Along the Range of Light
[ Day 5, Part 2 – June 17, 2012 ]
A town of two hundred passes quickly, and quicker still in a midday, midsummer heat. High temperatures have a way of sapping both my curiosity and general awareness; I rolled through Lee Vining with a foggy disinterest that would become commonplace on hotter days, a fugue broken only by ice machines and swimming pools. I at least had the sense to stop at the Mono Visitors Center just outside of town, which I did as much for air conditioning as for information. I ate lunch in the shade of an adjacent pavilion before wandering inside. The cool, conditioned air kissed my salty skin and I wandered among well dressed, better smelling tourists.
I was tempted to stay longer, but the afternoon heat was only getting worse and I had many miles of riding to go. I snapped a few photos and then fought a stiff headwind, profoundly sore butt, and steep climb up Route 395. Uphill eventually gave way to a generous downhill, followed by a flat, forgiving stretch of roadway. Bridgeport was the first town after Lee Vining, and though I had not originally planned to spend the night there, I reconsidered long before reaching town limits. The day’s ride was supposed to be easy even before I cut it short, but the sorry condition of my derrière could not be overstated.
I briefly contemplated illegal camping before better judgment steered me to the Bridgeport Inn, a charming and inexpensive hotel with discounted “Cowboy Rooms,” so named for their simple furnishings and a shared bathroom. The latter turned out to be no problem as I had the entire Cowboy Wing to myself. I took a shower, ate a monstrously large sandwich from Albert’s Deli, and took an early bedtime, sleeping backside up.
[ Daily Miles: 45 ] [ Total Miles: 305 ]