Virginia City:
We met up with our friends from California (hi Rich & Pat!) to
explore this 19th century mining boomtown. It’s a very hilly town, so we took a tram
tour to learn about the history and see more of the buildings.
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| Storey County Jail |
This is the Silver Queen, created in 1957 as a tribute to the miners
and mining history of Virginia City. Her
dress is made of 3,261 silver dollars.
The number represents the depth of 3,261 feet into the Combination Mine shaft!
Carson City:
We made a brief stop in
Carson City to see this sculpture at the Carson City Community Center: “Inside the Mind of Da Vinci” by Mischell
Riley. The face of da Vinci is
interesting; however, the backside is what really expresses the “mind” of da
Vinci! The horse, the human body and the
flying machine are just a few examples of the greatest mind.
Hwy 50: The Loneliest Road:
We don’t always take the Interstate highways and so when we needed to
get to Utah from California, we decided to take Hwy 50 across the state of
Nevada. In the 1980s this was described
as “The Loneliest Road”. We began our
journey in Dayton, Nevada which is close to Carson City. Our Airbnb host
suggested we drive down 6 Mile Canyon Road toward Reno for a scenic drive. What an outstanding idea!
Fallon, another small town on the Loneliest Road, is known for the Stillwater
National Wildlife Preserve.
We spotted some beautiful birds, including a blue goose and this colorful fellow:
After these two towns, the road got even lonelier!
Thank goodness for the Pony Express – there is still an old station
around that provides a great stopping point for lunch!
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| Middlegate Station |
Got a lovely view as well:
We continued down the highway toward Ely, one of the largest towns on
this highway.
We stopped to see the Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park where there are 6 beehive-shaped ovens that were used to turn trees into charcoal. This charcoal was then used for refining silver and copper ore.
We stopped to see the Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park where there are 6 beehive-shaped ovens that were used to turn trees into charcoal. This charcoal was then used for refining silver and copper ore.
This jackrabbit bid us farewell as we continued our journey!
One evening we took the Star Train from the Nevada Northern Railway
Museum in Ely to the end of the line to look at the stars through
telescopes. It was a very cloudy night ☹. It was also a snowy night and we had to drive
over 2 high summits (7700 feet) to get back to our Airbnb. Remember, this is the Loneliest Road, no
lights and no other drivers – what a scary ride it was!
Our next destination along this very lonely road was Baker.
Throughout this Nevada crossing we are traversing in the Great Basin – which
is an area of mountain ranges separated by flat valleys or basins. There are hundreds of ranges which make
Nevada the most mountainous state in the U.S.
So you can imagine the drive, up-and-down-up-and-down ….
Baker was a wonderful place to stay as we were at the door of the Great
Basin National Park. These pictures
should give you any idea of our drive in the Park:
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| Ancient Bristlecone Pine Tree |
As we climbed higher, the views became more and more spectacular!
After Baker, we continue our journey into Utah. Taking “The Loneliest Road” was truly
awe-inspiring – the expansive landscapes makes one realize the beauty and
diversity of our country and how small we are in this vast land.
