Miles 527 (11, 504)
Two Lanes 412 (8,341) 72.5%
Top Down 527 (9,488) 82.5%
The last day, but we were unwilling to make home the goal. The journey would remain the destination, so we had a full day starting with the working railroad in Ely, and ending with a beer and pizza at the Brewery at Lake Tahoe before we did the last and most familiar leg home. Kristin had driven home from Sacramento to greet us, and the doggies were waiting.
Stay tuned...one more blog, the Epilogue that summaries and reflects on our travels in these great lands we call America. It will be accompanied by the "Best of ...." lists and the Top Photos.
The Bristlecone Pine Motel
Ely Station, Nevada Northern Railway
Driving #40
Ten foot diameter classic western railroad rotary snow plow
Highway 50: The Lonliest Road
And it doesn't get lonelier than this!
And 50 is part of the first transcontinental highway, "The Lincoln Road". Started in 1991, it was not completed until 1923. It was a collection of country roads and tracks. 50 followed Fremont's trail of 1845.
When the road was completed, one of these concrete markers stood every 100 yards so people could find and follow. Look closely. In the top center was a medallion of the face of Lincoln. All but a few of these have been stolen over the years by treasure hunters.
The Pony Express went this way during its brief run from 1860-61. It lasted 18 months and was put out of business by the telegraph. 80 riders took turns from Missouri to San Francisco. The ads called for young wirey men who were good riders to do this daring but adventurous work. The ads concluded with "orphans preferred". They could move the mail west from the MIssissippi to the Bay in 2-3 days, cutting by 90 % the time it took to move mail.
Eureka, Nevada
Native petroglyphs: Hickison Pass. These represented requests for spiritual assistance with fertility or hunting.
The upside down "U" with the line in it is thought to represent the pregnant uterus
This represents animals for the hunt. There is evidence that these natives set up walls or fencing to funnel the animals through the pass to assist with the hunt. The Hickison site dates back to 10,000 BC.
The following petroglyphs are from the Grimes Point Area just east of Fallon, NV. This site was occupied between 5000 BC and 700 AD. It was along the shore of a large lake (Lake Lahontan) which slowly evaporated over the centuries.
The former lakebed is now the home of the Fallon Naval Air Station
I was struck by irony. Here next to where the natives used petroglyphs to call to the gods to help ensure a successful hunt, the navy jet fighters (look into the sky to the right) practice so they can be successful if called upon for a different kind of hunt.
Ah, Lake Tahoe.
"California here we come,
Right back where we started from,
Open up your golden gate,
California, here we come!"
Our greeting party.
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