JULY 28, Eureka, Nevada, to Austin, Nevada, 71 milea via U.S. Route 50. Average speed today, 11.2 miles per hour. Total trip mileage to date, 3,455. Average daily mileage since June 1,  59.6.

Today our until-now successful Nevada Strategy backfired badly. We again managed to get up at about 2:30 a.m. and hit the road before 4 a.m. Trouble was, a miles-long downhill began our run west out of Eureka and we quickly became chilled to the bone.

Actually, not quickly enough. We were a good five miles out – too late to turn back – when we hit the real deep-freeze. Four layers weren’t nearly enough and both of us wished we were wearing leggings and something over our ears. Cold pockets lasted for miles and we stopped many times jut because it was too darned cold to ride.

“The whole reason we’re starting so early is to avoid miserable riding conditions,” Ben said. “But what is more miserable than this. This morning is a new low.”

I agreed: Climbing shadeless hills in 106-degree weather outside Hite, Utah , was more bearable than cycling in the predawn walk-in box that Nevada turned out to  be.

We resolved to sleep late Tuesday morning, leaving at maybe 7 or 7:30 a.m.

The sun finally came over the eastern mountains a few minutes after 6, but did little to warm us. It was after 7 before riding became remotely bearable. By 9, however, the heat began to warm the desert and, one-by-one, our layers began to come off.

Along the way, we crossed path with three more eastbound cyclists. A Flagstaff, Ariz. couple was eight days into a Philadelphia trip. Aboard two Long Haul Truckers, they were energetic and enthusiastic. We were glad to have eight days left instead of 50-plus days to go.

Later we ran into Ryan, a Colorado Springs guy finishing up a long, 4,500-mile circle route that included Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco and more. “But I won’t do anything like this again,” he said. “This ought to be enough.”

Us too.

Our new support team of Ben’s Sonora friends brought us a catered sandwich lunch at 10:15 a.m., and it hit the spot. Remaining in the afternoon were 15 miles into Austin, most of them uphill, 

Two passes – Bob Scott Summit (7,195 feet) and Austin Pass (7,484) – remained ahead. Took us awhile, but we climbed both and agreed that the climbs were far more pleasant than pedaling through the cold in the morning.

Flew down a two-mile descent into Austin, a hillside former silver mining town, before 1 p.m.

Austin had about a half-dozen churches, but no cell reception, no high-speed Internet and no ATM. But the burgers at the International Café, across from our motel, weren’t bad.

High on the agenda tonight: a good sleep.