October 12
55mi/89km
+2600ft/790m
Although it was a chilly day all day today, the morning was a little warmer than yesterday, thanks to camping a bit lower and in the trees.
We saw very few cars all morning, as we ascended and descended on some chunky roads. Eventually we came to a wide valley and smoother terrain. The scenery was terrific, the sky was blue, the wind was chilly, and we had the place to ourselves. At least, mostly to ourselves – as usual there were cows. And a big pack of Wild Turkeys.
After lunch, we came to a paved road that seemed to have no business out in the middle of nowhere, and it eventually led to more paved roads and some signs of civilization. After a short climb we crossed another wide valley and saw dozens and dozens of raptors. I think we saw more hawks than cars today. Northern Harriers, Red-tailed Hawks, and American Kestrels.
In the late afternoon we came to the town of Loyalton, and stopped at the market for a soda. We chatted with a local who wanted to hear all about our journey. Tonight is going to be the coldest night yet, several degrees below freezing. We planned to camp only a short while out of town was the route starts climbing again and we’d like to stay low. As we rode through town we realized the only restaurant is also a hotel. It didn’t take much convincing to sleep inside tonight! It was already getting cold out. Now we get to wake up cozy and warm to tackle the climb in the morning.
