yesterday was the longest ride of our lives, 113 miles from Fallon to Austin! we rode together for the first 1/4 of the ride, past the salt flats, the sand mountain, and the shoe tree that we somehow missed. ian left a bit before us and rode like the wind. he took 100 pictures so be sure to check out the link to his blog site. later in the day we rode past a military top gun scenario; jets were dropping bombs not too far off the highway. at first amanda thought she was watching clouds being born, like some mysterious children's book - until we saw one of the jets swoop down and a huge blast came up from the earth.
at cold springs we stopped for snacks and met these guys who worked on the military base in Fallon. they were driving around in huge trucks with a Silkworm chinese missle on top so the jets could practice spotting them. they said later that day it would be their job to go out and look for bombs that had not been detonated. we said that sounded like a dangerous job and they said they'd rather be doing that than going to Iraq.
the second half of the ride was full of two climbs which weren't that difficult. the only problem was there were these bugs called Mormon Crickets that were infesting the highways. they were about 3-4 inches long and the color of rust. they jumped and crackled as we tried to ride around them but this proved to be impossible at times. the highway was stained for miles with their dead bodies and shells.
everytime a semi would blow past, shells from the Mormon crickets would scatter everywhere. it was like a horror movie, attack of the killer Mormon Crickets, only they were the ones getting attacked by our wheels. Amanda felt like she was on an episode of Fear Factor and was quite disturbed and disgusted. Amanda's saddest roadkill-viewing was a mush pile attached to 2 cute bunny ears. there were also the salt flats with rock graffiti saying sweet love messages along the road.
With all this strange stuff, highway 50 was more like a visit to area 51. Amanda felt empathy for the animals and bugs going at too slow a pace for the cars. we're all just trying to do our thing and not get killed on the highway.
here is a video of some of the ride
after a mediocre meal last night, we came back to our place and threw a surprise party for greg and boo who were celebrating 12 years as a couple. we decorated the room with streamers and served Fat Tire beers with umbrellas. Boo made up the term "pressert" - dessert before dinner - a good term to know about.
here is a video of the party and the eyebrow toothpick-umbrella contest
Food Log for yesterday:
Abby - bowl of rice cereal with cranberries and toasted sunflower seeds, some mango, handful of cashews, 2 Go Macro Bars, 1 Clif Nectar Bar, 1 Tangerine, 1 Haas Apple Fruit Rollup, 6 milkduds from Euro Van Snack Truck, raided Boo's Pirate Booty, Large Handful of Wasabi Peas, 1 Baked Potato with olive oil, salt and pepper, 1/2 can of black bean soup (unheated), cheese and brown rice crackers, and apples and cheese for dessert.
Amanda - Some mango, a PB and J, 2 Go Macro Bars, 2 Nectar Bars, 2 Haas Apple Fruit Rollups, another half PB and J, a bag of wasabi peaas and a ton of cashews, 2 baked potatoes with olive oil, salt, pepper, sour cream, and butter, a dinner salad, 2 cheese sandwiches, brown rice crackers, apples and cheese, a half can of black bean soup, and a taste of Fat Tire Beer.
today amanda woke up ill so she had to "take it easy". she spent the waking hours alternating between sleeping and throwing up. ian and abby got up early to try and beat the rain but it was already sprinkling. we climbed two fairly steep passes, and rode in some beautiful stormy weather through the vistas. the rain would at times make the sage and roadside plants smell refreshing, and at other times it would kick up the smell of the decomposing mormon crickets which was nauseating. abby told amanda she picked a good day to get sick because it was cold, wet, and full of rotting bugs.
we think it's flag day
taxidermy
when amanda snaps this flash photo, an older woman glued to her video gambling screen asks her husband, "Did you see that lightning?"
