[Red Rider]

Middlegate is a great piece of American West history, as some of you know. Well, this weekend they're having a Biker BBQ (bikes optional - but I'll be riding for certain). Too far for most (and sorry for the late word), but if you can make it it is a good time. Here's a link:

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Check it out, decent site. They also have that live camera thing going - maybe you'll spot me if'n your on the 'puter this weekend!

[Hot01]

47 miles East of Fallon? That's exactly right in the middle of nowhere.

Sorry, I'll be in the mountains on my shiny new motorcycle. If I'd have known sooner...

[cowboy]

That's A cool looking place

[Hot01]

Seriously Cowboy - middle of nowhere. It's something like 112 miles from Fallon to Austin with NOTHING in between. Beautiful and the epitome of serenity. No gas, no food, no nothing. Maybe snakes. There are those darn snakes again.

[FLHTbiker]

Sorry, heading to the To Broke For Sturgis Rally 2 this weekend and staying over in a campground in Sisters Oregon.

Cascade Harley-Davidson in Beautiful Bend Oregon.

[SK]

I've stopped in Middlegate every time I rode US50 from Sacramento to Colorado and back. Great place to take a break and have a cold one. From Middlegate, there's two roads to Eureka..US50 may be a bit quicker, but the southern road is real pretty. Have fun Red and tip one for me.

[Red Rider]

SK - the other road you're thinking of is HWY 722, which is the original route from Middlegate to Austin. It takes ya over Carroll Summit, a pretty spot, and into Austin fthrough the windies. They made the new HWY 50 rte to avoid the snow closures that happen on 722. So now it is the loneliest part of the "Loneliest Highway in America".

[SK]

Geez..it's been 4 years since I crossed US50 (I rode it every year for several years when I lived outside Sacramento)..forgot you hit Austin before you get to Eureka. Austin sits way up on the mountainside looking west down into a cool looking valley. There's a sign across the street from the Chevron station entering town stating "US 50..the loneliest highway"..got several pics of it with me and my bike coming and going to Colorado. I also ran out of gas once coming back right at the summit east of town (extremely lucky) and coasted the 3 miles all the way into and across Austin to the Chevron station.

Let us know how the rally went Red..I've had a few beers in the Middlegate tavern. The people that run the place are pretty cool (assuming it's still the same owners).

[Tomflhrci98]

Sounds like I'm going to have to check this out laborday weekend.

So you say I should take the cut off 722 ?
Heck, I'll go both ways. roads that is

[Red Rider]

Do it, Tom, if you've time. About 160 miles round trip from Middlegate to Austin (or just about 2 miles west of Austin) on the Hwys 722 & 50 loop. Did it Saturday. Middlegate was a blast, but since my wife was riding w/me I didn't get to party much (don't like being even slightly hung over with a passenger on back).

SK-Same people runnin' Middlegate for the last 6 years or so, that is when I started going there regular while working on the Navy bombing ranges doing some SERE follow-up work and OpFor fun. Everybody there is there in the Big Lonely because they want to be - my kind of people!

The rally was a blast. Not too big, just the way I like 'em. Zero troopers or deputies, too, as far as I saw....not that they're bad folks, but they do cramp some other folks style. I do know a police officer was there, but he was there for the fun.

Good time. Next year I plan on camping there instead of doing the drive-bys. Free camping - land is not an issue!

[Tomflhrci98]

Started out for Reno yesterday morning. I got as far as Bridgeport which is about 100 miles south of Reno. When I stopped I noticed that the right side of my fuel tank was soaking in oil along with my pants.

Turns out somewhere coming up the hill the lower rocker box gasket decided to move or something. Oil was coming out of the front right corner of the front head. The wind was pushing it up onto the fuel tank and it would collect there. It honestly looked like I had just poured a quart of oil all over the side of the tank.

I found some rags and rope and tied it up, eventually I had to add a quart of oil and I turned around and made the 300 miles back home with oil all over my leg and the side of the bike.. what a mess. I kept having to stop and change rags every 50, 60 miles. Some of you old guys are probably thinking, "yup, that's the way we used to do it"

I got it apart today and the lower gasket does look like it was bent or folded or had a wrinkle in it somehow, so off to the Stealership I go.

Remind me to fire my mechanic............

At least I didn't get stranded. I think short trips are in order for rest of this weekend. and a bike wash...

[cowboy]

Yep I had todo it on my shovel out in the middle of no where , took a couple of shirts out of my bag & my belt off the fix the leak , Made into Hobbs NM about 50 miles from where I was at found a indy shop (hard to do back then ) & the guy there help me out , let me use his shop after hours & help me get it back on the road with no leaks
Did you find a new mechanic yet