2018-26
NEVADA notes
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a western sunset, NEVADA |
Campground: Bonanza
Casino, Fallon NV. $18, full hookups, 30 amp. Parking lot style in
back of casino. Lots of older Class C Rv’s. Not ideal but Ok for
a couple nights. Bonanza restaurant has an awesome deal on an 8 oz
steak dinner for under $10. Hand cut steak very lean and tender.
Campground: Bob
Scott campground, National Forest. $10, senior rate $5. Water
available and flush toilets. Mix of pull thru’s and back ins.
Right off of hwy 50 great views of mountain range.
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Bob Scott Campground, National Forest
Lincoln Highway |
Campground: Hotel
Nevada, Ely NV. Free. Back parking lot for trucks and Rv’s no
hookups, right in the center of downtown Ely. Good location.
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Casino parking lot, downtown Ely Nevada |
Campground: Young’s
Rv Park, Callente NV. $25 50 amp full-hook ups. Half of the sites
have large Cottonwood trees for shade. Nice little town with museum
in the large old train station.
Campground: King’s
Row Trailer Park. $20 full-hookups, 50 amp service. 109 over the
air TV stations. Small swimming pool and laundry facilities
available. Good location, quiet at night. I understand the price
will be going up shortly as they have not raised prices in over 10
years.
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Nevada |
Notes on Nevada.
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traveling the Lincoln Highway (hwy 50) through Nevada |
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The Lincoln Highway, NEVADA |
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Sand dunes along hwy 50 east of Fallon NV |
Well I’m traveling
through Nevada in September, which you’d think it would still be
very hot out west. Luckily I am traveling a more northerly route
through the state and getting into some mountainous areas where it’s
cooler. Fallon was hot as it’s low elevation and desert setting
would expect.
I’ve traveled
along hwy 50 also known as the Lincoln Highway (1
st
highway to go coast to coast in U.S.) and it’s also known out here
as the Loneliest highway. Personally for Rv-ers I think it’s an
awesome route, little traffic, a number of small old mining towns
including a few Pony Express stops along the way.
My second stop was
to Austin NV, an old mining town on the side of a mountain crossing.
It’s definitely a slower pace of life out here. East of town and
the campsite, I discovered two attractions, The Hickison Petroglyph
site and Spencer Hot Springs where one could boon dock camp out under
the stars and enjoy a dip in one of the natural hot springs. It’s
about a 7 mile drive down a well maintained dirt road to get there
and I’d definitely consider a stop with my RV next time around.
This time I just drove the truck to the springs and enjoyed a
wonderful dip on the 104 degree hot springs. What a great find.
Thanks to some locals who mentioned it being in the area.
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Stokes Castle |
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Austin Nevada along the
Loneliest Road in America |
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Austin Nevada |
Note: I was kind of
hoping to stay overnight at the springs on my exit from the Forest
campground, but the skies turned cloudy and it would have defeated
the purpose of being out in the desert/hot springs if I couldn’t
enjoy the stars at night. it’s definitely on my bucket list next
time I'm in the area.
Of course the other
local attraction in Austin is Stokes Castle which I’ve visited in
the past, but worth a second look especially since it site on top of
a ridge overlooking an expansive valley with mountains off in the
distance. Built my a mining owner for son, used twice, sold mines
and castle. Abandoned shortly thereafter.
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Spencer Hot springs |
Heading across on
hwy 50 and then south from Ely on hwy 93, both are two lane roads
with minimal traffic. From Austin to Ely, the route takes the
traveler through higher elevations going over numerous mountain
passes of 7,500 ft range. These are not challenging mountains to
cross over for an RV and also brings with it much lower temperatures
than in the rest of Nevada's desert environs.
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Ely and surrounding area, Nevada |
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lots of murals around Ely NV |
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my camper surrounded by racing cars |
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downtown Ely, casino's |
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on the ATT building |
Traveling along hwy
98 through the Great Basin, a very large valley surrounded by
mountain ranges on all sides. The basin is noted for it’s enormous
size (the area covers multiple states) and that fact that all water
shed into the basin stays in the basin, none going out to the sea or
rivers beyond the basin itself.
I’m staying a few
nights in Callente NV, having never stopped in this western outpost
of a town. Irrigated farming land surrounds the valley. Have I
mentioned the vast distances between towns along both hwy 50 and 98.
I’ve seen signs warning that the next services (that’s fuel
folks) is 79, 89 and 90 mile distances. So if you’re planning on
taking either of these routes, make sure your fuel tank is full up.
Other routes have similar lengths between services.
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Callente NV, |
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the Depot bldg |
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wild grapes on the side of the Depot |
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the Depot is now the City hall, a small library
and offices on the second floor |
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view from my camper window.... |
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traveling through the Great Basin |
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along the Great Basin, surrounded by mountain ranges |
My last stop in
Nevada is to Las Vegas. It wasn’t on my original plan, but Paul
Owens, a former co-worker is in town with his wife Deborah and they asked if
we could get together. Of course. They are in town signing
paperwork to sell their property in town. Nice visit as expected.
It got up to 108 the other day, fortunately, I’m in a campground
that has 50 amp service and both my a/c units are working nicely to
keep the temperature comfortable inside the camper. Couldn’t
imagine living out here in the summer time. At 10 pm it still 85 degrees.
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Paul Owens (former co-worker, NAWCTSD) and
his fun wife Deborah |
I’ll cross into
Arizona at the Hoover Dam’s new bridge, which should be quite
spectacular is it is high above the deep river gorge. I’ll see if
I can get some pictures, but NOT while I’m driving across the
bridge!
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