Posts Tagged With: The Loneliest Road

Travels With Minnie: Eastward

First stop with “Minnie” – Bordertown Casino and RV Resort outside of Reno.

The first day doesn’t count. It never feels like an adventure until the scenery opens up with a promise of the unknown ahead. While day 2 wasn’t new ground for us, it’s been six years since we’ve traveled along US Highway 50, otherwise known as “The Loneliest Road in America.” Last time we were driving our Prius and gas consumption was not a huge concern. Only two towns on the stretch between Fallon and Ely in Nevada (our destination) offer gas, and when one is towing a trailer, these things are important to remember. While Reg drove, confident we’d be fine, I appointed myself gas gauge monitor.

The highway follows the old mail carrying Pony Express route between Sacramento, California and St. Louis, Missouri. There are lots of pull offs with historical markers and the Nevada towns of Austin and Eureka still offer glimpses into the old west. We skipped the sightseeing this trip and simply enjoyed the scenery.

Surprisingly, Nevada is home to 300+/- mountain ranges.
This cloud rolling across the landscape looked like a massive tsunami.
Categories: Travels With Minnie | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

A whole lotta nothing

Not exactly nothing, but there is a reason Highway 50 across Nevada is called “The Loneliest Road.” You'll want to keep an eye on your gas gauge. Pit stops are few and far between.

According to the dot on the map, I thought Cold Springs might be a good spot to take a break. As you can see we didn't find much, but what we found was a much needed relief!

The drive across Nevada is at a deceptively high elevation. According to the World Atlas, Nevada is the most mountainous state with more than 150 named mountain ranges. (We drove up and over a good number of them today!) More than thirty Nevada peaks top 11,000 feet. It makes for a spectacular landscape.

The historic towns of Austin and Eureka are found at an elevation of nearly 7,000 feet.

Our drive often found us along the old Pony Express route. For the short time it was in operation, only about 18 months, riders were able to cover 2,000 miles in just ten days. We found bits of the old west in the towns of Austin and Eureka.

 

Categories: Road Trips | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Blog at WordPress.com.

%d bloggers like this: