Driving "The Loneliest Road in America"

[TonyM]

I have driven that Route 50 before too. Pretty desolate.

But that Nevada Route 6 from Tonopah to Ely is pretty lonesome. There are NO gas stations in between. None. Ely looked pretty good when we got there.

[koates]

Hi Old Henry, Thanks so much for posting that wonderful trip. Your photography is second to none. Pleased to see your generator and voltage regulator worked well. You would not need a flat battery along that road would you. Best regards, Kevin.

[Old Henry]

Originally Posted by TonyM

I have driven that Route 50 before too. Pretty desolate.

But that Nevada Route 6 from Tonopah to Ely is pretty lonesome. There are NO gas stations in between. None. Ely looked pretty good when we got there.

Yeah, drove that 168 mile stretch on our trip to Death Valley a couple of years ago and I thought for sure we were going to run out of gas. We were going the other direction and that first gas station in Tonopah looked real real good.

[moonshine runner]

Wow! What a neat trip Prof. Henry!!

Thanks so much for sharing the great photos!

Kevin

[Lawson Cox]

Great story and great pictures. I was surprised that you just held your camera out the window. The quality of the pictures was so smooth over bumpy roads, I could have sworn you had a "steady cam" of some sort mounted in the car.

[Rand]

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Wonderfull....when will you be taking your Durango trip? Can't wait for that one
Also....as someone said...you gotta come to the Moonshine festival here in Ga.
You'd have a place to stay
Randy

[Old Henry]

Originally Posted by Lawson Cox

I was surprised that you just held your camera out the window. The quality of the pictures was so smooth over bumpy roads, I could have sworn you had a "steady cam" of some sort mounted in the car.

All of that stabilization is done electronically, first in the camera itself, then the editing software I use to make the videos, then, if necessary, YouTube will further stabilize. I used them on some but not all.

[Lawrie]

Henry,I showed my wife Carol your trip picks,she was onto me straight away to hurry up and finish the small caravan I,m building for the 33 so we can gewt away in the outback.
You ,like me use your old car a lot,they are great things to travel in.
Take care Lawrie

[31chevy]

We have traveled most of that area & we found it to be very peaceful as you did. Kept eye on gas guage though. Thank's for sharing your very good photos & storys.
Gary.

[JM 35 Sedan]

We drove that Rt 50 "Loneliest Highway" this June on the EFV-8C/A Cross Country Tour to South Lake Tahoe and then again on our way back to the East Coast. I really enjoyed that drive both ways. The only problem I had was having two wiper blade arms blow off my '35, probably due to the speed we were traveling and running head on into some high winds. It seemed like you could see the road in front and behind in the rear view mirror to infinity in either direction. Took lots of pictures on that stretch of road, but don't want to hijack this thread by posting them here.

[Wmgmitchell]

Great story! Makes me want to jump in my 40 and take off for a road trip.

[Frank Miller]

Our trip across Highway 50 in june was most memorable. John Mason and myself pulled into Eureka Nevada and a pretty young girl came out of the restaurant and asked to take pics of the car. I said sure as long as you get in a few with us. Well it was nowhere near lunch and John insisted we eat there so we took in the sights of the town and talked to local folks for a bit. In between we were met by fellow club member Lou Mraz on Main St. Some folks came east on 80 but most of us decided 50 was enjoyable enough to do it again.

[JM 35 Sedan]

Frank we did have a great time didn't we! I often wonder if someone found my wiper arms along the side of the road. Just hope they did not wind up getting stuck in some truckers tire.
That must be my stunt double posing in that picture because I don't think my beer belly is quite that big

[Frank Miller]

No stunt double. Only your charm could elicit that smile.

[Motorhead6]

What a nice experience. Looks like you got that hood damage taken care of. Thanks for going to the trouble of recording tht trip and sharing.

[rotorwrench]

I grew up a stones throw from US 50 just outside a small town in Kansas. US Highway 50 missed the interstate system due to the lower population of the regions it passes through. I doubt it will ever be much more than a super 2 highway anytime in my lifetime but there is a better perception of Americana when traveling the smaller US highway routes that still pass right through rural America's towns instead of bypassing them like the interstate system did. Folks tend to be more friendly and hospitable along these routes. You can drive slower and on the super 2s, you don't have to worry about getting run over with the extra wide paved shoulders. I've had some good motorcycle and car trips along US 50 and north south US highway 83 that connects all the way from Brownsville, Texas clear up to Canadian Manitoba.

[35cab]

Great story and pictures, yet again another wonderful narrative, thank you for taking the time to post and share your adventures.
You have just driven the equivalent of the length of Great Britain and back again! What a large and wonderful country you live in.
Gordon.

[Old Henry]

Originally Posted by Rand

Wonderfull....when will you be taking your Durango trip? Can't wait for that one.
Randy

That will probably be one of our first trips next year. I'm looking forward to that one too. Took it in an '86 Camry many years ago and committed to do it again. This time we'll take more time and stay in some unique and picturesque B&B's.

[Old Henry]

Originally Posted by rotorwrench

I grew up a stones throw from US 50 just outside a small town in Kansas. US Highway 50 missed the interstate system due to the lower population of the regions it passes through. I doubt it will ever be much more than a super 2 highway anytime in my lifetime but there is a better perception of Americana when traveling the smaller US highway routes that still pass right through rural America's towns instead of bypassing them like the interstate system did. Folks tend to be more friendly and hospitable along these routes. You can drive slower and on the super 2s, you don't have to worry about getting run over with the extra wide paved shoulders. I've had some good motorcycle and car trips along US 50 and north south US highway 83 that connects all the way from Brownsville, Texas clear up to Canadian Manitoba.

I little Wikipedia on the historic Lincoln highway (US Hwy 50):

The Lincoln Highway was the first transcontinental improved highway for automobile across the United States of America. Conceived in 1912 by Indiana entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher and formally dedicated October 31, 1913, the Lincoln Highway spanned coast-to-coast from Times Square in New York City to Lincoln Park in San Francisco, originally through 13 states: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, and California. In 1915, the "Colorado Loop" was removed, and in 1928, a realignment relocated the Lincoln Highway through the northern tip of West Virginia. Thus, there are a total of 14 states, 128 counties, and over 700 cities, towns and villages through which the highway passes at some time in its history.
The first officially recorded length of the entire Lincoln Highway in 1913 was 3,389 miles (5,454 km). Over the years, the road was improved and numerous realignments were made, and by 1924 the highway had been shortened to 3,142 miles (5,057 km).

[34billct]

Picture 833.jpgFond memories of the drive on Hwy. 50