Day 5, to Bishop
Day 5 –Aug 18th, Friday
This was a tough day for me, because my wife and kids made the turn for home earlier in the day and headed over Tioga Pass for Coalinga. So yes, I hate to admit but I rode in tears for a while, the realization that I would not have their support really weighed heavily on my mind.
The agreement, was to ride for Bishop, even though my initial plans were for me to turn east at Lone Pine and take the Westfall Pass. I had now become somewhat jaded as to road conditions and what a road may look like. So, I let common sense do the work for a change and am glad that I did.
The road to Bishop was a fast one, with a new shoulder for the larger part and I found myself running at 21-25 mile per hour. Not much for Lance I know, but not bad for an old fat guy. I arrived in Bishop just after 12:30 and rode the length of town to see what there was for me. I talked to a few folks about the ride from there to Tonapah and learned very little of ant real use………..except” What the heck ya’ wanna do a fool thing like that for?”
There is a great camp ground at the south end of town, called Brown’s Towne, and I shaded up, put up my tent, washed some clothes and had a 7 minute shower, I know because that is how long the token runs for and then they surprise you with a shower of ice-cube water. Then you spend a 1/2 hour trying to scrap soap off of goose-bumps, because yer to embarrassed to walk back to the office in the nude to get another token……….I sure wish Adam & Eve would have left well enough alone and I wouldn’t have to carry an Grape leaf anywhere with me, ah but that’s another story.
I headed into town and bought a double scoop of Baskin Robbins Double Chocolate Fudge Ice Cream, just to tease my ice-cream eating brother Bill……..wish you were here.
Rode around town again, and stopped at a “Tickle & Bate Shop” as my daughter Nevada has come to call them, I purchased a map and asked some advice. As it turns out, it may have been the worst advice given to date, but more on that later. I rode to the far south side of Bishop and surprised the folks at the Gulf and Country Club, I rented a club and a basket of balls and headed to the “Slicing Range” too drive a few in the wrong direction. All Gulf clubs change the name of the driving range after I have played them.
Back to the camp ground for some Noodles and crackers and a cup of English tea.
Good Night and God Bless