Day Four – Ely NV to South Lake Tahoe
Miles: 362
We were thinking maybe the Denny's in our Hotel, but we opted for the local greasy-spoon named Silver State. It was nothing that great, and was probably better than the Denny's. We didn't really care, we were ready to ride. As we headed west on US and the Lincoln Highway we said goodbye to US6. We were expecting lots of straight roads, flat scenery, and little in between stops but this was not the case. The 77 miles from Ely to Eureka NV had some straight sections and some curvy sections through some canyons it was a really nice ride and far better than we had predicted. Once through Eureka we stopped in another 10 miles at Whistler Mountain which isn't more than a wide spot in the road with some rocky hills on either side but it provided us with what we needed. We continued on and the road straightened out for a while but when we entered the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest things got good again as we neared Austin. Unfortunately we also ran up on a car that was in no hurry and with a constant double yellow we took it easy. We continued with the same pattern of riding for 50 or so miles and then getting into some canyon carving that didn't last all that long but it broke up the monoteny. It was all over before we knew it, and we found ourselves heading into Virginia City. This is a very interesting place. We enjoyed it immensely, and I think the best description I could come up with is VC is the Gatlinburg of the west with a pinch of Sturgis thrown in. We went to two breweries across the street from one another and grabbed a bite to eat at the first. We had only planned to stay for brief stop but the place was quite unique and we were really enjoying ourselves. After we finished up we rode through town absorbed as much as we could. In hindsight I think we might stay here overnight in the future. Leaving VC was also pretty good on NV 341 which is the Occidental Grade road down to Carson City. Once in Carson City we reconnected with US 50 and progressed toward Lake Tahoe. The road was now a four lane highway and we were trying to catch a glimpse of the lake, but we couldn't see much until we stopped at the Logan Shoals overlook, and walked around on the trials. The road never really provided much of a view, but at all of the myriad of overlooks there was plenty to see. We crossed over the stat line and went to a car wash and picked up some beer before going back to our hotel. We checked in and went out to find some good grub. Afterward we went to the on-site brewery hung out playing corn hole and ping pong under the stars with some guys from Texas. Very good day!
