We woke to cool morning temperatures – 54 degrees. I thought it was cold; Beth thought it was nice. That’s the way it is with us. Our intended destination was Bridgeport, CA, but that changed along the way.

We gassed up, got ice, and headed south on US 93 toward NV 375 and Tonopah. NV 375 is the “Extraterrestrial Highway.” I think the infamous Area 51 is nearby.

The entire route is undeveloped and is lonelier than US 50. Life Magazine in July, 1986 dubbed the section of US 50 that passes through Nevada, “The Loneliest Road in America.” We rode that stretch in 2013 and it had more towns and more traffic than our route today.

At the start of our ride a sign said “No services next 150 miles.” That wasn’t going to be a problem, however I dropped the ball and didn’t do any fuel stop planning and I didn’t fill the gas can. The route we took to Tonopah was 209 miles, which was much farther than the 160 miles I can go comfortably pulling the trailer. Fortunately we found a new gas station (open 5 months) 100 miles out. If I had done some research, I’d have found that station and planned the stop. Lesson learned.

When we stopped at an intersection about 150 miles from the start to take some pictures, I checked the trailer tires. They had worn quite a bit during that 150 miles. In Tonopah I let more air out of the tires to try to find the pressure where the wear would be even. We decided to go to Reno where we were more likely to find tire services and to visit our long-time friends, Margaret and Joe.

We got a room in Sparks, NV, just east of Reno. The only room available was a suite with comfy sofas, but that turned out perfectly for us. We got take out from the restaurant next door and had dinner with Joe and Margaret in the room. It was fun catching up on their activities and what their adult children have been up to as well.

We don’t need to check out until noon, so we’re having a leisurely morning. It’s only 65 miles down to our next stop, Gardnerville, so we can take our time.