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Head east for two great fall road trips |
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Written by Tahoe World staff
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Tuesday, 09 October 2007 |
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MONO LAKE
“Mono Lake lies in a lifeless, treeless, hideous desert, eight thousand feet above the level of the sea, and is guarded by mountains two thousand feet higher, whose summits are always clothed in clouds. This solemn, silent, sailless sea — this lonely tenant of the loneliest spot on earth — is little graced with the picturesque. It is an unpretending expanse of grayish water, about a hundred miles in circumference, with two islands in its centre, mere upheavals of rent and scorched and blistered lava, snowed over with gray banks and drifts of pumice stone and ashes, the winding sheet of the dead volcano, whose vast crater the lake has seized upon and occupied.”
— from “Roughing It,” by Mark Twain
 How to get there:
Leave Tahoe by taking U.S. Highway 395 south. Depending on how many stops you make, Mono Lake is a two- to three-hour drive away. Stop at the Mono Lake Visitor Center just off the highway. Staffed by the U.S. Forest Service, this is a good starting point to learn about various points of interest, recreational activities and basic visitor information on the region.
Bring a 4WD vehicle and hit the offroad trails around the lake. Keep your vehicle on the trail. Mono’s diverse ecosystem is fragile, and needs all the help it can get.
Low impact recreation:
Bring kayaks and mountain bikes on your trip to Mono Lake. Sometimes the best way to experience Mono Lake is by kayak, and this will get you closer to the famous tufa towers. Climbing the tufa towers is not allowed.
 Mono Lake information:
One of the oldest lakes in the western hemisphere, Mono Lake is hauntingly beautiful, reflecting the snow-capped Sierra Nevada in its shimmering blue waters. An immense inland sea, the lake fills a natural basin, 695 square miles in size. Together with nearby volcanoes, ghost towns and trout-filled streams, this area is a natural wonderland for the entire family.
The Lee Vining Chamber of Commerce is housed at the Mono Lake Committee Information Center on the corner of Highway 395 and Third Street, in the town of Lee Vining, and can answer questions about life in Mono County, lodging, dining, and services in Lee Vining.
— from www.monolake.org
HIGHWAY 50 ‘AMERICA’S LONELIEST ROAD’
Nevada’s Highway 50 is for all the lonely people. One trip across this high desert two-laner and it will be nigh impossible to feel as though life is passing you by. Your vehicle may be the solitary figure on the outstretched roadway — where miles seem irrelevant and at high noon, so do cardinal directions — but it is clear that while traversing the belt of the Silver State, the traveler is the least lonesome of them all.
— Alanna Lungren
Highlights not to be missed:
The “Loneliest Phone in America,” stands near the entrance to Sand Mountain, not too far east of Fallon, Nev. Solar-powered, it offers one way to keep in touch for those without traveling companions.
The Eureka Courthouse looks down on mainstreet in this quiet mining town. Historic false-front buildings offer character and we heard the walking tour of Eureka is popular among visitors.
If you need to stretch your legs, or are searching for that hard-to-find item, stop by Ray Saulsbury’s place. His property is located at the east-end of Austin, and he’ll happily show you around his yard of prized finds. At left, one half of a Reno original’s sign, Harold’s Casino.
 Sand Mountain is an interesting sight — all 600-feet of it — out in the middle of Nevada’s high desert. It is a popular recreation spot and during the spring and fall especially, campers and dune-buggies dot the natural formation. It’s height is deceiving though, as motorists zip around in the sand on the left, a Bureau of Land Management Officer makes his way to the summit in the upper right.
Running down Sand Mountain is the highlight of the climb, as is watching Top Gun naval aviators carve up the open Nevada sky.
The Owl Casino in Eureka, above, offers food and drink to the weary traveler, and if you are lucky, a couple of “Cher” songs from the cook.
At left, the Hotel Nevada in Ely offers the finest card tables in town. Walk around the casino floor and learn all about the wildlife of Eastern Nevada and check out the state’s ghost town map. Ely is also popular for its walking mural tour.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 09 October 2007 )
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