The winds died down today, so we were able to bike as planned. We ate cereal and yogurt instead of our usual oatmeal (this is one of the many small luxuries of staying in a hotel and having a fridge). We left the hotel and headed west on Hwy. 50. Today's ride was 78 miles with no towns or services along the way. This meant that we had to carry all the water we would need for the entire ride. Luckily, it was not as hot today (high of 80 instead of 100+) so we didn't go through as much water. 

The ride was tough; we had to go up and down 4 small mountain passes. The first was called Robinson Pass at 7,607 ft; the climb was not too steep and we were still feeling fresh. On the way up to the second pass, Little Antelope Summit at 7,438 ft, we went by Michelle's hometown, Hamilton. Sadly, this Hamilton is now a ghost town. Once booming in the late 1800s during the silver rush, it has since burned down and been abandoned. Michelle reckons that Hamilton, Nevada is still more happenin' than Hamilton, New Zealand.

The third climb was up to Pancake Summit at 6,517 ft. This one was the shortest, but perhaps the steepest. We all made it, but were starting to feel the day's mileage catching up with us. Also, since getting her new derailleur, Michelle had been having some shifting issues; she was unable to get into her 3 lowest gears, making the mountains even harder.

The fourth and final climb was up to Pinto Summit at 7,376 ft. This one seemed long and steep, but perhaps that was because we had already biked 65 miles when we started that final climb. About halfway up, Michelle decided that she needed a lift to the top of the hill. Her bike was being less and less cooperative. She quickly found a ride, and met Rebekah and Emily just 5 miles up the road at the peak. 

From Pinto Summit, it was only 4 miles and all downhill to the tiny town of Eureka. We all had a feeling of déjà vu; we had been in another small town called Eureka a few weeks back in Kansas. We haven't decided yet which one is better! 

We set up our tents at Sky View RV Park, just on the east side of town. When we pulled in, we noticed two other cyclists. We didn't talk for long, but found out that they are two young guys (maybe only 16?) and they started in San Francisco.

We took advantage of the $1 laundry to get the stench out of our clothing. For dinner, we ate at La Fiesta, a Mexican restaurant.