West - Day Two - June 24, 2005

I woke up to a beautifully clear blue sky to embark on the big drive across Nevada. I decided to take Route 50, the "loneliest road in America". It is a lovely two lane highway with more scenery than I expected - beautiful vistas with mountains in the distances and many turns in the road. The temperature hovered in the low 80's so fairly comfortable. Towns were few and far between (Fallon, Austin, Eureka, Ely) so I made sure my gas tank never drifted too low. Over the course of the day, I listened to my first 'book on tape' - "Good Grief" by Lolly Winston. It is an interesting story that finds the humorous side of the grief experienced by the loss of a loved one. It takes place in San Jose and has some local observations that those who live in Northern California will enjoy.



Towards the late afternoon, I arrived at the Great Basin National Park, one of the least visited parks in the U.S. It is a spectacular desert area at the base of Wheeler Peak. I drove the scenic drive up over 10,000 feet with the late afternoon sun cascading longer shadows across the road. Since I missed the last tour of Lehman Caves, I purchased a ticket for the first tour the next morning at 9 am. Driving into Baker, NV, I arrived at my destination for the evening - the quaint Silverjack Motel. After driving 412 miles over the course of 7 hours, I was glad to stop for the night.