Nevada Hwy 50

Fred_n_Jo wrote:
Last year we drove US Hwy 50 from the Atlantic beaches of Ocean City, MD to Sacramento, CA which is the west end of Rte 50. We then drove on west to the Pacific coast to complete our "sea to shining sea adventure." It took us 10 driving days to cover 3121 miles.

For the Nevada portion we camped in Ely and Carson City.

Way to go! A great adventure... a 'tip of the cap' to you.

Travelon

Last year we drove US Hwy 50 from the Atlantic beaches of Ocean City, MD to Sacramento, CA which is the west end of Rte 50. We then drove on west to the Pacific coast to complete our "sea to shining sea adventure." It took us 10 driving days to cover 3121 miles.

For the Nevada portion we camped in Ely and Carson City.

ppine wrote:
Do not drive US 50 at night. There can be a lot of livestock on the road. A lot of it is not fenced. You do not want to hit a cow or a horse that weighs over 1,000 pounds. Black Angus are common and really hard to see. Deer are common in the many mountain ranges.

we say a VERY large steer feet up on the side of the road last week out there. I couldn't help but wonder what the car that hit him looked like... Hope it wasn't a motorcycle.

East to West, we had a headwind the whole way. Nice drive for sure, we gassed up in Ely and with the headwind and the generator running the A/C, we were nearly at a quarter tank by the time we hit Fernley.

"Not really that lonely."
Compared to where?
Try it in winter.

Tough bike ride east to west -- the wind usually comes from the west or southwest, if I recall correctly.

Do not drive US 50 at night. There can be a lot of livestock on the road. A lot of it is not fenced. You do not want to hit a cow or a horse that weighs over 1,000 pounds. Black Angus are common and really hard to see. Deer are common in the many mountain ranges.

This is also the Western Express adventure cycling trail. A shorter cut off in Colorado to San Fransisco from the main route coast to coast. So if it's summer and you see some crazy bicyclist with saddlebags you now know why. If you have some sealed cold bottled water you might stop and offer it to them. I know it's a long run between water stops. Years ago I saw a young guy and knew that's what he was doing. I slowed down and he stopped. We chatted for probably 20 minutes. It was early morning and we had maybe one car go by while chatting. Some do this section at night depending on the heat. The kid was telling me as he got farther west he would just find a spot out of sight in the desert and pitch a tent.

Beats the heck out of I80

royandlynne,
You must be thinking of Middlegate, the old stage stop. The Pony Express parallels Route 50. It only operated from 1860-1861. Keep an eye out for the route and the old stage stops.

Few places in America are more quiet. Stop and get out and look around anywhere along the route. Eureka is one of the best small towns around. Go in the basement of the Opera House and read the inscriptions made by performers over the years.