In a word "Crisp" tells how it was outside
this morning, nothing else would describe it. I awoke at 5:30 am all by myself,
no big hairy dog sticking his goofy nose under the covers looking for me, I
just woke up. By way of explanation Riley our Collie/Aussie Shepherd
mix monster dog has this thing about poking around for me until I
surrender and get up. Besides having a really cold nose he wags his tail
against the wall and doorway which sets up a helluva loud racket, not something
you can sleep through or ignore. Then as if he's not enough Toby our other
Aussie dog joins in and attempts to climb over him to get to me.
Waking up all on my own is a rare happenstance that doesn't come around often.
My ride today would take me north to Winnemucca, NV, my stay
for the next to the last night on this trip. It was easy riding with more
endless miles crossing the great basin; the nearly non-existent traffic
making cruising speeds of 75 - 85 mph easy. This is El Nino's realm, wide
open spaces with sunny open skies the total time, perfect riding weather, wotta
deal.
Early in the morning I reached Goldfield just as the little town was beginning to stir. Most businesses were still closed when I passed through but a few locals were out on morning walks enjoying the sunshine. This little town always peaks my interest; it's re-mindful of the old Wild West boom towns that went bust and nowadays is home to some very strange looking characters.
Welcome to Goldfield
One of the nicer homes in Goldfield
Goldfield's early morning main drag
Continuing my ride north I came upon what appeared to be a
complete but totally abandoned settlement.
Businesses of all kinds, small
houses, all empty and broken down. Where did all the people go? There were no
names, just tons of graffiti and broken windows, etc. Hey maybe they're all in
jail? Maybe they got beamed up to the Mother Ship?
If you happened to see the dark comedy vampire
film Dusk Till Dawn you might relate to how this one appears. All it needs
is a biker gang or two and Cheech outside hawking the highlights available.
I stopped long enough to clean the bugs off my helmet's face
shield and wonder a bit about the history of the place. In its day it must
have been one rough and tumble little town, probably not the best place for old
guys like me to hang out.
I rode the rest of the way to Winnemucca without taking any
more pics and stopping only to refuel. El Nino was managing over 50 mpg at
regular speeds of 75 - 85 mph, a very impressive show. The chain oiler
functions as it should although I'm finding it necessary to dial the flow back
a bit, the chain's nearly too oily. So's the rear wheel...
I mentioned it was crisp this morning? Well to illustrate, I
wore my heated electric vest and turned the heated grips full on. Those
two items go a long way towards keeping me warm but I was still wearing my
summer boots which allowed my feet and ankles to freeze. A conveniently
located rest stop appeared on the horizon so I pulled in and changed to
winter gear. I even changed to my full coverage helmet, a concession to
my Jack Frost nose. What a difference that made! I think a few of the
folks watching me struggle into knee-high socks while hopping around on one
foot were probably getting their chuckles but I didn't care, I'd never see them
again.
A couple of hundred miles further on and I was once
again in Winnemucca where I found a great room at the Days Inn for just a
little more than Motel 6. Besides an overall improvement in quality it
includes breakfast plus coffee at all hours, my kind of place. So I'm in
for the night, I've already managed to have an early dinner - chiliburger
the size of a human head - and the boob tube beckons.
See ya,
LL
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