Right after I posted last night we were put under a tornado warning. What fun. The sky was creepy. About 30 minutes later four eastbound bicyclists showed up. Theo, Emma, Kevin, and Chase left Oregon on May 1. They encountered impassable roads at their first mountain pass. Snow.

Despite the crazy weather and crashes they are all in good spirits.

I had some pancakes for breakfast then headed west on Highway 96. I’m in no hurry and the nearest town is Eads, about 30 miles west. With temperatures in the high 60s and a tailwind I was tempted to go long but the previous three days were hard so I decided to camp in the town park in Eads. Three free nights in a row.

About half way to Eads I stopped to chat with Gary and Michael, eastbound riders on an epic adventure. They started in San Francisco, rode to Los Angeles, then banged a left on US Route 66 through the Mojave desert, across Arizona, up to the Grand Canyon, through the Utah parks, over two 11,000-foot passes, then into the Front Range on 96. They’re riding to Yorktown then up to Maine. In Maine they’ll bang another left and re-cross the country. Nothin’ to it.

Last night they were caught in a hailstorm and considered themselves lucky not to be hit by baseball-sized hail that fell not far from their location.

We traded info and stories for a half hour then headed our separate ways.

My route took me downhill out of Sheridan Lake then back up over 4,000 feet shortly after our roadside chat. The last mile into Eads was through a one-lane construction zone. I busted my butt to get through as fast as possible. The drivers behind me were mercifully patient.

In Eads I checked in with the Sheriff and made sure the sprinkler system was turned off in the park.

The next few days will be increasingly hot. I’ll need to be careful not to overdue it.

Miles today: 30.5. Tour miles: 1,036.5

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