Before Utah, I explored northern Nevada.
I made a loop, starting in Las Vegas (108 F).
I took the Great Basin Highway to Cathedral Gorge State park.
Next I visited the town of Pioche. This former mining town has a wild past. It's two main attractions are the Lincoln County Museum & Million Dollar Courthouse.
I continued north to Great Basin National Park. The visitor center has exhibits on the Great Basin Desert, which covers most of Nevada.
The scenic drive to Wheeler Peak offers vistas over basin and range. Most of the trails were snowed in. I was told to try back in July.
I spent the night in the town of Baker. The following morning I toured Lehman Caves.
Heading west toward Ely are two state parks.
The first was Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park. The park preserves 19th century beehive ovens. The ovens were used to mass produce charcoal--essential in the refining of metal ores from nearby mines.
The second was Cave Lake State Park. The park is a haven for recreational activities like swimming and fishing.
I visited two museums in Ely. The Nevada Northern Railway Museum has a working train yard and details the history of rail in northern Nevada.
The White Pine Public Museum houses various exhibits related to local and county history.
On the drive from Ely to Wells I passed the picturesque Ruby Mountains.
Wells is little more than a stopover along Interstate 80.
I continued west on I-80 to Elko. The weather there was surprisingly cold. In stark contrast to the heat of Las Vegas.
The Northeastern Nevada Museum has a comprehensive collection of exhibits.
The Western Folklife Center details the history of ranching in the United States, and particularly Florida.
Outside Ely is Lamoille Canyon. This picturesque valley in the Ruby Mts. has great hiking. However, a mudslide closed the road.
I continued on I-80 to Winnemucca. This is the heart of Basque country. Sheepherders and ranchers who, in the late 1800s, emigrated from the Pyrenees Mountains between Spain & France.
I'd preceded the Basque Festival by a few weeks. And the Winnemucca Visitor Center/Chamber of Commerce was closed. I spent a few hours cleaning the Mystery Machine (it hit 70,000 miles) then left.
By nightfall I was in Lovelock. There was no Starbucks. But I was able to plug in my laptop and use the free WiFi at McDonald's.
The next morning I visited the Round Courthouse and Lovelock Plaza. The plaza contains a tangle of locks left by tourists symbolically "locking" their "love".
Also of interest is the Pershing County Museum @ the Marzden House.
West of Lovelock, on a dirt road off Rt. 80, I took a walk around the Tufa Park. Well worth the stop.
I continued west on I-80 to Fernley. Going south through Silver Springs I reached Fort Churchill State Historic Park.
I doubled back to Hwy 50 "The Loneliest Road in America". I passed through Fallon and Gabbs.
I made a stop at Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park. Home to both the ghost town of Berlin and a fossil bed of prehistoric sea creatures.
I continued to Tonopah before resting for the night. The next morning was wasted waiting for two Tonopah museums that never opened.
I was so pissed-off I left Nevada. At Scotty's Junction I turned west into Death Valley National Park.
I visited the Ubehebe Crater and took a tour at Scotty's Castle.
On the way back out of California, I drove on the Bonnie Claire Flat. This playa is one of the few accessible places in Death Valley to view racetrack rocks.
I passed through Beatty, stopping at Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge.
Within the NWR is Devil's Hole. This pupfish sanctuary is actually an extension of Death Valley National Park.
I took a hike at Point of Rocks, a boardwalk trail in Ash Meadows.
Finally, I passed through the city of Pahrump.
A nighttime drive through the Spring Mountains brought me back to Las Vegas.
In total I drove about 1,525 miles on this loop through every county in Nevada.
