The smoke was much less prevalent this morning and with no clouds I knew it was going to get hot fast. But I rode easy up the pass and enjoyed a mostly gradual descent through a rocky, creek filled canyon. I had to stop a couple of times for the cows that freaked out at my presence. They bolted down the road and wouldn't let me pass. Eventually as more joined in I had nearly a stampede in front of me. They had plenty of opportunities to run off in other directions but they kept on the road. Eventually they moved a bit off the road but still kept running away, and I was able to pass. By this time I emerged out of the canyon into the plains again. I was on a pretty fast rolling gravel road, and I could see the town of Battle Mountain ahead. I was looking forward to resupply, a cold drink especially. Just then my route led hard left onto a pipeline road through the sage that was really slow going. Sandy, rutted, and littered with hoof holes. Worse than washboard. Eventually though I was spit out onto gravel that quickly have way to pavement. I could see the ribbon of civilization that was I-80 and the golden arches up ahead for several miles, miles more than I had figured it was to town. Just about to a half mile from reaching town, beside the road I spotted a curious picture of a smiling man on a large square. I turned around. My first thought was that it looked like a record. Sure enough, it was a full size record, with packaging of Marty Robbins, Greatest hits vol III. Still in shrink wrap. If it wasn't so big I might have carried it into town. I turned it so it could be seen a bit better by the road and left it. Probably my weirdest road find ever. I rode to the first park I saw on my map only to find the faucet there locked. Thankfully the next one had a faucet and I was able to fill all my bottles. This accomplished, I was so hungry and thirsty I actually went into McDonald's and got a drink and a few misc things mostly as an excuse to drink more. I was really thirsty and the AC felt great. But eventually I had to get going. I resupplied at Family Dollar and rode away from town on pavement, then gravel. It was possibly the worst case of washboard I have ever seen. Almost no escaping either. I rode to the extreme right and left, neither giving me a bump free ride. The main tracks were bone jarring when I would switch over. Eventually this was far too easy for my route, so it turned a slight left onto a dirt road in the sage. Which quickly gave way to a really desolate and dead series of gentle rollers with mostly bare soil, and brown tumbleweed gathered all around, mostly in my way in the middle of the road. I had never encountered tumbleweed before and for the first 5 minutes it was interesting. But the day was very hot by now, and after having to stop and pick my bike clean for the 10th time it got really old. In addition the soil got very sandy and I had to walk a lot. This went on for a couple miles. On the horizon I saw some dust devils and watched with genuine interest as they swirled around. Eventually one of them began to come my way and gain strength. I rode a bit closer but had to stop as it was 100 feet wide and reached up to the clouds it seemed. Tumbleweed gathered inside it and gave its shape visible boundaries. I watched with genuine fascination as it passed just to my left. I was glad to have witnessed it but it had deposited yet more clumps of tumbleweed in my way than were there before. I pushed on. Stop, clean bike, push up sandy hill, ride down through tumbleweed gate while trying to protect my derailleur hanger, repeat. After forever the desolation ended and I saw sagebrush again! I actually stopped to kiss the first bush I was so glad. And not a quarter mile later I turned onto another dirt road and spotted an actual faucet by an empty cow trough. But the area was very beaten down with fresh cow patties, so I figured I had a decent chance at it working. I tried it, heard nothing, but just when I was about to give up, out came clear water! A huge weight fell off my shoulders. By now I had used up a lot of my water and I was still at a big deficit, I was very thirsty. I think I would have been ok. But I was much better for having found this water. I cooked a meal and drank my fill, filled my bottles and left reluctantly. Soon I turned off the dirt to gravel again. I pushed on up a gradual uphill and after a few miles after I crested a hill, decided I had ridden enough and camped like yesterday, a bit off the road in the sage. Other than town I never saw any trees today.