We leave Jackson, California after fueling up on caffeine at Starbucks, and head East through the mountains on Highway 88.  Really, really sweet road!    Great mountain air, it’s early in the morning, and Nevada beckons off to the East.  





We hit Highway 395 shortly after crossing the Nevada state line and head North to Carson City where the plan is to catch Highway 50 East across Nevada.  

I had often heard/read about a road Highway 50 called the “Loneliest Road in America” but thought it was further North in Nevada.  Nope – we found it – Highway 50!  


What a great ride for the next 300 miles or so, passing through the Nevada towns of Fallon, Austin, Eureka and Ely.  There isn’t much out there folks.  A few motorcycles, a few people on bicycles (go figure!) and an occasional car.    The road is in great shape, alternating between huge open valleys and twisting cuts through mountain passes. 





Austin is a little town with the obligatory Nevada speed trap system.  Here’s how it works.  Posted open range speed limit is 75, which means you are going 85.  The first sign says 50MPH, the second 1000 feet later says 45MPH, the third sign 500 feet later says 35MPH, and the next sign, which comes up very quickly, is posted at 25MPH.  And every time there is radar.   I know - I have the Legal Speeding system.  A very handy piece of equipment and worth the price.


We had been worried about the desert heat, but the 50 stays between 4,000 and 7,500 feet, so it’s comfortable, even in July.   Not bad!  

A word of caution – it can be 80 or even 100 miles between gas stations, so don’t pass one by without topping off.  Wouldn’t want to run out of gas out there.

As we pull into Ely, we see motorcycles parked all over the place.

We had a couple of hours of steam left for the day, so after a Starbucks fill up, we push on.  The target is about 150 miles south, either Pioche or Panaca, Nevada.  After all, if we ride any further, we’ll be in Utah, and we’re going to be real thirsty by the end of the day – can’t depend on finding beer in small towns in Utah, especially on a Sunday.  

To get there you have to get off Route 50 and get on Route 93 South.  Which for my money is the REAL loneliest road in America.  We saw exactly ZERO cars in 100 miles of riding.   We also hit a wall of thunderstorms on the last few miles, coming into Pioche, and had to rain-gear up, but only end up with a light sprinkle.  THIS IS A VARIATION ON MURPHY’S LAW:  By spending 15 minutes putting on the rain geared we made it a certainty that it would NOT rain.  It didn’t.  But we did get to see a beautiful rainbow across the valley as the sun set   - SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET.








Pioche is a way cool little place, a former hard-working, hard-drinking desert mining town that has seen its better days.  But the short little main street has a hotel and 3 bars, so it fit the bill for us for the night. 

Pioche kind of reminded us of Jerome, Arizona, but before the artsy crowd and tourists show up.