I decided to make one of those little spontaneous (someone run spell check on that for me) changes that make life fun. After a wonderful breakfast at Della's Cafe (I'd recommend stopping there whenever you're on I-80) I got to talking with the waitress about how I could get off the Interstate and she recommended a very scenic route. Since my train doesn't leave till 1am Tuesday morning and since my real destination is Orem, UT (the location of Adam's Cycles who's owner, Adam Reed, has graciously offered to help get my bike boxed up for the train ride home) it sounded like just what William Heatmoon (author of Blue Highways) would do.
I went down through Skull Valley home of the Goshute (spelling again) Tribe who are trying to get the national short term radioactive waste storage facility placed on their Reservation. To be fair the tribe has few choices, to the east a plant operates 24hours a day burning chemical weapons and to the west is a all military training (bombing) lands. Understandably the waste site isn't sitting to well with the rest of Utah, which has produced none of the waste yet will have it for 10-40 years. Somebody high up got the Dept. Of Transportation to put up a no nuke waste past this point sign down the road from the interstate exit, someone else showed their dislike for the sign by removing most of it with a shot gun.
I stopped in at the Willow Springs Lodge for a drink and found a group of the nicest people in the state. It's a bar and hotel that's run by a couple, she also works at Della's Cafe, and he work knows more about the Lincoln Highway than any one person should. One question about it had him bringing out maps and books. I'd never realized what an accomplishment it was started in1913 finished in 1930, you could drive from Times Square New York City to San Francisco. Most of it was paved but there was little of the cut and fill land flattening they do today. I'd enjoy that style of auto travel where there's still some adventure left in it.
Well Willow Springs was about half way up Johnson Pass which was the first thing I've been up this trip that's even been comparable in Grade to Yuba pass, or maybe this is the first tough pass I've hit this trip and Yuba was the tough one last time. I'm not sure but some where before the pass I realized that I loved climbing hills and hated the wind. Going up a hill you know that if you put a certain amount of energy into going up it you'll get all back (minus interest for friction) on the other side. Wind has no top it's the wild card that one day will help you and the next slow you to a crawl. I suppose some day in a flash of enlightenment I'll come to a Zen-ish understanding/appreciation for the wind, I hope it comes soon.
andrew
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