First Camping Stop on my Summer Trip
I spent the first night of my sojourn in Las Vegas, where I didn't take a single photo. I stayed with the idea that I could split the incredibly hot miles into two roughly equal sections. It worked!
So, the first photo of the trip is in Alamo, NV. I ALWAYS stop in Alamo for the delightful store and service station and good coffee.
About 80 miles north of Las Vegas
At Ely, NV I turned left on US 50. The Loneliest Highway In America as proclaimed by signs and billboards. I rode it all the way to Reno, NV and can attest that it isn't very heavily travelled. My kind of road.
If you look really closely you can see a car in that photo. Really closely :)
US 50 roughly follows the Pony Express route through Nevada. Most of the towns sprung up around rest stops for the Pony Express. Just think about riding a horse through this country. It's a long ways between stops.
Downtown Eureka, NV. I planned to go to Raines Market as my last chance for fresh supplies and ice for the day. On the door was a sign that they had moved to the west end of town. A combination Hardware and Grocery (with gas) in a wonderful modern building. Need nails and bologna? You are in the right place!
One more stop before I can call it a day. Hickison Petroglyph site conveniently located at Hickison Summit a 7600 ft (2300m) pass, one of several on the first day of Highway 50.
It's a pretty good but poorly protected petroglyph site. I guess the primary protection comes from the 2 mile dirt road off US 50. Most people that would otherwise despoil a place won't take their cars on 2 miles of dirt, I guess. Poorly maintained dirt at that :)
I've decided to do a completely separate post on the Hickison site on the off chance that everyone isn't as fascinated by these sites as I am.
I spent the night at Bob Scott National Forest Campground. Cost me $4.00 for the site. Turns out I would stay in lots of NFS campgrounds. My old people (Access) National Park pass lets me stay in the NFS for half the price. A really good deal for me.
It was warm not hot at 7200' (2200m) and I had a wonderful shady spot. Not that I needed it in the morning, sunup temperature was 42f (5.5C) the coldest I would see on the whole trip. I was the only person that spent the night in the campground. It was the Friday of the 4th of July weekend and I was surprised to be alone.
Next I'll head to the Lake Tahoe area, but that's another post.
Lest you may have forgotten, I just love following the front wheel of a motorcycle.
All the words and photos in this post are mine. For better or worse. All photos taken with a moto edge phone. I love my new phone camera.
On the road again, wow so enjoy going along seeing sights I will never see, experiences I will not have again on a road tour.
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Thanks for the support!
Thanks Joan! You know I love riding and sharing about it. I visited some cool places along the way.
That highway looks like a bikers dream! Beautiful photos. Nice to see you on here again!
!CTP
Yeah, I really liked the 50. I've been on parts of it before, but never all the way. It's a great ride...
Desperation, Nevada by Stephen King was set on that road...
Thanks Janelle. I really appreciate your support.
Man, those roads look awesome. I love a quiet drive and don't care how long it is but when it's snarled up with traffic it's horrible!
I couldn't agree more. I took a lot of back roads and byways on this trip. It's my kind of riding.
Yeah, looks ace mate!
I love this, it is one of a kind
It's not something you see every day.
I love riding, and I love camping. The trailer lets me carry a big tent and a cot. At my age that has made camping fun again. I am a happy man!
Thanks for stopping by!
Indeed, I am glad you share it with us. Have a nice day ahead.
Camping site looks super comfortable, all to yourself what a pleasure! General grocery store such a good reminder of a couple of years ago!
No matter how bad that road was, I look forward to reading about the Petroglyph site, some places are just worth that extra effort, like reading a newspaper or art from hundreds of years ago by people who walked the earth I think with more respect than most today.
Yeah. I loved the store-and their 'made there' potato salad was just yummy.
I just loved the petroglyph site. The road was bad, but no impassible. There was a campground and picnic area with it and a surprising number of people. 10 or 12 while I was there. Another reason I was surprised to be alone at the campground just 20 miles away.
Damn, I feel good in red, too! Thanks for taking a look!
That looks like a pretty spacious camp site too!
We have a place like that near where I work. I think it must be kind of common in small towns. Looks like you had an awesome trip so far!
That campsite would have been big enough for you. Where the bike was parked was more or less level and maybe 50' long. I found some places later in the trip that would have really suited you in Eastern Oregon.
The place just cracked me up. The grocery shelves ran north/south and the hardware east/west. Except for the spill over grocery stuff (their bakery and others) was on north south. It was just pretty cool.
Our trailer is only 26 feet plus the tongue, but I usually look for fifty or sixty foot sites to make sure we have plenty of room to breathe. It is supposed to be the great wide open wilderness after all!
This is Wolf Creek Campground in East Central Oregon. This is the tent section-look at that driveway length. The RV section was much larger. No hookups, incredibly private $8.00 per night. $4.00 if you have an access pass.
Somewhere I have a picture stashed of Lost Creek Campground space 7. The parking area has to be 80 feet long. It just amazed me-I used about 5% of the space :)
That is pretty crazy! Standard rate for state Park camping in Michigan is about $30 per night. Still really affordable, but nowhere near $8. Trailer would definitely fit there. My rug would have to be at an angle though!
It's National Forest Service. Many (most) don't have potable water and use well maintained pit toilets. You can camp anywhere that isn't prohibited in a National Forest. It's called dispersal camping and it's free.
State campgrounds here are $24 for tents. I think hook up sites are $30. They have showers and flush toilets at that rate. It's a pretty good deal at most of them...
Yeah, that sounds about right. Absolutely a good deal yes. Part of the reason we love camping so much.
Nice little travel story and nice shots! But, what I like the most is your bike! 😀
P.S.
I don't know if you are going to remember me from a couple of years ago when we were hanging around on the Adsactly Discord channel, but however, it's nice to see you around.
!ALIVE
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!PGM
I DO remember. You and I have something in common, after all. We both like my motorcycle :)
Today I spend most of my hang out time on the Alliance discord (the castle). Some just plain good people hang out there and it's pimp coin headquarters. If you're interested you can reply here and I'll send you an invite.
Really good to see you again Ana-Maria. Thanks for stopping in!
!Pimp
hahaha - So glad that you remember! - Your reply made my day! 😃
As well, I would be really glad if you would send me that invite, especially because of those people that you said hang there. Plain good people are rare finds these days, or at least that's how it seems to me. Still, I have to tell you upfront that I can't promise some big activity of mine there, as my (real) life, in the meantime, became even more busy and hectic than it was before (a couple of years ago).
And I'm also not quite the same. I was crazy before, and now I'm even crazier! 😂
So, if all of that it's not going to stop you, you are free to throw that invite. 😄
Hey ya. Try this, I think it'll work. Look forward to seeing you!
https://discord.gg/mmzckX9n
Succeeded! 😃 - Thanks, Tom!
@bigtom13! You Are Alive so I just staked 0.1 $ALIVE to your account on behalf of @ana-maria. (3/10)
The tip has been paid for by the We Are Alive Tribe through the earnings on @alive.chat, feel free to swing by our daily chat any time you want.
The vacation trip! I almost missed it! My notifications stink! I need to fix them up so I see people I know! This was so fun to be part of your trip. I imagine it was a tad thrilling to be on the back of that beauty. :)
She is definitely rocking the red dress effect!
I really like the trailer! I cannot believe you can actually fit a cot and a tent in there! No kidding! Wow. I am impressed and even more that you run up and down 50, a lonely, lonely road!
Doesn't it shock you that they think so lightly of the petroglyph? Granted, it probably is safe, but, that is a magnificent piece, worthy of a little preservation. Who doesn't need a one-stop shop? Walmart has nothing over these places! I need my bologna AND nails!
Oh, Tom. You definitely have the life, my friend.
Le sigh.
I'd never ridden all of US 50. Parts and pieces over the years but this was my first time using it as the primary road. It was great. I don't think it was the loneliest road I was on, but traffic was very sporadic. My kind of road.
Petroglyph sites in the Southwest tend to be mostly unprotected unless the local tribe is the protecting body. I know several that are just there. Many (most) of those are not real well published and are often protected by the terrain, but that is all. I think there is a lot to learn at each of them and they need protection.
I bought the trailer before I bought the tent and cot. I knew exactly how much length I had in the trailer and ordered accordingly. It seemed to work out pretty well...
You are, of course, absolutely right. I love riding and do it as often as I can.
I have to tell you. I'm like you, I prefer my places with some age and local flavor to them. But I just loved the new store. The set up was wonderful and they had a flock of young workers that were polite and helpful. I asked the kid at the deli counter which homemade salad was best and he didn't flinch. "Potato". I didn't try any of the others, but it was damn fine potato salad...
Eureka has a population under 2000. It was pretty cool to see that it wasn't just dying. I have some more pics of 'places' upcoming. Not a WalMart among them :)
Thanks for stopping by, Kitty. Always appreciated.
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