Day 11: Ely to Baker

May 9, 2010

I left the hotel at 8:30, but only got out of Ely at 9:40 after stops for groceries, cash, and breakfast #2 at McDonald's.

It was uphill leaving town, past the Indian reservation. Gentle headwind for the first 20 miles going south in a basin.

Modern suburban-style homes, better than in many reservations.

I was surprised to see a lake in the basin south of Ely. It's formed by a dam on a creek that flows out of the 11,000 foot Schell Creek range to the east.

Surprise! A lake! Comins Lake and the Egan range.

After 20 relatively flat miles in the basin, US 50 turns east and climbs to Connors pass.

A 1400 foot climb from Ely. The highest point on US 50 in Nevada.

The descent from Connors pass was extremely windy, with gusts in seemingly every direction as US 50 winds down to the next basin.

Descending to Major's Place, in the Spring Valley.

Today I have the rare treat of services during the middle of the day, at Major's Place. It's primarily a tavern but I had a decent burger and a couple of cold soft drinks.

Tavern at Major's Place. Most Nevada taverns have money on the ceiling.The tradition goes back to miners stashing away cash during good times, to use when times aren't so good.

After Major's Place, US 50 goes northeast across the next basin. I had a brisk tailwind on that section.

This basin has really big mountains on both sides.

Every Western Express cyclist seems to take a picture of this place. More details at his web site...

Then US 50 turns southeast, into the wind, and begins the 1400 foot climb to Sacramento Pass. The sky turned much darker but it didn't rain. The sky was overcast all afternoon.

A 1400 foot climb from the bottom of the basin. It's hard to believe I didn't get rained on.

After Sacramento Pass is a very long downhill to the town of Baker, 5818 feet elevation. The temperature was 49F at Sacramento pass but it warmed up to 60F in the basin where the clouds weren't so thick. Baker's population is supposed to be 58 in town and about 150 in the area.

Coming in to Baker I had a view of Great Basin National Park to the south. The clouds were just high enough for me to see the high peaks and the glacier.

5 miles before Baker I turned off US 50 onto NV 487. I'm turning southeast to Milford and Cedar City, Utah while US 50 goes east to Delta, Utah.

View of Great Basin National Park from the north. On the left is 13,063-foot Wheeler Peak. Nevada's only glacier is visible.

I got a room at the Silverjack Inn which is behind the Electrolux Cafe. It's a surprisingly hip place that obviously caters to big-city tourists, not the local ranchers. My rustic room cost $52. I reserved it for 2 nights. No TV, no phone, no cell service. Tomorrow I plan to visit Great Basin National Park.

I felt good today considering that yesterday was long and hard, and considering that I had a headwind about half the time.

The weather forecast is not good. Tomorrow will be mostly overcast with a chance of rain. The next day will be colder, windier, and wetter.

Distance: 65.6 mi. (105 km)

Climbing: 3334 ft. (1010 m)

Average Speed: 9.5 mph (15.2 km/h)

Maximum Speed: 40 mph (64 km/h)

Today's ride: 66 miles (106 km)
Total: 601 miles (967 km)

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