We left the valley pretty early. The first ones to leave the campground I believe. We were in a hurry to get to Beatty, NV, where we were happy to get espressos and a restroom. It was good timing.

Why Beatty? For Spicer Ranch for some biking!! It was real desert mountain biking. As in you find a Joshua tree for shade, the plants bite and the soil is super loose. What a different feel from the redwoods. Frankly, the sandy soil quickly exposed how much room for improvement I have.

We headed towards Red Rock Monument, near LV. On the way we passed by Area 51 and an opportunity to buy meteor filtered vodka and other must have specialties.

The landscape was the real wonder. More synergies of shades and textures kept the drive a continuous marvel. The big surprise was what Red Rock was: wow huge and red and made of rocks. It was a knockout. Alas it was too late in the day so we moved on to find a campsite.

I’d read about a good place to look for a BLM campsite around 20 miles away and off we went. We found a spot with a 360 degree view of mountains and, after some biking practice, watched a never ending, Haleakalā style sunset.

Yes, we both worked on turns. To be precise, the turnaround for the site is full of loose rocks and is off camber, which makes cornering tough. After a bunch of laps I became aware of just how weak I am in that position, which of course explains why it is so hard to do: I simply need to be stronger.

They worship strength, because it is strength that makes all other values possible.

From Enter the Dragon

The sunset