POTD: One for the Record Books
Nothing special about this particular photo or this particular spot on the map, but it commemorates for me what must be a personal record of sorts. Last Saturday, while driving some 219 miles on two-lane roads in the middle of the day from I-80 just west of Wendover, Nevada to I-86 just west of Pocatello, Idado, we passed or were passed by another car going in the same direction as we were exactly zero times. I didn’t count the number of cars that passed us going the other direction, but it was not very many.
Now that’s an empty highway. As much as I like driving deserted highways, I don’t routinely keep track of how far I go without passing or being passed by another vehicle, but that has to be a record. It doesn’t take much to make my day sometimes.]]>
Cool story, Larry. When we were kids from Illinois on our first trip out west, my dad would clock on the odometer how far we could see from our position to a distant rise up ahead. Sometimes it was 20 miles or more…an amazing thing for a Midwesterner. 🙂
This photo looks like there is a “road block” of mountains (ok, hills) at the end of the line…though I presume the road went around, over or through them later on.
I grew up in Kansas, and when we’d head to Colorado we were always on the lookout for our first glimpse of the Rockies–a much more welcome site to travelers in wagon trains back in the day I imagine, but still a big deal for us. In this case the road went around the mountains.
I did the same thing that Kathy mentioned when driving across the valleys on US 50 in Nevada (“The Loneliest Road in America”); 20, 30, 40 miles or more between the north-south wrinkles.** Each time I reached a peak I’d try to guess the distance across the valley floor to the next peak. My guesses were always short.
The Interstates will get you somewhere fast, but the price is not seeing anything but pavement and traffic for hours. Driving state or US routes in the west I can travel nearly as fast (or faster in some places) and not see anything but pavement for hours. When I do (finally) come to a town, I’m darn happy to see the folks there, and they are usually just as happy to see me!
** For those unfamiliar with Nevada, use this relief map to trace US 50 east from Reno to Fallon, Austin, Eureka, and Ely to the Utah border:
http://mapsof.net/map/nevada-reference-map
This map is really nice. It allows you to zoom in & out with your mouse wheel, and click (grab) and pan around, too.
I drove U.S. 50 a couple of times about a decade ago. I really enjoyed Nevada’s basin and range topology but I don’t think the highway will ever be the same again since someone cut down the Shoe Tree. 🙁 As far as U.S. 50 the loneliest road in America, I dare say some of the highways around this part of the country could easily compete for that title. I won’t give up my favorite candidates though, for obvious reasons.