California!

Today we drove The Loneliest Road in America – or so it is called – across Nevada, from Ely to Fallon. There was no there there, for the most part, although the scenery was beautiful. The terrain was rolling, and we crested six or seven 5,000 foot summits. The land was green, the pale green of sage, and we wondered if the tumbleweeds we saw were simply dried sagebrush. We came through two towns along the way, Eureka and Austin. Eureka came first, and we fueled up with the expectation that there would be no services for the 186 miles to Fallon. We helped make the Rotary Club’s 4th of July breakfast in Eureka a big success, and a dozen of us settled in for scrambled eggs and biscuits with homemade gravy. It was a good breakfast, and especially so after we had logged in some 75 miles before arriving.

We found a gas station in Austin, and while two spirited members of our tour group stayed to participate in the parade, we motored on. Soon enough we were in Fallon, and Madeline and I said our goodbyes to Ron and Diana, our tour leaders and friends. They sent us off with a plan for reaching Lake Tahoe, and we made it. The 50 mile stretch of road from Fallon to Carson City was busier that the prior 256 miles, and we were back in the right lane and dealing with traffic lights and stop and go traffic. After Carson City came the climb up to the Spooner Summit, a rise that took us from 5,000 feet to 7,100 feet without a drop off. The woody chugged along, and I was glad for the slow-moving vehicle sign on the back.

Spooner Summit gave was to the incredible view over Lake Tahoe. In our first views, through the first trees we had seen in days, it was impossible to discern where the water and mountains came together. As we drew closer, the blue the waters of Lake Tahoe invited us to come in for a closer look. The woody ran around the lake before a last tease in Incline, Nevada, took us uphill and away from the lake. Soon enough, though, we crossed into King’s Beach and The Golden State. The woody honked a bit, and Madeline and I high-fived it and smiled. N It was good to be here.

We missed our hotel on the first pass, but our trusty Garmin brought us back to the Sand ‘n Sun where, thankfully, there was a room awaiting us. The motel is on the beach, and after a celebratory beer, a swim in Lake Tahoe, and a short nap in the California sunshine, Madeline and I grabbed a bite to eat at the Brook Avenue Grill and Gelato.

I haven’t gotten into the epicurean delights of our trip (save a few references to the chicken-fried steak and the biscuits with gravy), but our meal here was excellent. Madeline had the teriyaki-pineapple chicken sandwich, with provolone, while I had the blackened-Ahi (fish) tacos with a mango salsa and pepper sauce. Our meal at this little sidewalk café was fantastic, and we were glad to have arrived in California.