Category Archives: Road Briefs

Jun
20

Day #75
Miles Covered Since South Lake Tahoe: 143
Miles Traveled Since Beginning: 3,647
Where We Are: Dixon, CA

Day Overview: We just wanted to provide a quick update. As of this morning, we are in Dixon, CA – about 50 riding miles away from our destination in San Francisco. At the end of this day, the Trans-American Electric Bike Tour will come to a finish – after 75 days and nights on the road. Stay tuned for more updates! Continue reading

Jun
15
Spooner Summit

Day #70
Miles Covered Since Fallon: 94
Miles Traveled Since Beginning: 3,504
Where We Are: South Lake Tahoe, CA

Day Overview: As we climbed up to 7,000+ feet at the Spooner Summit we looked back at the vast desert behind us and waved goodbye.

We’ve been traveling through the open spaces of Wyoming, Utah and Nevada for several weeks, so when we finally reached the dense forest of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, we had to exhale a little bit and savor the greenery. After all, there’s nothing like taking a break under a sweet-smelling Ponderosa Pine or riding through a shady stretch of road after almost a month of desert exposure. Continue reading

Jun
12
Pony Express Recruiting

Day #67
Miles Covered Since Austin: 110
Hours on The Road: 11
Miles Traveled Since Beginning: 3,412
Where We Are: Fallon, NV

Day Overview: We’ve seen signs for the Pony Express everywhere, particularly on Hwy 50 in Nevada. We’ve both heard the term before, and each of us pretended that we knew what this Pony Express thing was, until we asked one another for the definition and responded with blank stares and thoughtful groans.

After consulting a few sources, here’s what we found: The Pony Express was a fast mail service that operated between 1860 and 1861 between St. Joseph, Missouri and San Francisco, California. The mail was delivered by horseback riders. Each rider would stop at a designated station, all located about 5 to 30 miles apart, where they could refuel with food, sleep and hop on a new horse. It took 10 days to traverse this distance! Not too shabby for 1860. Continue reading

Jun
10
Posing with Holland Bikers

Day #65
Miles Covered Since Eureka, NV: 70
Hours on The Road: 8
Miles Traveled Since Beginning: 3,302
Where We Are: Austin, NV

Day Overview: Throughout the 3,000 mile stretch of America that we’ve traveled prior to today, we haven’t once encountered other cross-country cyclists. We had high hopes for a while, and then eventually gave up. Where were they all hiding? I mean I know we took a round-about route, and the country is big and all, but come on bikers – where are your weary legs and your shiny panniers!?

But, it just so happens that the Loneliest Road in America isn’t so lonely after all – not for bikers anyway. Today we hit the jackpot – twice! Continue reading

Jun
09
Welcome to Eureka

Day #64
Miles Covered Since Salt Lake City, UT: 237
Hours on The Road: Lots!
Miles Traveled Since Beginning: 3,232
Where We Are: Eureka, NV

Day Overview: Greetings from Eureka, NV!

It’s ironic that during the stretch that we expected to have the most free time to write, it ended up being the exact opposite!

The last few days we’ve been traveling through Nevada on Highway 50. Apparently, in 1986, Life Magazine ran a piece on this stretch titled “The Loneliest Road.” An AAA spokesperson had described it in these words: “It’s totally empty. There are no points of interest. We don’t recommend it. We warn all motorists not to drive there unless they’re confident of their survival skills.”

That may be a bit extreme, but there is some truth to it. Apart from the tiny towns spread out at 70-80 mile intervals, the only other signs of civilization are a narrow 2-lane road, mileposts and markers at the top of mountain passes. There are no gas stations, truck stops, or houses in between — just raw, high desert scenery and blue skies surrounding us. Continue reading