Austin - Eureka - Ely NV (157 miles)

We went from Austin to Eureka NV last night, and on to Ely today. That brings us to over 500 miles in the last eight days. We are exhausted, but happy with the progress. Tomorrow will be our first rest day and one well earned. Itis hard to believe that we've been at this for eight days and have come so far. It still seems surreal, the thought of having to transition back into the real world is one that is best put off. Austin was the remnants of an old mining town that used cyanide to find microscopic amounts of gold. Today it was nearly empty with abandonded buildings dotting the mountainside. We went through Devil's Gate to enter Eureka. Devil's gate is a natural formation of rocks that formed a gate around the Lincoln Highway that we have been following. We imagined having to traverse the countryside in a wagon, and to come upon such a perfect setting for a Native American set ambush must have been quite the feeling. Eureka was a livelier town, when we entered there was a drag race and an antique car show. The cars were amazing and it spoke to the talent of the mechanics in Nevada. Ely is an old mining town, but substantially larger than where we have stayed in he last few days, with a population of 7500. This weekend is the Silver State car race and car show, so rooms are at a premium. You can quantitatively determine that Ely is a larger town simply by the increased number of casinos. We counted four just entering the town and I am certain that a closer inspection tomorrow will reveal plenty more. The number of casinos is almost incomprehensible and really has almost defined Nevada for us. Fortunately the numerous mountain and valley chains that we have been biking have left a larger impression on our minds and our legs. People have been incredibly nice on the trip so far. We had a couple of people stop and ask if we needed help, including one state trooper. Fortunately Cameron was quick enough to snap a hilarious shot of Ray negotiating his way out of additional help from the state trooper.