Jeremiah Watt

Day 6- Bishop to Hell

Yes, this was one of those days, that we survive and wonder why or how. I was going on local advice as to water stops and road conditions, which was a mistake. I had all my bottles filled, but not my 1.5 gallon bladder bag that I strap to the trailer.

Rode out of Bishop at about 6am, it was a beautiful ride headed for Chalfant as the first little town which did actually have a small store where a man could get things if needed. From there further uphill into Benton, which was sort’a fun. I asked here about water stops further on at Coleman and found out it was not very likely. So I filled my water bladder and strapped it down to the bike.

I ate a bean burrito and a cup o noodles that I bought at the store. While cooking and eating a fella from Livermore Cal. Came in and we got to visiting as bikers do. He used to ride, but quit when a tourist knocked him off his bike with a extended mirror on a motorhome. Now he rides a nice touring Motorcycle and wishes he had the nerve or lack of brains to ride his velo once again. I asked the PULSE questions, and was surprised at how distraught the fella was over the state of education. In his words most of these kids are to poorly equipped to get any sort of job, but even worse school seems to make most boys into girls. They dan’t want a job that will make you sweat or dirty, and they haven’t the skills to hold down a corner office job. As to the war, just get in there and clean the damn thing up, I have had it with this trying to fight a Guerrilla war on politically correct terms. If we keep this up, only the allied forces will taste the coming defeat.
Heade out after maybe 30 minutes in Benson, and proptly hit the long pull of 35 miles approx over Montgomery Pass. The stop overlooking Boundary Peak was a real stunner.

Dropped off the other side into hell. It was a furnace and nothing out there but more valleys and mountains. SO I done as all folks this foolish do, I Prayed and pedaled and for fun and kill the monotony I would switch the order around.

I had a serious dry throat going on and it must have shown on my face, because two fellas in a little SUV went by me honking and waving …………and not to much longer the same SUV came up beside mne and they said it looked like I could use some COOL water. A father and son, from Pennsylvania, they were out west celebrating the sons 18th birthday, Dan and Eric is all I remember of their names. They had a ice cold 1gal water in a cooler, so they pured me a bottle full and I drank it fair quick and they suggested another……….surprise, I beat them both too thier own cooler. In the end after we had talked about the illusive “Coleman Junction Mart”, which was no longer as of about 1965 that is. They finally decided to give me the whole gallon jug that they had since it was only a short drive for them to Benton Store. And you think that Prayers don’t work.
It was late afternoon when I finally hit this Coleman Junction and it connects with Hwy 95 South at this point. As I was surveying the situation a State Patrol stopped beside me and asked if I was contemplating riding #95…………….an intellectual….ah,yup, was my reply. Son he said, I can’t stop you but I sure wouldn’t recommend it if you know what I mean. This is one of those roads that you know the black rider of death has a home address on some place, narrow, no shoulder, loose gravel right off the edge of a chip top, and filled with 70 mile per hour 18 wheeler’s. Doesn’t it say “Tempt not thy Lord”
Executive Decision #1- Grill of a truck or stick out yer thumb…….give me a minute will ya, I am thinking. OKAY, thumbs up Lord I need a ride. Here is how it happened. You can see forever from the corner, and there is no sense trying to stop a car or van right. SO, I finally see a white truck coming up to the stop sign some 500 yards away and it is the first truck I have seen. I stick my thumb up and he stops, rolls down the window and says to me……”ya made it a lot further than I thought you would, I passed you this morning when I pulled into Bishop……wanna ride??”. William, as it turned out had gone to Bishop to take his daughter to the BMX races in which she competes. So I got a ride to Tonopah with Bill and his sleeping daughter. That’s 39 miles I didn’t pedal, so I will make it up by riding back and forth on bikini beach when I get to the east coast.
I seen quite a few wild horses along the way, mostly right after I dropped off of Montgomery Pass. Went to the far end of town and bought a few bagels and ham and cheeses and some Yogurt, I remember my Russian cycling friend talking about yogurt. Any ways I ate rather good, watched the locals and wondered wbout what tomorrow would bring. My free advice in Bishop had been quite wrong and was a serious thing for me. I commenced asking around and gathered all the information possible.
Good Night and God Bless