Riding thru the desert on a horse with no name

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Anoher great nights sleep,must be because we are fitting so much into our day, and the sun coming up over the mountains in Vegas was quite something to behold.Decided to try IHOP (International House lof Pancakes) for breakfast and their closest restaurant was right next door.
The menu seemed to have pancakes with everything when we just wanted bacon and eggs.After searching thru the menu for a few minutes Gretchen spotted what we wanted and it was time to order.Thought we were in for a cheap breakfast but by the time the coffee,juice and fruit bowl was added it was more like.......Odd that the senior price(over 55 yrs and we qualified !!) for what we had would have been more expensive and the servings would have been smaller.Can't figure that one out.Perhaps we needed to read the small print.
Anyway it was time to hit the road and the access to I-15 was easy peasy.We neded however to link with NV-93 but the exit was closed so we rolled on and an hour later we were back where we needed to be.Saw a lot of the poorer part of Vegas.This city is truly one of contrasts between those on holiday and gambling and the people who work in the hotels and casinos for what is probably a very low wage.
It wasnt long and we were climbing up out of the valley that Vegas is in and into the desert.We had the imposing Sheep Range on one side and an unnamed range on the other and desert in between.Trucks were coming thick and fast heading towards Vegas and the warm air seemed to make the vibration as they passed more noticeable.But not as bad as other cas we have driven in the US so we guess the Dodge Caliber must be a heavier car.
Pulled into the little stop of Alamo (no not the fort in Texas) to top up with gas as the road ahead for the day showed little in the way of towns.We were pleasantly surprised to find behind the dark doors into the shop area that there was a supermarket !!! and we were able to buy ingredients for our lunch plus a lime/lemon slushie which lasted all day almost.
The road ahead showed a picnic stop about half an hour ahead so we delayed lunch.Up over another mountain pass and down the other side we spied what appeared to be a picnic area so we tuned off followed by the local sherrif.As we drove further towards what lokked like tables we soon realised that the area was in fact a firing range!!! so we were outa there
On down to Calienta and a stop beside the railway track( sorry Owen no trains this time to watch go by ) for our picnic lunch.We have been enjoying strawberries every day but this time had to weed a few out as the heat seemed to have got to them.
Carrying on the road to Ely a further 120miles away the road became more deserted and we actually got to long for a vehucle coming in the other direction and as we were travelling at 70mph (the speed limit ) nothing was overtaking us.The road was straight for miles ahead in fact so far ahead you couldnt actually make out if it turned or not.The lwide valley we were driving thru wasnt so desert like any more and sort of arble with the odd small herd of cattle but no houses to be seen for miles and miles.
It was fairly monotonous driving and we were glad to see Highway 50 (the start of the Lonliest Road in America) come into sight and it was up over another pass and into Ely a dusty town of 4000 people and 10 motels to choose from.Typical western town built on mining during the 1800's and still surviving on mining but all open cast now.
We found the supermarket and patrolled the head high freezers for another entree we hadnt yet had and came up with two new choices each under $2.80 !!Our stay tonight at under $50 inc tax is at White Pine Motel which was the choice in our travel guide.

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