If you want to start at the beginning of the trip click here.
Lakeview to just outside Riley Oregon 125 miles..
First item of the day after getting packed up was food. Quickly found a cafe in Lakeview and ordered enough food for 3 people. I recall the waitress asking if other people would be joining me. This would not be the last time that occurred.
After breakfast, I started my first day of north riding for the first time on the trip. I had to make a decision today to either go to Winnemucca or Burns. I recalled the Drive to Winnemucca being nothing but dessert and anything would have to be better than that on a bicycle, so north I went. It was already getting hot by 10am. At 11am I was out of water and looking for any place to get some.
Then I thought my luck changed as I saw a sign indicating a lake was 39 miles away. I could make it 39 miles even if the temp was now 101F. I even picked up the pace a bit to get to the water quicker. After another 2 hours and change, I could see the lake.
There appeared to be an access road just a few more hundred yards down the road. I had brought my water purification tablets for just such an occasion. A gentleman was sitting in his pickup at the junction to the access road. He inquired where I was going. I explained I was going to the lake to get some water. He then informed me that he didn’t think that would be a good idea. I reassured him that I had water purification tablets and would be fine. He then explained that Alkali Lake had a 10% or more brine/salt content and that drinking it would be like drinking sea water. In addition there had been a chemical disaster in 1969 where a company stored 25,000 barrels of toxic waste near the lake and it had contaminated the lake and the surrounding ground water, even cattle were not allowed to drink from it. Wonderful. After a few miles of riding by the undrinkable water the lake dried out and you could visibly see the salt left behind.
So I continued to ride my bike north still without water for another 40 miles where I came upon a rest area. You would be surprised how infrequently you need to use the facilities when you are dehydrated but I did spot a drinking fountain. Yes, water at last.
Well no. It did have a drinking fountain but it didn’t have any water. To say I was perturbed would be an understatement. Back on the bike. I am quickly learning that US infrastructure is not designed with cyclists in mind.
After 84 miles on the bike I finally found a café in Wagon Tire Oregon. Population sign said 2. Not kidding. They had a guest registry book that everyone who stopped by would sign. I signed it and starting drinking water. Then I drank some more water and ordered food. Repeated that process a couple more times. Before leaving I asked if I could fill my water bottles and I was on the road again.
Another 28 miles down the road I came to what some might call a truck stop in the middle of nowhere, Riley Oregon. So I went in and picked up some junk food for the road and some jerky. I also bought 4 32 oz bottles of Gatorade. Drank two of them and then filled my already empty water bottles with the remainder. Back on the Bike heading towards Burns Oregon. The sun was not setting but I could tell I needed to start looking for a place to camp as I wouldn’t make it to Burns before it did.
Not too much farther down the road I came upon a rest area that had bathrooms and running water. I was starving but figured guaranteed water was better than nothing. I went to the back reaches of the rest area and setup my tent. I would need to find food first thing in the morning but Burns was an actual town so I figured I was going to be just fine. Washed my socks again in the rest area’s bathroom sink. I did contemplate once again perhaps getting a second pair.
Met a nice couple sitting on one of the benches on my way back from laundry. The gentlemen informed me that there was a bike convention in South Dakota going on over the next week. I thought what a fortunate encounter. I’m sure I would meet a lot of like minded people at such a convention. I altered my unplanned route a bit to make sure I hit the town he mentioned, Sturgis.
Todays lesson was just how important water was, an intelligent person might have figured that out on day 1 but again I’m not that smart.
