Deserts are not always hot...or dry

We are here in Austin, NV staying a little motel to avoid the impending snow. The last couple days we have been putting on some more miles. Yesterday we did 87 miles and today we put in 72 miles. One of the hardest part of the desert is the wind. In Carson City it was blowing over 50mph gusts which males it very tough to control the bike. Since Carson City we have been riding on hwy 50, "the loneliest highway in America.". It is a pretty tough go. My legs feel dead, my knees feel like they are about to explode, and my back aches. Driving in a car NV looks flat, but in reality it is hilly. Today alone we had close to 3,000 ft of elevation gain.

I've had some questions on our gear and how we have things set up. A couple days ago we sent home 36lbs of gear. A lot of that gear was clothing, duplicates of items such as a stove, front bags, and books. Having the front bags off the bikes gives us more control, especially with the wind. We have also limited the food we take. Instead of having a weeks worth we have a couple days worth. Mostly we are into bagels, peanut butter, fig newtons, beef jerky, and many many clif bars. On the water front, i have three 20oz bottles and a 70oz hydration pack. Ryan carries a little more water than that. On long stretches between stops i will usually carry an extra half gallon water jug on top of my pack. Camping has proven to be an interesting event each night. In California it was pretty hard to find places and i usually slept with my knife in case of whatever. Since we have been in NV we can pretty much camp anywhere, but we aren't protected from the elements, like 50mph winds and freezing rain.

The weather has been a little hard to cope with. A week a go it was over 100 degrees and now it is in the 20's at night. During the day it gets some where in the 50's. The freezing rain and wind are the hardest part, but they hopefully will both calm down in the next couple days.