Nevada

US 50 is still called the Loneliest Highway, but really nowadays it’s not so lonely.  There’s plenty of traffic on 50. What really IS a very lonely highway is Utah 21 from Beaver to the Nevada state line. There were maybe four vehicles Beaver to Milford, but after than I saw literally two vehicles in like 70 miles. Mighty boring country also.  Right before the state line is a pond and an incongrous little area of wetlands.  Very surprising to come upon.  It should be a wildlife refuge!

Onward to Baker NV, past the quaint but forever useless to me coffee place there. Take a right and start the long trek up the hill to Great Basin National Park, destination Wheeler Campground at the end of the road at 10,000′.

Ascend 8,000 feet in about 12 curvy miles. There’s still plenty of snow up here. The aspens haven’t yet even though of budding – still late winter, really. And quite a nip in the air. 48° at sunset, into the mid 30’s overnight.

Friday (May 31)

Good for me! I did something out of my comfort zone this morning! There is a loop hike up here, as close to the top of the world as I’m gonna get for a while. It’s not really very long – 2.7 miles, 600′ elevation change, two lakes and a ton of great views. I wimped out on doing it last time. I was so breathless just walking around the campground that it seemed the better part of valor not to. Also is was pretty late in the day. I did it this time, in the morning. I made coffee again, cleaned a few things out of the fridge, all in all had a pretty substantial meal. Then around 11 I headed on up. It was very fun. In addition to all the treats listed above, the snowmelt made quite a busy little seasonal stream tumbling through the pine forest. The hike kook a couple of hours, then it takes 45 minutes to get off the mountain, so it was about 3pm when I really left Great Basin. I think also that doing the hike after I have spent the night at that altitude  let me acclimate somewhat.

4:30-ish I’m pulling into Ely. I made straight for the Economy Drugstore. My friend Janet worked there in high school, and I met some of the current folks when they were in Reno shopping for a new roaster. The place was a strange experience, not at all what I expected. I expected a hipster hangout, and instead got a pharmacy that serves ice cream and coffee. I definitely did not expect that none of the five of so women working behind the counter had heard of a half caf / half decaf americano. The girl on espresso duty made up something, and it was pretty good!

By now I was also hungry, and I had a strange longing for the liver and onions from the Hotel Nevada right across the street.  I had it here years ago and quite liked it.  I’ve noticed that liver and onions is kind of a speciality at backwater Nevada casinos. I don’t see it on the menu that often in other places, but all the small town casinos seem to have it. So, I took my coffee and walked across across US 50, the main drag of Ely. The Hotel Nevada had a kind of depressing vibe today, and all the help seem to have caught it. The service from everybody there was profoundly indifferent, but the meal was ok, so I ate up and moved on.

Nevada is wide. Another 2.5 hours of driving got me to the middle of the state, to good ole Hickison Petroglyphs, my friendly BLM wayside layover before that last leg home. The weather is so perfect – low 70’s and wonder of wonders, no wind! I’m sitting here in my chair watching the last rays of sunset over the hill to the west, and headlights from 20-30 miles away on US 50 approaching from the east.

Saturday

Last day! My own sofa and tv are calling to me! My campsite, which was perfect for sunset, was entirely wrong for sunrise. The heat and glare cam straight into my face. That and the rapidly rising heat in the van woke me up about 7am. I lay there a while and thought about it, then got myself up and secured enough items to safely back out of my spot and putter around the corner into a lovely shaded spot. This bought me a couple of hours of sweet, cool, shady sleep. I could and maybe should do this little trick of moving the van for maximum comfort more often.

I had planned to hit Spencer Hot Springs this morning. In retrospect, if I’d made myself the breakfast I had the last two days I probably would have done it. But when i got to the turnoff, all I really wanted was food so I kept going. The lesson of yesterday (good) and today (bad) is that I need to up my pre-driving breakfast game to enjoy my morning s more

The rest of the trip home was unremarkable. That much anticipated breakfast was had at the International Cafe in Austen. I have kind of a love/hate feeling about that place – the (probably 40 year old) hippy-hating sign doesn’t help. Then drive a bunch, diesel in Fernley, home by 3pm!