Monday, June 10:  Battle Mountain, Nevada to Elko, Nevada
Distance:  74 miles
Total time:  6 hours 36 minutes
Riding time:  5 hours 36 minutes

Today was one of those days that seemed like four separate rides.  First, a glorious 27 mile run on back roads through beautiful countryside, with a cooperative wind; second, a 13 mile climb up to Emigrants Pass, over 6,000 feet; third, a screaming five mile downhill, spoiled only by a flat tire; and finally a workaday 30 mile ride on I-80 and into Elko.

For the first 27 miles we had a pretty professional pace line going.  Here are the guys who were part of that - Dave, Jamie, Michael, Ken, and your humble servant:

Jamie got a nice shot of me riding by:

Michael has many talents, including taking selfies while riding 18 miles an hour.  That's the pace line trying to keep up:

The 13 mile climb was arduous, but not as bad as some of the previous hills.  The grade was a little more manageable.  I took this midway up - sometimes it's hard to believe how far you've ridden:

The climb was about 1500 feet altogether, and crested at Emigrants Pass.  This is Jamie from Maine posing by the sign:

After the descent, we passed through a cool, verdant canyon, with river, wild flowers and tall rock walls.  The picture doesn't do it justice:

Nevada has a lot of these historical markers.  Most tell the story of tough pioneer people enduring incredible hardship.  This one tells many stories:

Historical markers aren't the only signs along the road in Nevada.  There are many signs which give important information, like the one below.  But, a question:  Do I self-report, or do I report others?

So, a long day tomorrow, with no pictures.  I'll have to drum up some narrative skills.