Fallon, NV to Austin, NV Distance: 116 miles
Riding Time: 9:13
Average Speed: 12.5
Altitude Gain: 4895 Feet
Today I started out early because of the length of the trip and I also wanted to beat the heat of the day. I was worried because of the sun being right into the eyes of anyone going east. I had my flashing tail light and hoped that would help anyone to see me. This road was like most of the roads I rode in Nevada. They had a rumble strip to the outside of the painted lane. The outside of the rumble strip was usually covered in gravel and all sorts of unfriendly looking plants. The streets that had a wide enough shoulder were good to ride on, but with the narrow shoulders, I would have to keep crossing the rumble strip when cars came up from behind. The rumble strips had no breaks in them so I had no choice but to ride across the strip. The rumble strip just beats me up.
I was about 15 miles outside of Fallon when I got my first flat tire of the trip. It was the front tire and there was enough light that I could at least see what I was doing. It turned out that the valve stem had blown completely out of the stem. I repla.ced the tube and was “on the road again.”
About 30 miles from Fallon I started hearing “The Star Spangled Banner,” not just a few notes, but the whole song. It seemed real strange and I looked all over but couldn’t see anything but the normal landscape. It was a little bit of a diversion and made me think about this great nation. I think it must have been emanating from somewhere on the Air Force Base.
Route 50 across Nevada comes close to following the old Pony Express trail. There were ruins of Pony Express stations and stage coach stations. Every so often there was an historical marker or a sign that said the route crossed the road here. It must have been a hot and lonely ride for those brave kids. I was so thankful for Kathie with her water and food. I think there was only one convenience store we saw all day.
The last 20-mile stretch was a large valley leading to what looked like the canyon leaving the valley. The closer I got, the less of a town seemed to be there. Austin had what I think was four rooms of a motel, a bar and a two-pump service station. There was road construction in town and the construction flagman at the lower end of town told me Kathie was waiting for me. Kathie had found a camping spot that was free. A construction worker that shared the area with us had some extra dump hose and was very helpful in getting us settled. The switchbacks leading out of town started right at the campground exit.
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