Date: Fri, 15 May 1998 23:08:42 -0700
Reply-To: Austin <austins@IX.NETCOM.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <Vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: Austin <austins@IX.NETCOM.COM>
Subject: Re: ? Reno to Denver route ?
In-Reply-To: <45ffb282.35592ce1@aol.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
At 01:17 AM 5/13/98 EDT, you wrote:
>In a message dated 98-05-12 12:24:18 EDT, ksull@WAVE.MBARI.ORG writes:
>
><< Getting ready to start a trip, I was wondering what Western Westy
> drivers prefer for a route from Reno, NV to Denver, CO.
---and---
> Automobile magazine did a story 8 years ago on the lonelyest stretch of
>highway in America. The story imspired me to drive the route they had
>recommended. The route was from Reno on hwy 50 to Grand Junction Colorado.
*IF* you can justify going even further south in Nevada, try the *truely*
'lonliest road in America' - state route 375 (self described by the sate of
NV as the 'Extraterrestrial Highway') between Warm Springs and Alamo. East
of Tonopah (Route 6) is an intersection with 375 (its western terminus)
with an abandoned bar/store and a hot stream (not 'Warm'!) - take a break
there & hike up the hill ~ 1/3 mile to the origin of the stream, the pool
with the bubbling water (be careful-it's steep, & you definitely don't want
to fall in, cuz you're never getting out! - & don't go down into the bushes
in the gulley just down to the left...2 legged miner type critters don't
appreciate interlopers). From Warm springs head east for beautiful
downtown Rachel, situated right on the edge of area 51, not far from
infamous Groom Lake. Don't bother trying to camp south of Rachel on the
dirt roads - the resident 'Aliens' tend to get rather testy after the sun
goes down when they want to fly their non-existant birds. Altogether the
road from Tonopah to Alamo (hwy 93) takes ~ 4+ hours, but you really should
spend some time shut down in the middle of it all & really find out what
'the sounds of silence' is all about.
The land in NV south of hwy 80 is a part of the Great Basin (Great Basin NP
is further north on 93 and with Lehman Caves is well worth seeing) and is
rather strange in that driving 'side to side' (east-west-east) you go for
1/2-1 hour across a valley, then over a little mountain range (1/4 hr),
then another valley, & repeat-repeat-repeat. It's as if God took both
hands & dragged fingers from north to south for a thousand miles, and
you're driving across the result.
And don't do this drive at night unless you have *really* good brakes &
long range driving lights - it's open range, & the road for some reason
attracts all the cattle you rarely see during the day: while the adult
cattle will just sit around watching you go by, sometimes their little
offspring get antsy & bolt across the road...and the wild horses are even
worse - they seem to come out of nowhere & will make a believer out of you
for having checked your brakes before you left. One (of several)
interesting sights at night, however, is the number of single lights you'll
see off in the mountains...we're talking 10-20 miles from where you are, on
the only paved road around.
& go ahead - try for top speed ever - I videoed my speedo needle touching
100 out of Tonopah (okokok, moderate downhill, but no tailwind, & Moby's an
Adventurewagen, so he's pushing an extra barn door! And he's got 103k
under his not-yet-removed heads).
Another lonely road story revolves around Wagontire, population 2, but
that's for later.
Austin
| 
