The Road Less Traveled

This morning we took off from Fallon NV heading west on US 50 on what is nick-named "The Loneliest Road In America".because it is 410 miles of road through central Nevada and Utah with only 4 towns (greater than pop 500) between.

The name is a bit of hype from the Nevada Dept of Tourism, but it does feel pretty lonely much of the time. One might say "Why go this way when I-80 will pretty much get you too and from the same places?"  Well the obvious reason is because it's there, but also because its the path of the Pony Express, Butterfield Overland Stage Line and numerous emigrant trails.  It oozes history, and the scenery is spectacularly BIG!  There's also almost no traffic, the speed limit is 70 mph and you can stop anywhere you please and gawk at the scenery.

By the end of the day, we had made only about 130 miles because of several stops to oogle at some road-side attraction or another.

Grimms Petroglyph Site.
Much cruder (and very much older) than we've seen further
south in Utah and Arizona.

Snakes seem to be a common theme regardless of when
where the drawings are made.

One huge isolated sand dune.

Remains of an 1860's Overland Stage station.

Austin NV.  The last (and first) town we passed on this leg.

So we are now stopped at the Hickson Petroglyph Recreation Area Campground, (such as it is).  We're parked under a shady tree on a hillside overlooking a 40 mile wide valley and the distant mountains.  (That's the Overland Stage route behind our site.)

Should be some excellent stat-gazing tonight.  An tomorrow should be more of the same as today.

OH... and the campground is EMPTY.

Goodnight from the "Loneliest Campground in the USA"

Brad and Val