Lots of truck traffic last night so most slept intermittently. 6:30am coffee and 7:00am breakfast, a quick pack up and we were on the road by 8:00am. Lots of climbing today and we would have two passes to ride over. Clear sky, mild temps and not much wind made of another perfect riding day.

During breakfast, Rufus, the camp puppy, had been making the rounds looking for chow when he made a move to the edge of camp . . .

and looked like he was going to pee on rider Johns backpack. There was a loud crescendo of “No” as he lifted his leg. Ended up he went on the bush which we found out was his favorite place!

For some reason our host, Jorge, has a the SS Minnow from the Gilligan’s Island TV series parked here in the middle of the desert. Just happened there was a reunion going on of the remaining original cast members’. I’ll leave it to you to figure which person is which TV character. And I’ll give you a clue: Marcia, the blonde in the middle, is the professor! Leave your choices in the Comments section below!

The morning didn’t start out so good for BillyB as he continues to have mechanical problems. Three miles out of camp he another flat . . .

. . .which was caused by a hole in the tire he had bought from the G. Here TommyH uses the old ‘dollar bill trick’ to cover the hole. We convinced BillyB that using the $5 bill he wanted to use would not insure any fewer future problems than the $1 bill. The patch held for  the day and he bought a new tire from Don the mechanic, once we got to the camp site in Lee Veining. The G reclaimed the tire, is taking it home to resell on EBay.

Strange monoliths growing out of the side of this mountain. PLENTY of time to look around as we begin our first climb for of day.

Just near the top Gary was set up with all the goodies one needed to continue on . . .

Shorty after rest stop was the top of the first summit. It was going to be a long day. The sun and heat were already VERY intense. Riding up the climbs at 4-5 miles per hour, for hours on end, really leaves one exposed to the elements.

Nice valley riding after the descent.

I found a friend along the way to ride along. Reminds me of my Gold Wing days . . .

. . .and this reminds me of my TransAm ride six years ago when Connie Cannondale and I spent 3 months crossing the good old US of A.

After lunch it was a LONG SLOG up the to the next pass. Most people during the day experienced LOTS of rear end problems. One couldn’t stay comfortable in the saddle. Switching from side  to side didn’t seem to help either. Most thought it was because of the long hours in the same position with no stopping or ability  to really stand in the pedals. The constant 6-9% grade on today’s climb’s probably was also using a different muscle group . . . but finally we neared the top, saw this sign and knew it was almost over.

Is that a desert/dessert oasis in the distance? . . . no just the ACA rest stop.  Yippee!

Last summit of the day.

Josie and Elon are from Marin County. Elon was on this ride three years ago and was a great source for info about the ride ahead. Josie is a nurse and it was a comfort to know she was along as well as an emergency room physician.  To date, no one has needed either of their services.  Although . . . one of the guides Ruth did have wasp in her mouth today and had some issues finding help on the road.

Heading down to Mono Lake . . .

. . . where right around the corner on we got our first view. Takes your breath away!

There was a great visitor center explaining the natural history of the lake.

. . . including the formation of the ‘tufa’ structures.  The lake is three times saltier than the ocean and birds actually have trouble swimming in it because their feet continually float up!

Our ride from Bridgeport to New Veining.

Once in camp, and cleaned up, the trick was to find some shade to stay cool from the intense sun . . .

. . . here is the camp ‘think tank’ where all the problems of the world were solved. In 30 minutes!!!!

A lot more room today, compared to last night for Kathy and Jack,  to whip up tonight’s meal of chicken curry. BIG HIT!

Home sweet home for two nights as this is our layover day. FIRST green grass we have seen for days. Feels good on the feet.

At tonight’s map meeting Greg laid out all the options for tomorrow, Kayaking, a van trip to Yosemite, camping, coffee shopping, hiking . . . or just chilling and resting the rear end and legs!