2018-26 notes from NEVADA

2018-26

NEVADA notes

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.

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.

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.

Nevada

Notes on Nevada.

traveling the Lincoln Highway (hwy 50) through Nevada

The Lincoln Highway, NEVADA

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.

Stokes Castle

Austin Nevada along the
Loneliest Road in America 

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.

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.

Ely and surrounding area, Nevada

lots of murals around Ely NV

my camper surrounded by racing cars

downtown Ely, casino's

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.

 Callente NV,

the Depot bldg

wild grapes on the side of the Depot

the Depot is now the City hall, a small library
and offices on the second floor

view from my camper window....

traveling through the Great Basin

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.

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!

More Photos:

Austin to Ely NV

Ely NV

 Callente NV,