Day 13 - Desert travel!

Dawn finally landed me in jail! It's true! We rode into Ely, Nevada, and she couldn't rest until she landed me in jail. The sheriff fed me bread and water... IT'S TRUE! We ate at the Jailhouse Restaurant and one of the menu items is bread and water for a buck! I did talk Dawn into letting me get a prime rib dinner (and she did the same) and it was delicious! We figured we would splurge since it has been several days of lighter meals and wow! was it good!!! I was able to get out after posting bail.

Captain's Log Day 13 - The Desert Run - 3073 total miles so far!

After leaving Hurricane, Utah, we traveled along hilly countryside that became more and more desert like. Eventually it began to look like the high desert that we lived in when we were first married, at George AFB, California. This shot was taken after we had crossed into Nevada and were traveling on Route 319.

The weather was fantastic - in the 80's for most of the trip, but there were many times that Dawn was contemplating stopping to put her jacket on. As we rode, the clouds were really cool, the fluffy white ones that drift slowly along.

Every time the elevation changed, we got a new and different terrain with unique plant life. It was far from being a boring ride. Of course, the 70 mph speed limit helped move things along. Yes, that is 70 mph on Rt. 93 which looked just like Route 319! Nothing like rolling through the long sweepers left and right at that speed. Don't worry though, the roads were smooth as could be and we could see way out in front of us! I'm tellin' ya, it was another great day!

Dancin' a jig on Highway 93, Nevada

Now, with all the stuff we are trying to cram on the poor old '03 Yamaha Venture, I decided to upgrade to a real man's ride! This is a brand new, 2009 Ural two-wheel drive! Think about that for a minute... a two-wheel drive! There is a drive shaft that can be engaged between the rear wheel and the wheel on the sidecar! This thing is cool! It can pull off a whopping 35 mpg and travel at speeds up to 55 mph with the engine being a 750cc BMW knock-off. 300 of these gems were imported last year from Russia and I got me one of 'em! [Thanks Dennis, for letting me sit on your toy!]

As we started up Route 93, we came across this really cool diversion. It was at Cathedral Gorge State Park in Utah, just north of Panaca at the junction of Route 319 and Highway 93. A nice stop if you are up to a hike through what reminded Dawn and I of a miniature Bryce Canyon... a very miniature but the trails are generally easy and it is a very peaceful environment. This was one of those unplanned moments we had that we saw the canyon from the road and the markers for the state park and said, "Hey, let's check that out - it looks interesting!"

Back on Highway 93, we decided to stop here and take some pictures and eat some lunch. Basically bread and water! Literally. We had some left-over pizza from dinner last night so we kept it in the refrigerator over night and packed it in our bag with a bit of ice. It was still cool at 1:00pm when we stopped and ohhhh was it tasty!

We got to look at this mountain for about an hour as we traveled across the desert. It is Wheeler Peak and it's summit is over 13,000 feet high! Yes, that is snow on a mountain in Nevada, on June 19! This shot was taken from the summit of the pass just outside of Ely, Nevada on Rt 50.

As we talked to some folks at the Cathedral Gorge, who actually live in Ely, they confirmed Dennis' recommendation to stay at the historic Hotel Nevada, in Ely. "The rooms are very reasonable," they said.

Well now, that is our language and that is all they had to say! The billboards for the hotel all stated that they are biker friendly! Bonus! As I waited at the counter to check in, the clerk had just taken a call from someone booking rooms for the night and they reserved the last 3 open rooms. Oh well, the Lord has some other plan, I'm sure.

As she talked to me, she found a non-smoking room available with two doubles? "I'll take it!" $45. Can you believe it? A nostalgic place like this that tons of famous people have stayed in for only $45.

When I asked where I could park my bike, she said, "We have the whole front of the hotel saved for bikes! In fact, if you are on a bike, you get a 10% discount!"

Cool! That made our day! I know, I know, we're cheap. How do you think we can go on a Great Adventure like this, eh?

If you look close, you can see Black Beauty in the line of bikes on the far right. We were the third bike to park and all the others felt compelled to join us! Bikes are like magnets to each other!

Here you go Dad. This look familiar? This is on display in the hotel lobby and is fully restored! Saaaww-weeeeet!

We are missing you guys. Adam and Jackie, I think of you guys every time I put our luggage on the bike or haul it into the hotel. They got us a set of Besteem luggage for Christmas just for this trip and it works like a dream! Thanks again, kids. You guys are great! It seems that we will never outgrow talking about you guys and reminiscing as we see parents with young kids seeing all of these great places - you remember! Wish you were here enjoying these sights with us.

Well, this posting puts us back on track again. Hopefully, the hotels will have good internet service from here on out so I don't fall behind again. It was tough at the last couple hotels trying to post these and a real test of patience! I almost quit doing them altogether... errr. But I'm better now, so fear not - your Captain is back on track and ready to roll!

Tomorrow? Hopefully into California past Lake Tahoe! Rollin' on, baby. Rollin' on! Till then... God bless!