Road Trip ~ of Dinosaurs and Monuments continued
Day One. A whole bunch of miles (500+) from the Bay Area of California to eastern Nevada ~ Elko, to be more precise. The trip to Reno crosses the Sierra Nevadas, which are always beautiful whatever the time of year. But what can I say about the long, uninteresting stretch of highway that connects Reno to Elko? Not much. It's beautiful in a sterile sort of way but that gets old after 5 minutes. Lots of one-horse towns, mining of various sorts and big rigs. Lots and lots of them. There is even a law in Nevada that basically says, "don't mess with these big boys, they have first driving rights on our highways, otherwise you are messing with a possible ticket."
We've stopped at Elko on two previous trips and recommend the Hilton Garden Inn, Exit 303 off Hwy 80. The town itself is dominated by gold mining and outdoor sports. Mining is serious stuff here and they are hosting the 27th annual mining convention this summer with 500 vendors. Heavens knows how many people show up to meet these vendors. If you plan on staying here the first week of June, you are out of luck unless you made reservations a long, long time ago. Oh, and if you get a chance, stop by the newly opened California Trail Interpretive Center on the western edge of town. It features exhibits that highlights the travels and experiences of emigrants traveling west by wagon during the 1850's and '60's.
No comments:
Post a Comment