Oh! Dark Thirty

Cathy’s weekday alarm goes off at 5:00 a.m. so why today’s 5:00 a.m. alarm seemed earlier than usual was probably because we were in the vacation mindset. With one cup of Nespresso, we got up and got ready. We were shooting for a 6:30 departure and at 6:15 it was still dark. We usually do these trips earlier in the summer, late May or June, so leaving before the sun made its appearance was strange.

Daybreak ushered us off to a hazy morning, most likely due to a wildfire nearby. By the time we got to the foothills, the sun was peaking through the trees.

At the 8,000 foot marker the temperature was 44 degrees which was properly cold and we weren’t prepared for that! The ride over Kirkwood Pass was a shiver-fest. Our plan was to get some breakfast in Markleeville. No dice; the place was a ghost town. We continued on and climbed Monitor Pass and down into Nevada.

We stopped at Topaz Lake, gassed up and had a big breakfast which ultimately validated our usual method of eating lightly to avoid sleepiness. By the time we reached Lee Vining we had to stop for an espresso.

Back on the road, we headed east at Mono Lake, which is beautiful. We could see some clouds forming over the mountains. Some were definitely releasing rain but we thought we had successfully managed to avoid getting wet. Not so. We got some sprinkles on the pass although it wasn’t that bad and it smelled good. It was pretty windy, though.

This is one a the prettiest rides we’ve had through the desert. The sage brush is green and in bloom. It’s really beautiful.

We kept seeing signs warning drivers of wild horses and Cathy really wanted to see them. Just before riding into Tonopah, we saw them in the distance.

Tomorrow we head to Utah and Tom is looking forward to stopping at the Little A’Le’Inn which is located near Area 51 in Rachel, NV on the Extraterrestrial Highway. Whatever. The ride will consist of mostly desert and part of the Great Basin.

It was not a great barn day. Most of the barns we saw were dilapidated or set a mile away from the road. This is the best we could do.