY DIGITAL DELIGHTS

Darryl, it's too early in the trip to be BBQing your bike...where's the charcoal? 

I don't remember recommending this signal to stop a van but Joe says it works...at least with Debbie's in the van.

Yesterday, Rose rode so fast that she had the afternoon to fill in for the vacationing elevator operator at the motel.  It didn't take her long to learn the lingo..."Going up?"  "Going down?" 

Flexibility is a family matter to the Millers, but I would think the wrong Miller is being stretched.

Nevada is known for alien activity and Battle Mountain isn't exempt.  On the way to dinner we had an encounter with an extraterrestrial...the green one on the left.

Even tough we were flying along the interstate, we had to take time to photograph some of the beautiful formations along the highway.

With those smiles, you'd never know they were riding into a headwind.

Jenny and Monica of Team Florida are smiling because they haven't seen the hill to Emigrant Pass yet.

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