Set off early and tried to miss the rush hour on the Salt Lake City (SLC) Interstate - not a chance - but they were good to me... I decided to avoid any Interstate hassle so I took the much less travelled route via American Fork.. Which turned out to be MMFA (Miles and Miles of Flip All), but it was quiet and very very straight... towards the end the guys that fix pot hole had and interesting fix.... just pour gravel all over the road and into the holes!!! aaaarrrhhhh 9 miles of that....
Finally back onto the I-80 to Bonneville Salt Flats, I stopped for fuel at Delle City and they claim to have a population on 1 (and who ever is in the car park). There I met Jo from California who was riding his peddle bike from home to SLC, what an interesting guy.. None of your fancy Lycra for him: a pair of sports shorts, pink socks and a pair of crocs and he set off with just 80 miles to cover before the end of the day. Go Jo go. See photo. Then I remembered that I had not eaten since I woke up so a coffee and burrito was had.
We rode on, Madiba and I, and reached the road that runs passed the salt flats (aka the Newfoundland Evaporation Basin) all that without Wikapedia. A very very straight road with the flooded salt flats on both sides...... I did manage to stop for a picture but there was no way that I was going to even try to take the bike onto the salt for one of those memorable pictures....
Arrived at West Wendover, and stopped for coffee and chatted with an interesting chap from Lake Taho (near Reno/Carson City), about bikes, routes and places to visit. I am now at a camp site behind one of the many Casinos, and it's raining, so the bike will get a bit of a clean..
Now its decision time here folks:
A. Do I ride down to Ely and then Tonopah and then Bishop to get me near Yosemite National Park.... 446 miles. Or
B. Do I take to Interstate to Elko, Winnemucca and into Reno and then drop down South to Reno and then Yosemite ? 513 miles. Or
C: Do I ride to Ely and then west to Eureka, Austin and Fallon before dropping down to Carson City and then Yosemite ? 491 miles
All routes would mean an over night stop. All routes mean riding across the "Great Basin" which sounds very bleak and boring... But there is no option.
Or I could ride North to Twin Falls in Idaho.... Then into Bend Oregon, then the coast and visit Yosemite on the way south..... i.e turn left at San Francisco.... About 8 days at my current pace.... Of course the problem is that whichever I choose it will put me about 2 days away from LA - my final destination..... Bugger too tempting...
I think another coffee is in order.... Oh another shower of rain....
Odometer 74460
