Ahhhh Shabbat!!!!

We are taking our first rest day. Today is day 9 and Shabbat, so it is wholly appropriate. The ride from Austin to Eureka was long and hot. We are all sick of the beautiful desert. We are going to do laundry today, take naps in our cool hotel room, schnoor as much of this high speed internet as time will allow, go swimming at the public pool and frolick with the locals. There are some Father's Day Weekend festivities we may enjoy too, such as the Princess Parade and crowning of the Princess. I asked Matt what he wants to do for Father's Day and he said the same thing he has said every year when I ask that question...."oh, I don't know...Go for a bike ride?" Well, lucky him 'cause that's JUST what I had planned.
In Austin we met a couple and their four boys, from Belgium, who are traveling for 2 yrs. around the world in a totally tricked out bus. The Dad is a documentary film maker and is doing a film on the trip. As you would expect, they are the sweetest and most interesting family. We camped with them in Austin (I took some pictures of the inside of the bus...they won't do justice to the incredible thought and detail that went into refurbishing it)and we all had dinner together and shared our traditional desserts around the campfire (Fig Newtons from the Americans, Belgian Chocolates from the Belgians). The boys all played games...they played UNO all together and Solomon tried to teach them "imaginary baseball" which is a baseball game that he plays when he has no actual ball or bat. The Belgians had been in S. America for the last 6 months so the kids spoke some Spanish and between Yonah and Solomon's Spanish and the Belgian Boys' limited English they comunicated just fine...i.e "C'est Bon chocolate!"

In the morning we were hoping to get an early start to beat the heat but the Dad wanted to film us for the movie he is making and so we got a late start and suffered. Ahhh the price of fame.You can check out the website of the filmmaker at www.sixencar.com
Despite the beauty of the desert sky, mountains, etc...we are so ready to be through it. We have met a few other riders along the way and one group is riding at night! That actually sounded like a great idea. We have good front and back lights so tomorrow, when we do the long and hilly 76 miles to Ely, NV, we will leave about 4am and ride in the early dark and cool and arrive before it gets really hot. Even though it is a difficult stretch of riding I am so happy that the boys are really coming to KNOW the state of Nevada. Instead of just zooming through in a car and thinking "wow, hot, dry desert" and then getting out in Utah, they are really seeing the terrain and the changes through the day and just having a more intimate understanding of Nevada, both it's beauty and it's challanges. The same is true for me...despite having been born and raised in the very next state, I knew nothing about Nevada except the Sierras....I thought the whole state was like Las Vegas and the Sierras.
Because we are at almost 7,000 ft. though, it isn't as hot as Davis. Which I've heard is 105 degrees.
OK, now I'm getting the Hairy Eyeball from someone that wants to get on the computer.
Solomon and Yonah have been just the most amazing riders. Not one complaint despite the heat and monotony. Solomon is listening to Lionboy on the ipod and just keeps pedaling along. I've been hauling about 4.5 gallons of water in the Burley trailer and we drink it all by the end of the day. We ran out of CytoMax so I had to improvise the last part of the day with EmergenC and Gatorade. Luckily we found a dealer here in Eureka and bought a dime bag of powdered Gatorade.
The boys have been writing religiously in their journals (I guess that is where they channel their complaining to)so I'll have them write some excerpts today.
Yesterday's ride was so hot and barren even our amazing spotter, Solomon, was able to come up with only a few lizards and another nest of baby crows.
Still unable to download photos.
More from the boys later.
love,
Djina