ATOMIC ROAD TRIP

This book was a gift from my sister. We used it to collect stamps from the parks we visited

Growing up with geologist parents, I saw a lot of dusty sagebrush and tumble weed. I was not impressed. It was hot and boring to me.

That opinion has changed 180 🎛️ degrees.

Earlier this month, Tony and I took a road trip across Northern Nevada. I had downloaded a playlist with songs from the t.v. show FALLOUT and the movie DON’T WORRY DARLING. Two of my favorites.

First stop; Fallon, NV. I did not know that there were ancient caves and petroglyphs here. It was an easy, short hike to begin our adventure.

#2 The Ward Charcoal ovens near Ely, NV. These were used to make charcoal. They stand 30’ tall and are very clean. It’s an easy walk to look around. There is also a picnic area/campground and a lovely stream. This is a great place to let the kiddo run around.

We spend the first night in Ely at the Nevada Hotel. It’s old and historic and very warm with no AC. But truly flavored the trip with the accumulated dust and sweat.

#3 Next we drove to GREAT BASIN NATIONAL PARK. Incredible! The parking lot is at 10,000 feet. Check the view in photo 1 above. The short easy hike to STELLA LAKE was a good stretch of the legs, made longer by my leadership. (never let me lead) After leaving the lake I took a right and got us lost. Luckily, my Eagle Scout got our bearings and turned us around. The hike back up to the parking lot was looooong. And soooo steep. It’s a good thing there is not much oxygen up there to think too much about bears and mountain lions, or snakes for that matter. Or bugs. OK enough. We made it.

#4 We spend the night in Pioche at the Overland. We got the Victoria suite. It was around $100. Comfy beds and decent enough nights sleep. The diner across the street (not pictured) was great. A hand full of local old dudes and Tony and I. In the 3rd photo above, it shows the cable system used to taxi ore from the mine to the bottom of the valley. Gravity was the engine. As long as a heavy ore cart was on it’s way down, the empties would head back up.

#5 After Ely, we head South to CATHEDRAL GORGE. This place is amazing! It looks similar to Tatooine. Because of the time of year, we ran into very few people. The crevices were steep and treacherous, in a fun way. It was a warm morning, but walking deep into these mazes makes the temperature drop by at least 10 degrees.

There is more wildlife that I would have imagined. The resident birds got a little tired of us and let us know when it was time to go. Beautiful stop. I highly recommend visiting here.

#6 RACHEL NEVADA The Extraterrestrial Highway

This place is a trip. It’s outside the famous AREA 51. It’s a restaurant and tourist destination for all kinds of visitors. It’s just about as weird as you’d expect. I loved it. We had nice lunch and did a little shopping.

Side note; drinking from an alien head is quite difficult and can me messy.

#7 After that we headed to LUNAR CRATER. Lunar Crater is a massive, moon-like volcanic depression located in central Nevada’s Nye County, approximately 75 miles east-northeast of Tonopah. Designated a National Natural Landmark in 1973, the crater measures roughly 3,000 feet across and up to 450 feet deep, drawing its name and otherworldly appearance from its resemblance to the lunar surface.

Tony and discussed how very difficult it would be to climb out of it, never mind with a full heavy space suit weighing you down and limiting dexterity. Fun!

#8 MONO LAKE Gorgeous and strange. The water is so salty. I’m guessing. I would not taste it. It is something to see though. Many birds and insects live here. I’m not sure If I’d have a picnic, but this is a must see.

And so ends our ATOMIC ROAD TRIP. I know it is expensive to live, never mind travel at this time. But this road trip was very inexpensive. Gas and lodging were our big expenses, and lodging was very inexpensive. I forgot to mention the BELVADA HOTEL in Tonopah. Rarely have I stayed in a nicer place. I mean, gorgeous! It was around $120 for the night. We split a meal at the bar downstairs, also gorgeous.

What I’m saying is, as hard as it is to travel and get a vacation, we had an incredible time here in our home state of Nevada. With a few bucks and a little research, you can have a wonderful getaway. We were only gone 4 days, 3 nights. And we took our time. We could, and will, take this trip again and do all different activities.

I hope this took your mind off your troubles. If you have any questions for me about the trip or Real Estate, please reach out. We are lucky to live here is the High Desert. We mustn’t take if for granted.