Utah into Nevada

This crazy journey has run from Massachusetts through Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, and Utah before we arrived in Nevada today. Seventeen states in nineteen days. Phew! I am excited about the possibility of reaching our last state, California, for the 4th of July. I have had a great opportunity to see these United States at ground level, and to enjoy her spacious skies and amber waves of grain. Its been a fabulous way to see the country, and to gain some understanding of the agriculture and industry of these various states. I am looking forward to seeing the fireworks over Lake Tahoe, and celebrating our national holiday.

In driving through Utah and Nevada, its easy to imagine how these lands looked three hundred years ago when Native Americans and settlers crossed paths and crossed on through to the western shore of this great continent. The lands don't seem to have changed much since those days, and they appear harsh and unforgiving. We traveled Route 50, The Lincoln Highway, which we picked up in Kansas and followed through Colorado, across Utah and into Nevada. The road signs warn of no services for 100 miles, and based on my travels today, these signs are correct. The road, a two-laner, rose and fell through two passes on our way from Delta, Utah, to Ely, Nevada, and each of these passes was over 6000 feet. The woody coughed and sputtered on the climb up to Sacramento Pass; we stopped on the way and removed the air maze in an effort to give our little 4-banger a little more air - and this seemed to do the trick. We fairly cruised on the climb up to Connors pass, although as we approached the pass, our radiator boiled over and my motometer showed red to the top of the column. We pulled over, added a little watter, and climbed slowly over the pass while the mercury went back into hiding. As we picked up some speed on the downhill, it was all systems normal. Of course, the road down was full of twists and turns, and a road sign that depicted a vehicle tipping over. We eased it down and followed Route 50 and a Model A, which we had caught up to, into Ely.

We have had much fun traveling along with our new Model A friends from California, Nevada, and Washington state. Like most Model A-ers, they are a spirited group who have welcomed us into their group, kept a keen eye out for our well-being, and offered us guidance and friendship on our way west. I suspect our paths will be crossing again, but tomorrow, somewhere on the way to Fallon, Nevada, we will be saying goodbye to these new friends. I wish them, and you and yours a happy 4th of July. See you in California.

PS: If you want to simulate the driving experience, click on the image below: