A Taste of Dirt

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Wednesday dawned cool in the Rubys. The sun didn’t reach Taylor Canyon campground before morning hands were chilled breaking camp. We rolled out and went just five miles to breakfast in Lamoille, at the bitter End Tavern. Under the menu section for beverages was a section, “Better Beverages.” Bloody Mary? Bloody Christ!!
Sent here by Detective Mike, we were soon preparing for the first dirt section of the trip, a county road from Lamoille to Secret Pass Road. It was an 18 mile section of dirt and gravel, in excellent condition.
How does one prepare for dirt? The first step is to reduce tire pressure, from around 40 psi to about 20. This provides better traction on loose surfaces. The next step (if your bike is so equipped) is to raise the grip height of your handlebars. Why? You will be primarily standing, and changing the reach to the clutch and brake levers improves control.
Coach Reverend Chuck offered a few key pointers to Reverend Bill, and off we went, second gear about 25 mph. It was a breeze. No pucker moments, a few cattle being driven down the road (Reverend Chuck’s Cattle Drive), and little traffic. Reverend Bill’s quads were afire, but they’ll get stronger. 45 minutes standing on the pegs steering with your feet is a new muscle group. It went very well. Ibuprofen is a wonder drug.
Once we regained the tarmac (and aired up our tires), we headed south toward Ely, Nevada, where we provisioned for our evening camp, and also darkened the door of the Hotel Nevada Casino. We’ll say no more.
Great Basin National Park is an hour outside Ely. It is home to Lehman Caves, the tour we’ll skip this go-around. The campsite we chose lies on a spring melt creek. It was suggested by the park ranger who rides a KLR650 and wanted to talk bikes. He also referred us to the firewood.
Two young Swiss travelers occupied the campsite next door. They are taking two years to tour the world, doing the Americas after shipping their Mitsubishi camper to Rio De Janeiro. They travel with a calm German Shepard.
I told the Heaven and Hell in Europe joke to the Swiss couple next door
“What is the definition of Heaven and Hell in Europe?
Heaven in Europe: The English are the police, the French are the cooks, the Germans are the mechanics, the Swiss are the administrators, and the Italians are the lovers.
Hell in Europe: The English are the cooks, the French are the mechanics, the
Germans are the police, the Italians are the administrators, and the Swiss are the lovers.
The Swiss couple laughed.
Brats on the grill and bachelor salad!

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Photos

Bar Adjustment
Dirt time, Ruby backdrop.

Cattle Drive
Reverend "Chuck" saw the boneless rib steaks.

Cruising Speed
Not too much faster than Detective Mike would like.

Nevada: It's a Concept
No further comment at this juncture.

Great Basin National Park
Another creek side campsite.

Making Friends
Swiss Shepard

Comments

[Diane]

hotels & salad
I love that joke...it's one of the only ones i know well enough to tell. But in my version, heaven has the Swiss as the hoteliers, and hell has the Italians as same. What is bachelor salad? Pickle relish and catsup for the bratwurst?

[Reverend Bill]

Bachelor Salad
The genius who invented this should be sainted: St. Salad! You've got all this lettuce and other veggies slightly imperfect and not pretty enough to retail in the produce section? Chop it up, stick it in a bag with little baggie of croutons and a packet of dressing, and sell it as salad kit! Call it bachelor salad- no fuss, no muss. I travel with my cooking kit stored in a Tuperware box specifically for mixing one. Throw in an extra tomato and boom: dinner. The other night we fried up some chicken breast and tossed it in a ceasar salad kit with a tomato and green onion. Life is good.

[Reverend Bill]

Detective Mike
Thanks, Mike. Just want you to know how friendly and helpful your law enforcement colleagues have been. Park Rangers in particular have steered us toward good eats, firewood, and great campsites. We have not earned any performance awards- thus far.

[Bruce H]

Very Nice!
Very nice ride report!