Baker, NV
Woke
up well rested but hungry. Drank a ton
of water while loading Sophia but really needed some protein in addition to the
nice continental provided at the American Best Motel. My decision for a full breakfast was
reinforced by an early morning conversation with some other bikers out of the
Phoenix area that attended the Reno Street Vibrations Rally. Unfortunately I have forgotten the names of
the 4 riders on 1 bike and 1 trike but one of them advised me to go to the
Nugget for the best breakfast in town. Seems
his sister owns the restaurant and ensurs bikers get a good breakfast….so that
is what I did since it was only 2 blocks away and on my way outa town. Parking was not a problem at this hour so I
left Sophia at the front entrance and sauntered inside, past all the slots, and
into the restaurant. I was hungry.
The
restaurant was very nice, clean, staffed well with waitresses and empty. Ahh, my kinda timing! As I walked in I caught the eye of the cook
behind the grill and gave her a smile.
I
selected a swivel at the counter and asked first for water….just can’t seem to
get enough of the clear liquid….any other time I’d rather it be amber from
Maker’s Mark. The waitress took my order
for 2eggs over medium, hash browns and ham with coffee. A brief chat with her determined that the
cook is the biker’s sister! Sure am glad
I smiled at the cook! Then, since
drinking water all morning, I went to the men’s room. When I returned Snoopy was not in the swivel
next to mine where I had left him! Upon
my query the waitress said she last saw him heading out towards the slots!
Sure
enough, that’s where I found him! I can’t
believe this mutt…and he had a ton of quarters in his paws from his winnings!
I
took him back into the restaurant and set him down in his chair and told him to
behave. Then while sitting there I took
a good look around and noticed some nice prints hanging on the walls and
strolled around the empty room admiring them.
When I returned my breakfast was set…and then another plate was brought
out for the mongrel! Seems he had enough
quarters to place an order with the cute waitress…this barker is reaaaally
getting carried away with trying to live it up!
Well,
we finished our breakfast, left a nice tip and boogied out to Sophia who was
patiently waiting in the mornings’ rising sun.
Wasn’t hot yet, but it was very comfortable with a hint of being hotter
later. Easily connected onto US-50,
which ran right thru the middle of town, and headed east, into the morning sun,
on a lonely ride.
Actually,
the ride wasn’t all that lonely.
Although I didn’t pass any cars and none passed me, I did begin counting
the number of cars and trucks coming from the opposite direction…heading
west. I gave up when I reached 38 farm
pickup trucks, 32 cars and 6 semi-trailers.
Those numbers alone debunked the title of “Loneliest Highway”, or so I
thought.
It
was later, after I passed the farming areas, military ranges, yadayada and
reached Middlegate Station that the road began living up to its name. Middlegate was a surprise; I was intending to
make it a pit stop only but found the place had fuel, motel and a
bar/restaurant. Inside it appears that
the place is an Aviator/biker hangout.
There were numerous photos from Blue Angels, USN/USMC Naval Aviators,
Thunderbirds, and bikers. The owner and
helper/cook were behind the counter, and a fella was sitting on a barstool,
with an obvious hangover, but was starting his day with a beer. Later a customer came in to check out of his
motel room and have some lunch. I had 2
cokes, did the pit stop, and took some photo’s of the area. Riding away from the area I was already
reflecting on how nice it was to have made a stop there. This is another little stop to add to the
list of favorites.
This
time US-50 started to live up to its name of being lonely. I think that I came across perhaps 10-15
trucks/cars on my way to Austin, about 65 miles from Middlegate. I had been riding with leathers on but the
altitude had been slowly increasing as I worked my way towards Austin. Later I found out that Austin, Eureka and Ely
are all above 6000 feet.
Austin
is settled on the west side of a mountain.
I remember tanking up at the first gas station I came to which was right
at the western entry into the town. It
was a little bit of a climb into the station and a tricky exit out of it with
the slope of the drive way meeting the climbing US-50. It was a Chevron station and I felt like the
price per gallon was really high. Later
I confirmed at other stations that it indeed was high….seems that is the story
at all Chevron’s. At the east exit to
the town I was confronted with a twisty turney switchback road to climb up out
of the lower desert. Despite it being
mid-day with a good shine of sun upon me it was chilly….which I attributed to
the higher altitude.
The
road was really nice, well maintained, and allowed me to roll along at about 80
mph towards Eureka. Miles later, as I
came over a rise, I saw patrol car flashers about ½ mile ahead. Rolling off the throttle I then saw the speed
sign drop to 45 and I braked gently to slow the bike down and gave a wide berth
to the car…Eureka was up ahead. Not
having any idea why the sheriff’s car was there with lights flashing I watched
it in the mirrors but the car never came after me. So I figured the sheriff had pulled someone
over and was finishing his paper work when I went by. Upon reaching Eureka I once again was
surprised with viewing a nice small town.
I liked this town as it seemed to have a little bit of everything
covering the basics of life with a little cultural history thrown in for
tourists. And no Mall, which I consider
being the bane of small businesses, that conveys no personality. After passing thru the complete town which is
only about ½ mile along US-50, I turned around and went back to one of the gas
stations that seemed to have a better price.
While
tanking up I decided to don the rain gear for a windbreaker and to keep the
body heat inside. Just as I finished
donning the pants a County Sheriff's patrol car pulled up alongside of me and,
as the window rolled down, I started to think “oh shit, here we go….” A gravelly voice ushered out of the window,
“What the hell is going on, a motorcycle convention for old guys? All I’ve been seeing are old guys on Harley’s
coming thru my town”. Turned out it was
Kenneth Jones who is THE sheriff of the county….He had four stars on his collar….making
him equivalent to the Commandant of the Marine Corps! We had a great chat which included his
mentioning that he recently hired a Marine into the department who had returned
from Afghanistan. He then wished me a
Semper Fi and went on his way.
Back
out on the road again I had about 80 miles to go to make it to Ely, the stated
end of this SCMA Event. And the surprises
continued with the views presented to me as I rode through this country
side. To me, Nevada seemed to be only a
desert, as exemplified by the Las Vegas area.
But here in the north it was mountainous, full of shrub, trees. It was still desert, but a high desert and
bountiful with life. I liked it and
could easily see myself riding out here again to see more of the country on a
more relaxed schedule.
Finally
reaching Ely, I tanked up and got my receipt and continued on US-50 to Baker
hoping to find some kind of signage with the town’s name on it. When entering the town from the west there
was a large Welcome sign but it was right on the busy thoroughfare and didn’t
lend itself to a photo opportunity due to traffic. Riding through town I didn’t notice any
unique signage or building that would be a good back drop so I continued out of
town hoping to find another welcome sign….no such luck. What I did find however was a sign for the
local Indian reservation. So I got that
photo taken for the album and then headed on towards Baker or possibly Delta
where I hoped to find a motel room.
Since leaving Fallon I had been climbing in altitude until Austin. From there on to Ely it seemed to be all at
the same altitude, somewhere around 6500 feet.
Since it was the end of September and I was a little more north than
SoCal I figured all these conditions contributed to it being cold.
Baker
was about 65 miles away and Delta was another 100 miles. With the time I lost from chatting and photo
taking I wasn’t sure if I could make it to Delta before nightfall. Before beginning this Summer Ride I had
googled Baker as a possible way point and identified a motel there, with a
little personality, called Silver Jack’s.
So I decided to stop at Baker and check it out. If it didn’t work out I could always continue
on to Delta.
About
25 miles east of Ely I was coming down a hillside and spotted this snow covered
mountain peak in the distance. I could
see the empty road continuing far into the distance so I took these
photos.
Turns
out that this may be Wheeler Peak of the Great Basin NP. Directly on the opposite side of the Peak is
where Baker sits. Once I continued on
down the road that very distant road in the photo going up the mountain side is
a dirt road and not US-50. US-50 turns
to the north at the base of the mountain for about 15 miles then cuts through a
pass heading for Delta.
As
it was, I almost missed the turnoff to Baker.
It’s a quick sign that shows up for the turnoff to the town…it surprised
me because I thot Baker was right on US-50…..but it isn’t. It’s about a 4 mile ride from the 50 towards
the Great Basin National Park. On the
way into town I spied the Visitor’s Center and made a note to visit it tomorrow
on my way to Torrey. Baker is a REALLY
small place. Maybe 8 buildings along
their main street. Most of them are up
for sale. In fact, Silver Jack’s is up
for sale. Terry, the current owner, is
trying to sell the restaurant and motel rooms/bungalows for somewhere around
$400K. This seems to be a seasonal place
with visitors predominantly in May thru September. I wouldn’t be surprised if all rooms are
filled every night during this period.
So if you’re interested give Terry a call at Silver Jack’s.
FOR
SALE
Silver
Jack Inn & LectroLux Cafe
Great
Basin National Park on the Loneliest Road
RT
487, Baker NV 89311
Terry
Marasco, owner
775.234.7323
http://silverjackinn.com/lectrolux_cafe__bar
If
you call him tell him Gonzo sent you J.
Terry is a bicyclist, motorcyclist (Honda Shadow I think), hiker, health nut, and appears to be put out by everything. I say the last because of his non-jovial personality. Hanging from the center of the room is a flag from Deal's Gap, seems he's a bit of an adventurer and has ridden US-191 the "Tail of the Dragon" in TN. Also displayed throughout the room were interesting art, quirky sculpture, etc. A very eclectic place to have a bite and a glass of wine.
Terry
had one room available so I was able to stay there. Also went into the Café and had an absolutely
delicious pizza with a couple of glasses of house wine.
The
café is a very small cozy place with sitting booths lining the wall and a large
picnic type table in the center for communal sitting. This is where I sat and made the acquaintance
of a couple from Venice CA and Ton Sier and Astrid from the Netherlands (I
think). We had a lot of fun making
jokes, telling stories and comparing notes about different highways and
destinations. Seems these two have
traveled extensively throughout the USA by taking a two week vacation each
year, renting a car, and then driving to their various destinations. After Baker they were on their way to Torrey,
Bryce and the Grand Canyon I called it a night and went to my room. Was
asleep almost before my head touched the pillow!
C ya mañana,Gonzo
Twitter: @GonzoCrossUSA
Email: GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com
Cell: 949-433-0761
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