SEE THE USA IN YOUR CHEVROLET

Coast to Coast and Border to Border

April 30 to June 9, 2004

Nevada May 3 - 4, 2004

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--Stateline, Nevada, USA

--Carson City, Nevada, USA

Our second state capitol, named in honor of Wild West explorer Kit Carson. Home of the Nevada State Railroad Musuem. We have been through Carson City three years in a row going up Hwy. 395 from Southern California to Reno, Nevada for 'Hot August Nights.' HAN is a 5,000-car show the first week in August including classic cars and street rods from all over the US.

--Fallon, Nevada, USA

Plenty of green here: alfalfa, onions, garlic, and cantaloupe fields. There is a U.S. Navy airbase for carrier-based fighters and bombers here. US 50 runs on top of the Pony Express route here. Two relay stations' remains can be seen at Sand Springs and Cold Springs in this most isolated and dangerous of the Pony Express Stations.

The Pony Express only ran for 18 months, beginning in April, 1860. It ran twice a week between St. Joseph, Missouri and Sacramento, California, where it linked with San Franciso via steamship. It made the 1,966 mile trek in 10 days. Eighty riders, including then 14 yr. old "Buffalo Bill" Cody, who made the record single run of 322 miles, raced between the 190 stations, switching horses every 10 to 15 miles and averaging 75 miles per run. The completion of the trans-continental telegraph made the Pony Express obsolete.

--Grimes Point, Nevada, USA

Historic plaques marking Pony Express and Butterfield Statge stations plus singing sand dune and, ten miles east of Fallon, a petroglyph site 100-yards north of US 50.

--Sand Mountain, Nevada, USA

Fifteen miles east of Grimes Point, a half-mile north of US 50 is a sand dune that booms when sand crystals blow. At the turnoff is a sign for the solar-powerd phone saying, "Lonliest Phone" on the Loneliest Road in America.

When they turn the cows out for the day, they send their lunch with them.	That loneliest phone sign. At this point, we were the Loneliest Guys on the Loneliest Road in America. This spot is part way through 106 miles without services. I thought that meant no gas/food/lodging. Heck, there weren't even any residents, cows, roadkill, or other lonely travelers!
Paul, after the skin on the back of his neck resembled beef jerky, put up his top. I took multiple pictures like this....horizon to horizon to horizon to horizon and just desert. Paul asked on the CB if I could see anyone in any direction. I said not. He asked if this was the end of the world.	Crazier people than the two of us were actually running coast to coast, for kids. They had left San Francisco Giant's home plate and were running, relay style, 3,372 miles, to Fenway Park home plate at 150 miles a day. Their website: They might still be out there since it will take them 22 days. We made it across the USA in 10 days at 343 miles per day.

--Austin, Nevada, USA

110 miles east of Fallon is Austin, where a Pony Express rider accidentally discovered silver ore in 1862, starting the silver rush.

The things you see in the desert when you are hot and tired! Many of my photographs were shot out bug-covered windows on this trip. I'll call these shots, "Drive by Shootings."	I carried this chrome bird with me to photograph in the foreground of famous landscapes. Look for it later.
	Toiyabe Cafe, 150 Main St., P.O. Box 85, Austin, NV (775) 964-2220, 4:30 pm, May 3, 2004 Angie from Arkansas waited on us and didn't know how far to the next town, Eureka, where we would stay this night, because she had never been there. Guess she had come around the world from Arkansas here and missed Eureka.

John and Crystal, of Rhode Island, on right, are discussing 'overheating' with Paul at the Cafe in Austin. I have another page of "Folks Along 50" where you will see Crystal and John and others we met along the way.	Next to the Toiyabe Cafe, we purchased gas from a Mexican chap, the first day on the job! This station had the much sought after 'I survived The Loneliest Road in America, Hwy. 50' tee shirts, pins, and bumper stickers.

--Hickison Petroglyph Recreation Area, Nevada, USA

--Eureka, Nevada, USA

We stay here our second night on US 50, some 360 miles east of Sacramento. (Sign above, right, was the only photogenic item in Eureka.)

We did speak at length, carrying in our luggage, with Jim and Sharon Rey. Jim is a cowboy artist and we saw some photographs of his work. See his bio at http://claggettrey.com/DB/artist_bio.asp?artist=Jim%20Rey and see his work at: http://claggettrey.com/DB/result.asp?artist=Jim%20Rey&backto=artist_bio.asp?artist=Jim%20Rey and my favorite at: http://claggettrey.com/DB/image_show.asp?ID=3063 Jim has a personal website at http://www.jimrey.com/

--Ely, Nevada, USA

Nevada Northern Railway Museum is made up of the massive Kennecott Liberty Pit copper mines stock. The White Pine Public Museum has Pony Express memorabilia on display.

In honor of Mom, we pulled into the Kennecott mine town of Ruth. The mine is closed, but the Post Office is still open. Plans are in the works to reopen the mine.	Post Mistress, Sharon, promised to cancel my post card to Brother Don, with RUTH, NV, in honor of Mom.
First stop in Ely was for gas...cheap, huh, compared to California. We had a new experience you probably do not remember, Thurman, formerly of West Virginia, filled our tanks, and Shelly of Ely washed our windows! (Their pictures, as well as other fine folks of Ely, are on the Folks Along 50 page)	An anticipated highlight in Ely, NV, was their railroad station and the rolling stock of the Kennecott mine making up a wonderful musuem.

I thought my car and this early diesel engine would look fine in a black and white photo. That's a black bra on the front of the Chevy...I was going formal this day. I do have quite a collection of bugs and birds it collected if you are interested.
The highlight of the musuem was the roundhouse and what it contained! It is complete with smells of coal and grease, an active restoration facility that will host the Association of American Private Rail Car Owners and their convention in 2006.

	This engine was getting new tubes, just like Paul got after his heart attack. I think Paul and this engine are about the same age.

--Connors Pass, Nevada, USA

7,722-foot pass.

--Major's Place, Nevada, USA

--Baker, Nevada, USA.

Baker is the last town on 50 before the Utah border. A bit off 50, we took the detour at 12:15 p.m., but found no food except for a open/unattended gas station with credit card machines and a pop vending machine. Also in the center of 'town' was one open store which said Motel/gifts/antiques. "WHOA" was the word on a large sign at a "T" road intersection between 50 and this town. The lady in the store said there was food available farther down the road at the Great Bend Recreation Area.

We make a run for the border plus 100 miles to the first Utah town, Delta, for lunch. We changed to Mountain Time at the border.

[ Next state Utah ]