Lake Tahoe to Ely

Nevada, I take it all back. Like Arizona, the south is just sweltering desert: but the north! Vast, yes; desert, yes; but cool because its high and the salt flats surrounded by mountains on all sides; fantastic.


Another day of wows. Left Lake Tahoe curling down the pass to Carson city and hit Route 50 proper. After the run to Fallon, it certainly lived up to its name as the lonliest road. One section was 104 miles of no-one, no-where and no-thing except open road, desert and mountains.

The maps I have don't give a clue to altitude except for the odd winding road indicating a climb or a descent. Didn't fall below 4500 feet all day and several times climbed over 7500. Came across mountain ranges I never heard of, still snow capped and forming a georgeous backdrop to what looks otherwise like never ending desert.

As you finally approach them you see the road dissappear round a hill and wonder how on earth it finds its way up. Sometimes it doesn't but crawls and winds its way through, assisted now and then with a slice taken out by dynamite. Other times the road just climbs and climbs.

The last 3 towns including Ely, the one I'm staying in are so small I wonder what people do here.

Well, the waitress explained that this part of the mountains is famous for hunting and fishing. That explains the the pictures on walls, the trophies, carvings, the NRA notice in the window down the road. Duh...

Also a bit of gambling. Each tiny (and I mean tiny) town has a casino or two. I can understand now why Nevada was the first state to be allowed casinos. There is little else here to create wealth (well, let's say re-distribute!).

I asked the owner of the motel if there was a good restaurant in town. So here I am in the local diner and having tasty stuff..... Its where he takes his wife so it had to be good, eh? Life here could not be further from those living in San Francisco unless the town was transported to Mars.

This place is so big, its like foriegn countries every 200 miles. Nice! (No-one from here could afford to even eat in SF. 4 times more expensive at least.)