Is it the shoes?

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An hour east of Reno, the desert is a symphony of brown, everything in tones of tan, rust, and coffee. I have long dreamed of driving The Loneliest Road in America, and it doesn't disappoint. We thought Route 95 north of Vegas was lonely, but we were constantly getting stuck behind slow vehicles. Here on Route 50, there's nothing to get stuck behind, and nothing to stop you from passing if you did.

This road really brings back the feeling of discovery. When you find an old tree with every branch dripping with shoes chained together by the laces, you aren't expecting it, you don't know what to make of it. You have to activate your imagination to conjure up how and why it came to be. Even a maverick cow with no other cow near, with no other anything near, strikes a note of mystery. Everything in the desert seems to need to explain itself.

Route 50 is well-established as The Loneliest Road in America, yet in a weekend of driving it, we only run into two of the official signs that proclaim this distinction. This road is too lonely even to make a vigorous assertion of its loneliness.

In downtown Ely, on the eastern side of the state, we spot the old Nevada Hotel, which opened when talking pictures were new. The rooms are so cheap that we make sure to look at one before taking it. It turns out to be crisp, cozy, and clean, a little small, but if you have a problem with that, you can rent a suite for the same price as an unmarked room in a modern motel on the outskirts of town. The Nevada makes great show of warning you that the water temperature in its showers is dangerously unreliable; we'll take their word for it, but we honestly didn't have any trouble with it. And the hotel is charmingly chock-a-block with artifacts and bric-a-brac, cluttering the reception area and the restaurant, the corridors and the casino--the place is a blend of archaeology and arcade. It's startling that some people would pass it up for the anonymous accommodations down the road. That's no way to be lonely.

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Photos

Desert Graffiti
What else do you express yourself with out here?

Things that make you go Hmmm
We thought it was a hallucination, but no.

Wow
Valleys and mountains and valleys and mountains and valleys..... you get the idea

Sister cities?
No, we're not home already. It's a faux Austin! All the towns here list elevation instead of population. I guess it's the only statistic that doesn't change.

A little desert humor...
... very little. Coincidentally, route 50 is the old Pony Express route. Some folks don't want you to forget it.

The unforgettable Hotel Nevada and Gambling Hall
in adorable Ely. A must-see if you're ever in northeast Nevada.

What a man!
I'd like the room between the thighs, please...

Half museum...
half casino, half hunting den. But all charming.

Comments

[Debbie]

This is a LOL riot! I can't decide which I enjoy more - the humor or the history! But I appreciate them both. Keep 'em coming!