Today’s Highlights:
It was another beautiful sunny day in northern Nevada, and we enjoyed a 55-mile Sunday stroll along I80 from Winnemucca to Battle Mountain. It was a cool 60 degrees when we left the hotel and a breeze was blowing in our smiling faces. The wind was not a problem today though, as it was light and mostly at our backs when our route shifted to the southeast.
The landscape was mostly a flat sagebrush plain with dry desert mountains to the north and south. Ranches were very sparse, and I only saw a few cattle in a couple places. There was one large well irrigated farm where I also saw a lone lama in the field. We had one nice climb today, only 600 ft in three miles, and a rest stop at the summit of it. Going down the east side of Mt Golconda was a nice treat – a 5-mile easy descent. At mile 28, we entered Pumpernickel Valley, and from there it was a flat twenty-five mile ride into the town of Battle Mountain. The valley was a little greener than what we traveled through in the first half of the ride, but still mostly sagebrush. There were a couple more ranches along the way, and some mining areas on the far distant hills. Like yesterday, there was a section of I80 that had rumble strips every twenty feet or so, but they did not extend to the white line of the breakdown lane, so we were able to avoid them for the most part. All the trucks moved to the left lane before passing us, so I rarely had to move into the strips to avoid traffic.
I reached the town of Battle Mountain around 10:40 and stopped for ice cream with Ken, Bud and Mark since our hotel rooms were not yet ready. We have some time this afternoon to chill, and for the all-important laundry chore. It is about 100 degrees this afternoon and we are glad for a short day.
Pictures Of The Day:
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