I left the campsite at sunrise and headed towards Eureka, Nv. This was one of the loneliest (not in a negative way) days I’ve had yet. I rode for about 6-7 hours and didn’t see another human or man made object. I was completely alone in the middle of the Nevada desert.
It was still very dusty and hot. The ride was actually peaceful and I made a point to turn off the music and just be in the moment of the day. The weather was perfect and it was really fun riding through old desert roads. Later on, not listening to music started to give me a little bit of anxiety about all the noises my bike was producing. My dad used to joke that when he would fly over a body of water, he would convince himself he’s hearing all sorts of made up problems with the plane. That’s exactly what I experienced being alone in the desert. I was convinced my engine would grenade or my chain was too loose or this or that. Anyways, nothing of the sort happened and the bike performed great. I think I went through probably 5 cattle fences set up by the BLM. There were a couple that definitely snuck up on me.
The canyon had a whole series of trails that I kept getting lost in. It was unbelievably hot and the road was harsh. I was in there for about an hour until it spat me back out into the open. The last part of the day was absolutely surreal. I ran into a pack of wild mustangs that ran beside me for a couple of minutes. From then on I followed a single track that would disappear and reappear every so often. All I knew to do was trust my navigation and not hit sand.
I made it to Eureka, NV around 6pm. Now Eureka was definitly one of the most interesting places I’ve ever been. It’s situated right on the “Loneliest Road in America.”
What made it even more interesting was where I happened to book a room. I stayed in the Jackson House Hotel which was built in 1877. While I was getting dinner, I tried to find it’s history. That was a mistake. Apparently it’s still an active “spiritual” building and was a location for an episode of Ghost Hunters. Also, everything in there is still original. Completely freaked me out. The good news was I was so tired and fell asleep so fast that Satan himself couldn’t have woken me up if he tried. Tomorrow I head for Battle Mountain and then straight to Winnemucca for oil and a rear tire!
Walker Benz ADV 