15 October 1997 (mileage = 83.6; Big Pine) -- X - I got up nice and late.
My plan was to rest a bit today. My right inside hamstring is very tender.
My back aches and a new one for me -- my abdominal muscles are achy --
that's amazing. So I was slow to pack up and had oatmeal leisurely. I
finally got rolling at 11:00. The highway was great with very wide
shoulders. I passed through lots of areas that would be great to camp in,
wood, etc. The grade was gently (all relative!) rolling with some elevation
loss. That was offset by a slight head wind. I came to a rest stop which
was very nice again, a great place to camp. I finally ate my peanut-butter
and crackers. My legs (etc.) were more achy in the afternoon. I was
constantly on the lookout for a good campsite for an early day. I decided
to try one of the national forest sites. It turns out that they lease them
to concessioners. This = $12. No way. I cooked spaghetti and great Knorr
(used evaporated milk) at this campground. I climbed way up to the top of
it to find the manager. I tried to negotiate, but she couldn't help.
Onward. I was feeling better after eating. When I came to today's big
descent, I was feeling great. 8 miles at over 37 mph! Top speed = 43.2 mph!
Wow! Not a stroke did I pedal. As I got near Bishop, I took a detour in
search of a good site. I was tempted by a model aircraft field in the
middle of the desert, but I pressed on. It was fully dark as I rode into
Bishop. The moon rising over the mountains was breath-taking. South of
Bishop, I stopped at an RV park. $12 also. No thanks. I figured I'd camp in
the desert. Unfortunately, after my 1st prospect, a weigh station, there
appeared barbed wire. Grr. Then the weirdest thing happened. I thought I
saw another construction guy moving cones. Nope. It was a cyclist. As I
passed him, I noted that he had a baby pacifier in his mouth. He might have
had head phones on, too. He had no lights or extra reflectors and he was
miles from anywhere. I guess it was the head phones that inhibited our
conversing, but he jumped on my wheel! That was shrewd of him. He had a
non-fancy but decent-seeming bike. I kept cool and waited to see if he
could hang on. Yep. For quite a while. I began to worry about him as a
safety menace. I knew I had to put him away. Nothing too obvious, just the
skill of a TT master. Over 5 minutes, I must have jumped from about 14 mph
to 22 mph. He surely didn't know why it was getting so much harder to stay
with me. And he didn't. But then I had 6 miles to ride keeping him away. So
I cranked (very smoothly) into Big Pine. When I got here, I was a bit
confused. There was my Death Valley turn off and a campground sign. It
turns out that this campground is only $5. Thank you! It is right at my
cross roads and is perfect! Sigh of relief. I talked to some old RVers from
Carlsbad. Now I'm doing this by full moonlight!! Wow! I am in sweatshirt
and shorts and it is perfect at 21:25. Time to sleep in the moonlight!
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