day23 102mi 7:44 eureka,nv

Woke up before the sun came over the tops of the mountains and drifted in and out until it finally punched over the top of them. Packed up and got on the road. Austin is located on a hillside and it is steep, about 8%. Made it into austin fairly early for lunch and had a sandwich and piece of pie. Talked with a couple of bikers, motorcyclists, who were on a weeklong vacation and one of them had done stp some years ago in a day and a half. There were 2 guys, dave and sam, sitting down to lunch also and they struck up a conversation with me about my trip and sam is doing the aids ride down in socal in the summer. He was nice enough to pick up my tab and gave me some granola bars before I took off. I bought some more water because the next town or anything was 70 miles away! I decided to try and make it there get a hotel and rest the next day. I set off and immediately hit 3-4 long switchbacks. There were a couple of lower passes that weren't that bad ,around 6500, and then a long relatively flat stretch for like 20-30 miles. Your sense of depth out here is really distorted. The road doesn't look that long before it turns, but it goes on for miles. Highway 50 is called the loneliest road in america. There is nothing out here. There is absolutely NOTHING out here. All you have to amuse yourself with are your thoughts. A lot of people would wave at me or give me a thumbs up as they drove by which boosted my spirits a bit. I took a little nature break at a rest stop that only had some trash cans and 2 picnic tables with an awning over them. A man in a pickup told me that there were 3 cyclists ahead of me and one guy on a recumbent heading west. I knew one of them was shawne but had no idea who the other 2 cyclists were. I was getting pretty tired and trying to make good time with the tailwind. I was eating a granola bar every hour and drinking nuun and taking endurolytes, but I still wasn't peeing that much. I was going through a lot of liquid. I didn't eat dinner last night and breakfast was nutella on some crackers. I haven't been very good about eating on the bike. I usually have a bottle and a half of nuun an hour and take a shot block about every hour, unless I forget. I think my main meals might be too big and that is why I feel sluggish after eating. It could also be the heat combined with the altitude. I don't really actually know whats going on, I just like to ride my bike and when I reach the atlantic ocean I have to stop because you can't ride your bike in the ocean silly. Maybe I've been out here by myself to long? The last 5 miles into eureka dragged on so long. I was crawling, going like 8 m.p.h. At this point you just play silly little mind games to keep yourself turning over the pedals. I was absolutely shot when I rolled into town. I asked around for the cheapest motel and just after I finished paying for the room shawne burst in the door and said whats up. He had gotten here around 3pm and was just bumming around town. He had already gotten a room for the night and I wish that we could have split one, but oh well. Unloaded all of my gear in my room and had my first shower in 2 days. I ate a good steak at the owl club casino and had 2 beers because well, I deserved them and tomorrow was a rest day. Shawne joined me for dinner and we sat around for a bit. He is leaving tomorrow for elle and said he would stop by in the morning before he took off. He rode 300 miles in 3 days. He is an ANIMAL. These aren't super flat either and there were stretches of 30,60 and 70 miles where there was nothing between you and the next town. Its 80 miles before you hit elle and there are some passes to climb. After dinner walked to chevron and bought a bunch of junk food. Streched for alittle bit, massaged my legs and tried to get tis huge knot out of my right quad. I drank about 50 ounces of water,no joke, and watched t.v. because I couldn't fall asleep. They have no pay phones in this town! and my cell doesn't get service. Sorry mom.