Day 10: Elko to Wendover, NV

A long ride today and our first century - 107 miles. Folks are getting tired -
including me. You see a lot more shifting around in the saddle trying to get
comfortable ... Derrieres are starting to complain. Rear ends become dinner
conversation with favorite remedies offered up with extreme confidence. We have a
doctor with us who has offered to examine any suspect spot ... Don't know if anyone
has taken him up on it.

Today's ride was just exquisite. The Ruby Range to the south was snow capped with
sagebrush and pasture land leading up to it. Just one beautiful view after another.
It never stopped all day ... Mountains in the distance, ranch land, and sagebrush
and wildflowers. And we'd keep going and it would just get better. We climbed up a
canyon over the Pequot mountains - about 10 miles to around 7000 feet. These
mountains had beautiful rocky outcroppings and the canyon felt narrow after riding
in the huge open spaces. At the top we had a long and fast descent into yet another
gorgeous dessert vista ... This time more sandy and spare. Clearly it had missed a
lot of the rain. But maybe not for long - to the right was a massive black storm
and you could see the grey where rain was falling. I missed the rain, but some
riders coming behind me were pulled because of lightening. The bike is a bad place
to be in a storm ... Hit the ditch. The final descent into Wendover was amazing.
You crest the final hill and a huge expanse of white stretches out in front of you.
White salt flats as far as the eye can see.

Wendover is a scruffy looking stain on the salt at the base of the mountains ...
Dotted with neon from all the Casinos. Gary - totally agree with you and stayed in
the hotel. Because why should you leave? The rooms have one wall that is all
mirrors, black lacquer furniture and fake tortoise shell walls and doors and 3 big
plastic plants. The casino down stairs is mirrors walls and ceilings with blue and
pink neon lights everywhere. And there is a fake rain forest in the all you can eat
buffet. They lost money on us ... I had 3 plates of food and dessert and I was
eating light compared to my table mates.

Tomorrow is our last ride before a day off. We are riding across the salt flats to
Salt Lake City. Right now the winds don't look promising ... It's a 118 miles day
and we're hoping it shifts to a tail wind.