Day Nine
Distance covered 85.1 miles
Time in saddle 7 hours 55 Mins
Overall Distance: 732 miles

I woke up in the night a few times last night. The hotel was fine, very Victorian in its décor, although it was only built in 1927.
The casino lights from across the road kept flashing. I did close the curtains but I could still see the light. I kept hearing noises too; perhaps my mind was active…first time for everything then. I even got on the Internet at about 1.30am my time…or was I dreaming. Did I chat to anyone on the web?
I left about eight o clock in the morning and decided to call in for breakfast on the edge of town The café was old fashioned, probably furnished in the fifties and never updated, it was very nice. The waitress was probably from a casting agency, she epitomised everything you imagine a small town waitress to be. Probably late sixties, and still attractive. Her American twang straight from the B movies of the fifties. She asked what I would like and I said egg and bacon please. ‘Do you want your eggs easy’ she drawled. “You can struggle a bit but as long as I get them in the end” I replied…she didn’t get it…. trouble is no one ever does. After a hearty breakfast I cycled off into the desert full of beans…well egg and bacon at least. The first twenty miles were a breeze and the time passed quickly. I passed a dead rabbit on the road, how unlucky can you be. There isn’t a car for miles, perhaps one every ten minutes and it gets knocked down. It had four lucky rabbits feet but it didn’t seem to do it much good. I stopped to have a break, something to eat and do some filming. There are never any cars about until I start filming then they all come. It’s like that scene from the Truman Show, when he’s trying to leave town and all the cars appear at once. After finishing my snack I cycled merrily away up a very long and steep hill. It must have taken me an hour and half to get to the summit and I was relieved at getting to the top. I went to get my camera to take a picture of the view. I realised that I had left it, along with my phone at the bottom of the hill. I had propped up the video camera with it earlier. I turned my bike around and sped down to where I was filming. I was gutted. As I travelled quickly down the hill I kept thinking that I would have to come back up once I’d retrieved my camera and phone. I got down the hill rather quickly, travelling at around thirty miles an hour…. it was steep.

My camera and phone was where I’d left them and I had no choice but to turn around once more and cycle and push my bike up the hill again. To say that I was miffed is an understatement, but at least my camera and mobile phone were safe. I seemed to get to the summit quicker the second time, perhaps I was a little angry with myself and the aggression helped. I must do that more often…not. About twenty miles further on, in the middle of nowhere I stopped at an old staging post….yes they are all called that. It is Pony Express country. The guy behind the bar came out and told me it was open, bless. I was the only customer at first, others came in later. He was very chatty and actually bought me a drink. He was a surfer dude from the East coast but came West when he go older and loved it. He seemed very contented. Jeremy, the young guy I met in Ely came in after about half an hour. He’d set off later than me but obviously managed to catch me at the stage stop. We decided to travel together for a while. The hill into the next valley was very tough and it was quite nice to be cycling along with someone. He’s a lot younger tan me so I found it quite difficult to keep up but I did, it was a good incentive.

Towards the top of the hill Jeremy decided that he wanted something to eat. I decided t cycle on I was sure that he would catch me at some stage. After a further forty miles or so I stopped at another eatery, a more modern building that had a casino, and a motel. The food was ok but nothing to write home about….so why am I doing so. I stayed about an hour then left to see if I could do another ten miles or so before it went dark. I keep saying this but I cannot get over it. The vastness of the place is amazing. I was cycling for hours without coming across a single person or building. As it started to get dark I decided to look for somewhere to pitch my tent. I had plenty of choice, there are millions of acres of desert to chose from. I finally settled on a spot, because it was getting dark. I found loads of little holes in the ground…everywhere. I filled some in with dirt and pitched my tent. If they are where the snakes live….I don’t know I’m not Davit Attenborough….then I hope I’ve not pissed them off. I don’t mind if they bite me as long as it is somewhere I can reach to suck the poison out….do they still do that, I’ve seen them do it in films….In fact I tried to put my tent up in a circle, like they do in the westerns, but it doesn’t work with one tent. Who should cycle up the road as it got dark….Jeremy. I invited him to pitch his tent near mine and we had a good chinwag before retiring to our own tents for the night.
It’s bee a good day today. It is always going to be hard going, but some days are harder than others….today has been less hard so that’s a result…..I’m another eighty miles nearer to home…bring on tomorrow.