It was now over seven years since I had cranked out a long tour. (Would marriage -1990- have had anything to do with that?!) By early 1998, I was fast approaching my 50th birthday. That fact and the 7-year vacuum were tugging at me, so with my wife’s consent I started planning a trip to celebrate those five decades. The year prior, we took a two-week vacation in California. On that trip we visited my cousin in Visalia, CA. The gears were already turning in my mind at the time and he said they would love to have me revisit if I wanted to start a bike trip from their place.
I spent much of the spring and summer planning and riding enough to get back in shape. Most of my riding was accomplished by commuting to Bethlehem Steel during many days in July and August – a 60+ mile round trip. I would leave at the crack of dawn in order to get to work by a little after 8:00 a.m.
This trip began later in the season than any other. I flew to Los Angeles right after Labor Day, where my cousin met me and drove the three hours back to their house. For this trip I packed my bike and shipped it by truck several weeks earlier, and he picked it up at the trucking terminal and had it waiting for me.
The most memorable part of the trip occurred on the sixth day out. I knew it would be a long day beforehand. In far eastern California, at the small town of Lee Vining, I left before dawn, just able to see the road shoulder. Destination Tonopah, NV – 133 miles away. I stopped one time at about the 45-mile mark, at a dot on the map called Benton (in CA) at a little café. There was nothing else in “town”. I ate lunch here and it was my last resupply of water. The map showed nothing ahead until Tonopah. At the California / Nevada line there was an Indian casino, but I did not need to stop for water.
The distances are immense in Nevada, but the corresponding scenery is magnificent. From mid-afternoon I could see the mountains that formed the backdrop for Tonopah. And, I pedaled all afternoon toward those mountains, from one hour to the next, never appearing to draw closer. The winds kicked up and a storm threatened. The last 35 miles were a steady but gradual uphill. The town of Tonopah sits at 6047 foot elevation; deceiving because it appears to be all desert environment with huge mountains not far off. It was getting dark. Passing 18-wheelers coupled with the strong crosswinds necessitated stopping along the shoulder and bracing myself when I saw a truck coming in my rear view mirror. It became dark and the lights of Tonopah seemed to never draw closer. Finally, at about 8:30 (in September it is dark at about 8:00) I pulled into the first motel I saw. I remember dragging myself to a diner next door and devouring a meal of chicken-fried steak and two desserts. And, I remember a great and long soak in the tub. I took the next day off!