No Gamble for Tourists on This Nevada Road

The search for new tour destinations for mature travelers had brought Bill Siefke to an old two-lane highway straddling Robinson Summit, just west of here.

“They’ll love it,” Siefke said. “It’s got everything . . . great scenery, history and a dash of adventure. Add a stop at the new national park and toss in a casino resort, and I’ll bet we can still do a six-day motor coach from Los Angeles for under $400.”

The road Siefke was referring to was U.S. 50, the Nevada portion of the old Lincoln Highway, the nation’s first transcontinental highway.

From the 7,606-foot-high pass we could see for miles in either direction. There was hardly another vehicle in sight on the bright, sunny afternoon.

“A few years ago Life magazine called this the ‘loneliest road in America,’ ” Siefke said. “The article said Route 50 had no tourist attractions and so few highway facilities that drivers needed survival skills to travel the route.

“They were wrong about no tourist attractions, or at least they simply didn’t have their eyes open. This is one of the most scenic, most historic routes in the West. And sure, tourist facilities are still on the short side. But for a self-contained motor-coach tour, it’s a fantastic trip.”

After checking out the route with Siefke, I agreed. Not only is it one of the most historic corridors of the West--it roughly follows the old Pony Express route and the old Overland Stagecoach tracks--but it’s a terrific drive.

From Fallon, U.S. 50 provides an easy-to-take route over Nevada’s corrugated terrain of mountain ranges and broad valleys, a seemingly endless and constantly changing panorama of shapes and colors. You pass through or skirt close by more than 20 of Nevada’s 140 mountain ranges.

Add in the vivid colors of the mountains, the golden sage and aspen against the green willows and cottonwoods, and it’s downright poetic.

You still see very few cars. Even fewer people. Those you do see are apt to be cowboys out looking for cattle that roam free over the open range.

Folks in small towns such as Austin, Eureka and Ely (pronounced E-lee) seem delighted when people drop in for a visit. The Nevada Commission on Tourism has passed out 25,000 tongue-in-cheek “Highway 50 Survival Kits” to adventurous visitors.

Among notable sights are Sand Mountain, an unexpected 600-foot sand dune a half-hour’s drive east of Fallon. Constantly changing in size and shape from prevailing winds, it was known to early pioneers as “Singing Sands” due to the humming sound of the wind over the sand at sundown.

There are ruins of old Pony Express stations, where almost 130 years ago young riders dashed in and out on their 10-day, 1,800-mile ride from St. Joseph, Mo., to Sacramento.

In Austin, in addition to three century-old restored churches that once served miners, there’s an architectural oddity called Stokes Castle. The three-story Roman villa was built from local stone by the wealthy and eccentric Anson Phelps Stokes, who lived there just one summer.

Ely is 10 times bigger than Eureka and Austin, with about 5,000 residents. The historic copper-mining town lacks the laid-back charm of Eureka and Austin, but makes up for it with more motels and restaurants and several small casinos.

There are many smaller motels in Ely, the best of which are the Jailhouse Motel and Casino (which features a pleasant dining room where you dine in “cells”) and the Copper Queen, a well-operated 64-room facility with a casino and the area’s best dining in its restaurant across the street.

Top attraction in Ely is the great Nevada Northern Railway, which features a beautifully restored 1909 depot, roundhouse and machine shops, in addition to vintage rolling stock. Tours are available for $1, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily from Memorial Day to late September.

But the big treat is a 90-minute ride on one of the best-preserved shortline railroads in the country. During summer, excursions are provided mostly by diesel-powered engines, and on special occasions by the grand old 10-wheel steam engine known as the Ghost Train.

From Ely it’s another 90-minute scenic drive on U.S. 50 to America’s newest--and Nevada’s only--national park. Great Basin National Park is 77,100 acres of magnificent scenery, both above and below ground.

The park is capped by 13,063-foot Wheeler Peak. On the mountain’s slopes are ancient bristlecone pines and gnarled small trees more than 3,000 years old. There’s an easy-to-handle, 12-mile scenic drive to view Wheeler Peak that reaches the 10,000-foot level.

For most visitors the highlight of the park is underground in Lehman Caves, an extensive series of formation-filled limestone caverns than can be seen on a well-illuminated and guided 90-minute tour.

Admission to Great Basin National Park is free, but there is a $3 charge for the cave tour, $1.50 for Golden Age Passport holders of age 62 or over. (Siefke says he has made the cave tour an option on his tour, especially for seniors, some of whom might find the half-mile, 10-stairway hike a bit strenuous.)

Siefke, of Pasadena’s Great Western Tours & Travel, has put all of these U.S. 50 attractions into his tour and added others. There’s a two-night stay in the Carson Valley Inn at Minden just south of Carson City, and still more sightseeing in the Nevada capital, as well as historic Genoa nearby.

In addition to two nights at the Cooper Queen in Ely, the six-day tour includes an overnight at the 815-room Peppermill Resort and Casino in Mesquite. The resort has long been popular with senior tour groups.

Ten departures are planned for Great Western’s six-day motor-coach tour, starting in early June and running into mid-October. Cost is $398 per person, double ($498 single), with nine meals, including a barbecue dinner and show at the Spirit Ranch in Carson Valley and a “survival” dinner at the Peppermill. For more information, call toll-free (800) 344-7090 or (818) 578-1161.

If you prefer to see the “loneliest road in America” on your own, you can easily enjoyed it by car or RV on a four- to six-day jaunt from Los Angeles. Information is available from the Nevada Commission on Tourism by calling toll-free (800) 237-0774.