Cannonball day two: Lee Vining, CA to Cedar City, UT

After making the necessary repairs yesterday and getting everything ready, it was time to push on through Nevada this morning. I figured since we were going to be crossing the high desert, it would be a good idea to use the cooling vest I bought. You know... Nevada + desert + late summer = super hot... right? So I figured I should have the cooling vest ready in case I needed it. For those that don't know, a cooling vest is something you wear under your mesh riding jacket, which you soak in water beforehand, but which is dry to the touch when you put it on. As air flows through your mesh jacked and against the vest, the water evaporates and does a great job of cooling you down for several hours, which is a necessity when covering long distances in hot weather. I didn't have one for the last Cannonball, and there were a few times when I wished I did, so I went to the local motorcycle shop and picked one up just before I left on the trip.

So, this morning I soaked it in the sink for a few minutes, then pulled it out to find that it was covered in this slimy, snot-like substance! I tried to rinse it off, but it wouldn't come off, and squeezing it only seemed to make more come out! I called the company up to find out what was going on, and they said that a little was normal for the first use, and that I should just wipe it off and it would be fine. But this was more than a little, I went through several hotel towels and it still felt slimy, so there was no way I was going to put that on unless the temperature got above 100 degrees. I ended up putting it a bag to carry with me, just in case.

However, all the time that I spent dealing with that ridiculous cooling vest should have been spent packing and loading my gear in the support truck, so that I could leave on time at 8:00am sharp with everyone else. I made it to the meetup spot at 8:01, and there were two or three stragglers scrambling to get on the road, and no support truck - Rolf didn't realize I hadn't left yet and he took off without my gear! In a panic, I loaded up my duffel bag and backpack (both fairly heavy) on my scooter, packed my Camelback full of ice and took off down the road. Being up earlier than I'm used to, in a panic and full of caffeine, I missed the first turn 5 miles down the road, and didn't realize it for another 12 miles! I turned back and got back on track, but had little hope of catching Rolf in the truck. I had left him a voice mail, but there was little chance that he'd get any cell phone reception in the eastern California desert, let alone the desolate Nevada back country. Today was also our longest mileage day, 419 miles, not including the extra miles I tacked on due to poor navigation.

Today was also our first casualty, thankfully a mechanical one rather than a human one, although it could have been much worse. Joel Hamilton from New York was riding his GTS when suddenly his headset came loose, which caused him to lose control of his bike and go down. Luckily, he landed in the dirt rather than on the pavement, and as Jess described, he cartwheeled like a gingerbread man would if he were thrown like a Chinese throwing star! Amazingly, he only suffered a little road rash on his left hip and a couple of bruises. His bike, was pretty banged up and not rideable, but as chance would have it, Bobo had to leave us and fly home due to a family emergency, and his Vespa GTV was being transported back to the east coast in the support truck driven by Joel's dad. Bobo had offered for anyone to ride his bike if needed, as long as he got it back at the end of the ride. Joel, the hardcore pro skateboarder and motocrosser shook off the dust and gravel and decided to press on riding Bobo's bike - talk about getting right back on that horse!

I came by the scene of the crash after they had loaded Joel's bike in the truck and they were ready to hit the road again. I asked if they could carry my gear in their truck, and they were more than happy to. Whew!!! That made for one big bullet dodged for me, as well Joel. I offered to buy them all dinner tonight as thanks for saving my tuchus, because carrying 60 lbs worth of gear for more than 400 miles up and down mountains through the Nevada desert would have made for a grueling day for me.

With my load significantly lightened, I pressed on. I lost some major time with my navigational blunder earlier, so I was hightailing it across the desert to make up as much time as I could. In my haste, I accidentally made a right when I should have made a left (at US-6, not at Albuquerque), adding even more of a delay to my ride. This time, I went nearly 14 miles out of the way, and 14 back! This added more than an hour to my trip, not a good start to the day at all. I was reminded of the numerous navigational errors I had made on the last Cannonball, and I vowed to do better the rest of the day, and double and triple checked my directions and the miles to the next intersection, which paid off in the end. Next to mechanical reliability, accurate navigation is the second most crucial element in the Cannonball, or for any long ride for that matter.

The ride across the Nevada desert was largely uneventful and with a few exceptions, I was on my own, admiring the rugged beauty and breathtaking scenery along the way. There's something about desert landscapes that I really love, all the colors, rock formations, unusual vegetation, etc, that make it such an incredible place. Not that I'd want to live out there necessarily, but I just love to watch the scenery as I ride through. The high desert in Nevada is exceptionally amazing because it changes each time you go through another set of hills and mountains. I took some amazing pictures, although I don't think I'll have time to upload them tonight, hopefully tomorrow. It was a long drive and we also lost an hour crossing into mountain time, so I have to head to bed before long, so that I'll be rejuvenated for tomorrow's ride.

One other highlight of the ride today was the Extraterrestrial Highway, Nevada highway 375. Aside from the otherworldly landscape, it's also located near Area 51, hence the name, so as one would expect, there are all sorts of tourist traps to capitalize on the theme, such as the Little Ale'Inn. I didn't stop there, but it at least gave my a smile as I sped past. A little further down the road, there was a giant silver alien statue that someone had built in front of their house, which was probably 3 stories tall. I guess when you have lots of spare time in the desert, that's just the kind of thing to do.

The day was long, even longer for me, so the Utah state line was a welcome sight. The scenery changed a bit too, although it's still very much desert, it's less rocky and there's much more vegetation in a wider array of colors, reminding me of an expressionistic painting at times. But one of the most beautiful sights was the rose-colored cliffs behind the town of Cedar City as I approached. It was an absolutely breathtaking view and it definitely made my ~475 mile day worth it.

After a nice soak in the hot tub at the hotel, a delicious steak dinner at the Market Grill and some repacking, I'm done for the night. Tomorrow will be another adventure across the great state of Utah!

P.S.: Remember that infernal cooling vest? Well, I don't think it ever got much hotter than 80 degrees, so I had absolutely no use for it. Jeez, what a waste of my time... go figure!