Empty Nevada (10/4/23 Wed)

Snake Creek may have a horrible name, but as long as you don't need the bathrooms it's a great place to pitch a tent for free. As noted it's in a wide open range at near the top of a very gradual crown. Besides last nights few house lights I could see miles away in different directions, there are three mountain ranges visible. One probably in Utah, the other two in Nevada. The Southern grouping seemed like the highest and had visible snow on it's highest elevations.

I had crossed the boarder into Nevada, and a timezone just before camping. So I woke up near 0700, packed up quickly and rode into a very small down before anything was open. I continued on to the Great Basin National Park, and saw the staff arriving. Since they open at 0800 I had 25 minutes to wait. So I made coffee in the parking lot, to drink until they opened up and I could buy a cave tour ticket. They have been selling out, so they added an 0830 tour that we quickly filled up with those waiting for the 0800 opening.

By the time I payed there was only 5 minutes to drop my hat at the bike. The hat might have been in the Lewis and Clark Cave in Montana, and they don't want items from other caves in this one, to protect bats from white nose desease. The 90 minute tour was closer to 2 hours. It was interesting to see the differences in the two caves I've been to this summer. Both cavds had early founders who encouraged breaking off souvenirs. Each had a few unique features.

Obviously you exit through the cafe and gift shop. Breakfast and a sticker. In the parking lot next to me was two more bikes, a 1200GS and a KLR 650. While I was suiting up the 1200GS owner came out and we talked a bit. He was going to ride up the scenic road to the campground on the mountain, and he was OK with me tagging along. So I showed him how to connect to another rider with his new Cardo. It was kind of nice to have someone to talk to as we went up the road to the snowy peak. I had camped on the other side of this mountain. On the way out I stopped a few times to take photos, and my new friend continued riding. We did get a pretty convincing 1 mile communication test when I could see him on the road below. Winding in and out of mountains he also got a good sense of how it drops in and out.

Leaving the park I still had decent fuel so I just started my 4+ hour ride across Nevada to California. It was Rt50 then Rt6 diagonaily and over the boarder to Bishop, CA. I happened to check the gps for fuel ahead and realized I need to get fuel about 40 miles further, even though I would only need half a tank.

I was not prepared when I left that gas stop for a sign stating 180 miles to next service. I quickly ran a mental inventory to see that I had everything I might need, and I did. The road truely had nothing on it for almost 100 miles. Then a small cluster of houses and a new sign saying 95 miles to next service. Eventually I covered the gap and bought fuel for $5.40/g (about $1 higher). Leaving that town was a new sign 100 miles to next service.

So I traveled nearly the entire state of Nevada and saw a grand total of 4 small towns and a handfull of cars in vast straight openness between mountain ranges. The visuals of these straight highways across the vast plain is sureal. I snapped some pictures just trying to note how long a ride accross the valley takes. I suspect many took 10-15 minutes at 75mph. There was one much longer, but it did have a turn that made it more of a diagonal crossing.

My end of day rides on this journey west obviosly face me into the sunset. On really straight roads that's not too bad. These are open range space for horses and cows. I saw no horses, and the cows all watched me pass safely standing in their fields. But I did need to keep an eye out for them and the local form of deer. As the sun got low I could hold up a hand to block it and greatly increase my vision. This worked out nicely until I would pass over a range and the curves made holding a steady hand much harder, and yet more important. Because in the turns had all the same hazards plus falling rocks, and cars that you didn't see coming for miles. Nearly every vehicle coming towards me on the long straights first seemed to be another motorcyle. Then over many minutes it would grow into a car, and most of the time continued growing into a tractor trailer truck hauling very expensive gas.

I reached Califonia at sunset and continued my ride south in the eastern sierra range to my campground in Bishop. The mountains had dustings of snow and looked purple and snowy in the last daylight.

The Bishop campground is a fairgrounds. That makes arriving after dark more difficult. I found an office, form and drop slot. But had no idea where the campground was or how to find the host in site 26. Eventually I found a map and then a fence with campers that looked a bit like the map. But no site numbers. Asking the only person outside they told be the model camper and car the host drove, but wasn't sure she was home yet. Kid's playing near her camper confirmed she wasn't home. Someone come out for their door-dash, they assumed I was food not friend. The hangry campers told me the host was never around and to go to a trailer at the end that was the owners.

After few minutes of their dog barking at me from their gate the owner came out and told me to go back through the fairgrounds to the open field that said "no campfires". And that I should setup near the fence because poeple are arriving in the morning to setup for a swap meet.

Fine with me, I just rode to the local Denny's I had just passed. Ate my dinner and typed this up. I still have to go back, drop my $15 and form in the slot and setup my nest. Then I could really use a shower. What are the odds they have showers at the fairgrounds...