loneliest highway in america

By -
There are very few stretches of road where a guy can roll the throttle up to 100mph and just hold it there until you are out of fuel, US Hwy 50 across Nevada is one of those places. The day started in Shingletown, Ca. This day marked the return back to Colorado after hitting the 48th state of the summer(california). The morning was cold, not unbearable but cold, maybe 40degrees. Heading east out of Shingletown the road dipped, climbed, twisted and weaved - a beautiful ride. As the road descended its final descent I rolled into a small town and found a gas station. At the station I happened upon another couple also on a motorcycle trip (I forget there names and the name of the town), quickly made friends with them and we decided to grab breakfast. Meeting folks on the road is always a great experiance. We sat for nearly an hour, traded stories and they even bought me breakfast, a really nice way to start the day!  After finishing our meals we said our goodbyes in the parking lot and went our seperate ways. Continuing east towards Reno the temperatures quickly rose, the sun was shining and I was now back in the desert. Coming through Reno I found myself playing a bit of leapfrog with a couple of other motorcyclists as we were all now on eastbound I-80. Not giving a lot of thought to it I exited the interstate in Fernley, a good point to catch US 50. While pumping gas and sucking down some water I noticed the two guys in the parking lot, and not having a lot of social interaction on these trips, wandered over and said hello. It turned out that we were heading the same direction with the same stoppping point in mind, Ely, Nevada. Now, If you've never ridden US 50 you are missing out. Coined the "loneliest highway in america", it truly is. Wide open desert road broken up by a few random passes allow you the opportunity to settle in and open up the throttle. Throw in the added bonus of riding with a couple of guys on faster bikes and you have yourself the makings of a 100mph crossing of Nevada. With only a few stops for gas, road side chatting and water we made good time to Ely, found a cheap room at a hotel casino and made plans to meet for dinner. We did just that. Like earlier in the day at breakfast, we enjoyed great conversation, a good meal and new friends. A nice way to finish a 600 mile day. Of course, at this point we are all exhausted, the day was coming to an end. I remember this day as one of the best this summer. Thanks Michael and Mark! Good meeting and riding with you, hope to see you on the road again! 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Paris to Portugal to Italy to Germany

By -
Image
        As the clouds open up to nourish the green rolling hills of southern Germany I sit and wright. Reflecting back on the last two weeks I am overwhelmed by the beauty of the European coutryside and the kindness and generosity of the locals we have met along the way.  To date, this trip has been everything we hoped for.  After leaving Paris we navigated our way south to Macon, France to meet up with our friend Olivier.  Though our conversation was labored due to a substantial language barrier, we felt more then welcome in his home for a night and very much enjoyed each others company.  Upon his recommedation, we twisted and turned our way down the backroads of southern France towards Millau. Through rolling hills of patchwork vineyards, along picturesque mountain streams and through ancient villages it was like riding through a postcard, as most of this trip has been.  From Millau, we set the relatively unknown country of Andorra on our radar.  From what I can tell, the area where
Read more

Southbound and Down

By -
Image
Early March in Colorado is not typically considered a great time to embark on a multi day motorcycle adventure.  In fact, it’s a risky time for most parts of the country which is the main reason why I’ve never bothered with the Daytona Rally in Florida...or should I call it the Greater Daytona Area Motorcycle Get Together? I’ll get back to that later.   The likelihood of bitter cold temperatures, spring rains and even snow are well beyond possible, its almost guaranteed, and this trip would prove that multiple times over.  My departure from home was about as expected, better even, with temperatures in the mid 40’s and a gale force westerly wind I was thankful that the thermometer had clipped north of 32 and the roads were dry, but this would all change on me soon enough.   East bound on I-70. I chose to blaze across Kansas as quickly as humanely possible, I’ve learned from previous experience that back-roading Kansas doesn’t gain a person much but added hours of wheat
Read more

Where in the world are we?

By -
Image
           If anybody had any doubts about whether or not heaven exists, I can tell you with complete confidence that it does.  Turns out it is down here in Portugal along route N-2, north out of the coastal town of Faro. Its manicured roads dip and weave through rich corridors of wild flowers, broad leafed trees and rich soils in way that only a fine composer would lead a royal orchestra.  Oh wait, or was riding over Pas de la Casa in Andorra with its 9,000 foot snow lined, alpine roads? With bluebird skys, views for miles (from what felt like the top of the world) and crisp thin air it seemed a bit otherwordly.  I don't know, maybe it was riding through patchwork vineyards in southern France.  You get the point.  Finding an incredible stretch of road out here in the old world has certainly not been an issue.  I'm probably getting ahead of myself though.  Maybe I should back track a bit from where I left off in my last post here.            After exiting the ship and spending
Read more