Both roads expose you to the reality that North America isn't exactly full of people, but rather the converse. Particularly here in the arid West there are lots of places where you can drive for miles and the only man-made artifact you see is the highway under your wheels.
This part of US 50 parallels the old Pony Express route and there are places along the way where this is recognized. Supposedly 2010 is the 150th anniversary of the Pony Express.
A lot of this country is at relatively high altitudes, Reno at about 4000 ft., and Ely substantially above 6000 ft. We crossed a couple of passes today that went over 7500 ft. and several more that represented considerable climbs. Those PE ponies must have been some athletes.
What little towns exist between Reno and Ely are mostly mining towns, a couple of them very reminiscent of Bisbee, AZ. They are old and look like places where an antique hunter could find some good stuff. The one exception to the "little old town" model is Fallon which, as home to a Naval Air Station, experiences government payrolls and is full of franchise fast food places.
Go to cruztalking to see the other DrC's photos of our day. The only problem with our drive today was getting sleepy, the scenery was soothing and the Harry Potter 3 CDs we had on the truck's player made it worse.
RVs are somewhat common on this highway; it is a classic road for people for whom the journey is more important than quickly reaching the destination. As I observed them (and us in the rear view mirror), it occurred to me how truly odd it is that there are tens or hundreds of thousands of us out wandering the highways of this great land dragging along a one-bedroom apartment. It is pleasant and comfortable in the extreme, but odd nevertheless.
RVing is not unlike cruising where you travel from place to place and take your hotel (the ship) with you. Either can really spoil you for living-from-a-suitcase travel; just unpack once and don't repack until the trip's end - it's wonderful.
