Western Express Day #15 Milford, UT to Baker, NV
Western Express Day #15
June 15 2021
Milford, UT to Baker, NV - 83 Miles
Start 5:24AM, Finish 2:01PM Pacific
Ride Time: 7:53
Ascent: 4101'
Descent: 3777'
Tour Total Miles: 991
I didn’t sleep very well last night at Rollins Pavilion in City Park in Milford. The park was active last evening. After the softball games and practices, hoards of teenagers rode their mini motorcycles and ATV’s over to the pavilion. At one point I saw people riding horses in the park. I kept pushing back my tent set-up time. The sunset was at 9PM, and I was finally in my tent by 10PM. I probably should have set it up on the grass because the concrete slab was hard. Ostensibly the park sprinklers didn’t come on until 8AM. It was hot in my tent and I opened both side fly flaps. There was a lot of noise throughout the night from some sort of mill associated with the railroad. I only know that I slept because of the weird dreams that I woke up from. My mom has appeared in several dreams during this tour. My alarm went off at 5AM so that I could beat the heat and wind. I packed up in the dark and rode over to Pennys Diner, open 24/7, and ordered two eggs, bacon, hash-browns, toast, orange juice, and coffee.
It was cool out on the road and I pulled over to put on my sweater. In addition I was wearing cycling shorts and a short-sleeve jersey. There would be no services for the next 83 miles and it was forecast to be hot again today. It was supposed to go up to 100°F by 2 PM with 30 mile an hour winds from the south. My route went west and north and I was hoping the breeze would work in my favor. I was on State Highway 21
Six miles out of town my rear tire went flat and I pulled over to replace the tube. I never found the culprit and suspected that it was the sticker patch that I had put on in Florida. While I was on the side of the road, I removed my sweater. The first pass, Frisco Summit, was 6460’. It was part of the San Francisco Mountains. I was surrounded by open range, tough hearty grass, sage brush, and scraggly bushes.
I was over the summit by 8:13 AM. Compared to the mountains that I’d climbed the last two weeks, these hills were nothing. The road twisted south and I was met with a headwind. The route would eventually turn north, and I would get a tailwind. Once upon a time this area was a prosperous mining town.
The Wawa Valley opened up in front of me and I could see twenty miles ahead to the next pass. For a guy from Brooklyn the vastness here was mind-blowing. It was an open range and cattle were thinly spread all over the place. There wasn’t much grass for them to eat. It was short, brown, and dried out. As I crossed the valley I could feel a powerful wind on my left side shoulder. I wouldn’t have wanted to be cycling from the other direction today.
By 9 AM I had pedaled 27 miles and was a third of the way to my destination. It was a 2000’ climb to get from the valley up to the next pass. I was listening to a WFMU $mall ¢hange file on my iPod. I reached the top of the second summit by 10AM. It was 6460’ and shorter than what the map had indicated. I stopped to apply sunscreen and drink some water, which was now hot.
I rode down into another endlessly vast valley. There was was no cattle this time which I was glad about, since the grass and scrub were dried out and it was mostly dirt. I had passed a number of cattle carcasses today.
I was on a western heading and the crosswind was driving me crazy. I had to stop and tighten my helmet strap because the brim was blowing my helmet all over my head. By 11 AM I had ridden 44 miles and was more than halfway across. I was making good time, but it was warming up and I was tired.
I crossed the Mallard County line, my last county in Utah. I sat down in the dirt for a moment and took my feet out of my shoes. My toes were cramped and in pain. I drank my hot water, and was more than halfway through my supply.
The wind was really strong and practically blowing me off the shoulder. Fortunately there was very little motor traffic. The road eventually twisted and headed north, which would give me a tail wind all the way to Garrison. I was on another climb, and a motorist with Georgia plates pulled over and offered me a bottle of cold water. I really needed it, and was appreciative. He told me that he was a cyclist, but didn’t do long distance rides.
By noon I had ridden at 50 miles with 33 yet to go. There was no phone service today for most of the ride. At 12:15PM I reached the top of 6240’ Halfway summit. It was really hazy over the valley ahead. I had a long flat section, along with a tailwind, so I could really crank up the speed. I wanted to get to my destination.
I was riding through the Antelope Valley. There was a large mountain range to the west, and I could see small patches of snow on the peaks. The crosswind was driving me nuts and I was exhausted. I pulled over and removed my brim. Once again, I sat in the dirt, drank hot water, and massaged my toes.
A little way down the road I saw a group of big old trees and a small deserted house. I thought about stopping and taking a break, but decided to push on. I passed Pruess Lake on the left. If there hadn’t been so much cattle in this valley I might have gone for a cool dip.
After what seemed an eternity I reached the outskirts of Garrison. No services were listed, and I needed cold water. Next to the post office I spotted a spigot with cold refreshing water. I guzzled several liters and filled my three bottles. I was exhausted and sat in the shade. I laid down and took a short nap until a fly started bothering me.
I cycled another mile and crossed the Nevada state line. I was now in Pacific time, and on State Highway 487. I would be riding through the Snake Valley for seven miles to my destination. I finally started spotting utility poles and structures. I entered the town of Baker, population 68 and elevation 5318’. I stopped at the first open place that I saw, Sugar Salt & Malt. I ordered a Turkey and brie Panini along with several cans of Ginger Ale and Limonata, along with a cup full of ice. A customer from Virginia additionally gave me half of her panini. The air conditioning wasn't working and it was warm inside. That said, it was much worse outside. The phone service was spotty yet I was somehow able to upload my social media and this report.
I stuck around at Salt Sugar and Malt and enjoyed several Dirty Wookies from Reno. I later relished the barbecue ribs with corn on the cob, potato salad, and a biscuit. Afterwards I rode over to the Whispering Elms RV park where I met east-bounders David and Eileen from Seattle. They were riding from Sacramento to Cedar City, UT and then flying home.
I heard at the restaurant that there was a west-bounder in his 30’s who was right ahead of me. Speaking of other cyclists, the Winston boys were gapping over Kansas to Missouri. Phillip was midway across Kentucky. Melissa was in Westcliffe, CO. Ricky and Alissa were in Ridgway, CO. And the TransAm race leader Kraig Pauli was almost across Kansas.
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