The best day yet

Today we rode from Fallon to Middlegate. We started early because the map showed some unimaginable climbs towards the end of the day. We left Fallon going downhill on a clear very crisp morning. Although we are traveling 50 highway, the traffic is manageable and the roads are nice except for the pesky rumble strip that forces us to ride on the highway.

About two hours into the ride we stopped at a huge sand dune. Doug road his bike up to check it out so we all decided it was worth taking a look at. As it turns out, there were dune buggy races going on. The sand dune was huge and the buggies were going up what seemed like an impossibly steep course to reach the top. Deb, Nancy & I decided to take a ride. Why not? When else are we going to have the opportunity? We found a young kid (weren't they all) and asked if he would take us to the top. He wasn't sure he could do it in his buggy with the four of us so we agreed to pay him 10 dollars for the ride but 20 if we made it to the top. Apparently, the incentive was all he needed. What a ride!

We biked another two hours or so and reached our destination, Middlegate, Nevada. How do I describe Middlegate? OK, we knew from the road that it was going o be unique. Actually, I wasn't sure this was the turn off except Doug was there confirming my suspicion. As desolate as this looked, there wasn't ANYTHING ELSE for another 50 miles. This is definitely a one-stop-shop. Rooms, restaurant, bar, horse shoes, think dude ranch decorated in the 40's. Rooms for 35 dollars and dinner for another $8. The selection is slim but if you like beef, fries, onion rings, life is good.

Happy Birthday to Tom Spencer - Nancy's brother-in-law!