Day 5: Into Winnemucca, NV

Theme of the day is hill climb.......long hard day today!

Well, we made Winnemucca tonight. If Nevada is going to make us work hard for our wheeties, then I am riding 20 miles out of my way for a change comfy bed with chilly a.c.  We should be in Nevada for the next 3 days give or take. I have to say you know you are in the wild west, when you jump off the two track to take the "smoother" cow trail option. 

If the hot tub doesn't melt me, a proper ride report later.

Into Winnemucca

Daily Mileage 234

Gas in McDermitt
No Gas in Denio (Confirmed with locals in Fields and sign outside of Fields said 82 miles to next gas)



If I had to say one thing, I think most of today's ride was a text book example "how not to make a trail system" For the most part, all the hill climbs went straight up the face of the hill with no switch backs, when traversing hills you just rode off camber. The GoPro flattens all terrain. And yet this pic still has vertical ascent to it. Yikes!


And apparently what we think of as moondust, would be more accurately referred to as Alkaline.

I rode through my first dirt devil, whilst Blaster conquered the tumbleweed blockades


Does this tumbleweed make my BMW butt look big?


But, we are now remote enough that the animals even wonder if we are lost. Look at those BIG ears on that mule deer. She could probably hear a mouse fart at 1 mile away.




Baby cows are so excitable. I think they are practicing to jump over the moon!


This wild horse herd probably numbered 80 head. They looked very healthy with nice round barrels and shiny coats. And very sound looking. Certainly there is a whole lot of desert out here, and I wish that the ranchers could make peace and save some land for the horses. I am so tired of hearing how the wild horses are "abusing" the desert, yet we free-lease public land by the thousand acres to for-profit ranchers.






No reason to think you could get lost and die in the desert...


The sage bushes give way to some magnificent buttes


When it's 80F out, dunking your boots to feel out the unknown water XCings isn't so bad








And I swear some of these valleys you could see for 100 miles across! I guess atleast we know where this trail will take us.