The Desert Ride

Mysterious tree of shoes








We headed out of Austin, Nevada at 8pm. We could not handle another mid-day desert headwind. We left, coasting downhill into the sunset, peaking over the Sierra Nevadas. We took highway 50 all the way through Nevada. It is nicknamed "The Loneliest Road in America". During the day, it was frustrating because the road wasn't lonely at all, but full of loud motorcyclists and trucks carrying hay and dropping hay into your eye balls.
However, night time transforms the highway into the quietest, most beautiful, lonely place I've ever been. We zoomed up mountains, unaware that they were there, just changing the gears. Then down down down through the most amazing looming mountains!!!! Curving around the dark, shadowy cliffs, I felt like I was traveling into Mordor. The mountains opened up into an enormous valley. You could see the mountains far away, the next pass, but the actual distance was impossible to gauge.
After a few hours, we began to get sleepy, it is hard to stay up all night, even if your body can handle the ride.
We pulled over, 60 miles away from Austin, next to a tree that has been covered head to toe in shoes. Apparently it started years and year ago when a couple threw their shoes up into the tree after they got married. Now it is completely covered. Even the surrounding ground is feet deep in tennis shoes.
So we slept under this bizarre tree, woke up at 9 am to some truckers stopping at the tree and talking about the days route.

Biking through the Nevada desert at night is the most beautiful thing I have ever experienced.

Jocelyn