A very lovely morning with no clouds in the sky. Just perfect for our westward trip after leaving Elko, NV.
We spent the morning getting the Lil’ Home ready for the trip: sweeping/mopping the floor, putting clean dishes away, dumping sewage, filling up fresh water tank, closing the slideouts.
Before leaving the campground we discussed on routes going West. Initially, we wanted to go to Reno, NV, but it would be too many miles and we decided to visit it next year or so. Reno will still be there, right?
We had a nice time visiting Elko, even thought Erwin was not able to find the ranch he worked at when he was a teenager There are a couple attractions we have not visited, so they will be on our list to visit next time we stop by Elko.
We left the campground at 10:25 am, stopped at Sinclair Gas Station to get diesel fill-up and to hook the Jeep while there.
After driving through several residential streets we finally got on I-80 West at 11 am. I-80 roads were in good condition and there were several wide pullouts, which are perfect for pulling over to take pictures of the scenery.
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| Yes, there is a light at the end of the tunnel |
We drove through the town of Carlin, NV, but we did not exit to visit the town. The ranch that Erwin worked at in 1963 is 25 miles north of the town. Erwin remembered the town was small and was surprised to see how much it has grown.
We continued driving on I-80 until Exit #231to visit Battle Mountain, NV.
Roadside attraction - Muffler Man holding firecracker at 980 Broyles Ranch Road. He is about 14' tall. It was commissioned and shipped early this year.
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The guy running the store offered to take
a picture of me with the Muffler Man |
We had lunch at El Aguila Mexican Restaurant which is ranked #1 according to TripAdvisor.com. It was crowded, but we managed to find a table. We decided to order one dish to share. We had Carne Asada, but Edith got one taco with flour tortilla because she was afraid there might not be enough for Erwin after sharing. While eating we watched the Olympics on TV (rowing and freestyle swimming).
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| Watching the Olympics on TV |
After our visit in Battle Mountain we went back to I-80 West for Winnemucca, NV (53 miles away). The right lane was closed for several miles, but none was working there. Along the route there was a billboard that said that Butch Cassidy left Wimmemucca rich so can you. It is rumored that Butch “stole” the money.
More road construction, this time left lane closed. Again, there were no crew working here, but on the eastbound. What’s up with that?!
We took Exit #178 to go to Winnemucca, NV. There is one attraction we wanted to visit. Buckaroo Hall of Fame at Visitor’s Center. We parked at the corner, walked a block to look for visitor’s center. Turned out the center is at the opposite side from where we parked. The center was closed because of the funeral that was being held inside. We strolled through the downtown before leaving.
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Visitor Center
Mural along the side of the building |
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| Visitor Center that was closed when we visited |
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Inside the visitor center (it was closed to
the public due to funeral gathering) where
there are lots of arrowheads and animals on display |
We decided not to camp or boondock in Winnemucca, continued driving to Denio, NV (over 100 miles away). Then we got on Highway 95 North.
Erwin missed the turn to Denio, had to make a U-turn from the pullout, then made a right turn to Route 140. The terrain was very barren and the mountains seemed so small in the distance. There was a posted sign notifying that there is no gas available for 176 miles.
The terrain is very flat with lots of sagebrushes and the road looked very straight. Could see mirages, dust devils.
At Denio Junction we made a left turn to continue driving on NV 140. No service for next 81 miles. We were the only ones on the road for miles and miles.
There was one lone windmill. We started to see the mountain range from NV 140 few miles west of Denio Junction near Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge area. It was very vast and rugged area for antelopes, bighorn sheep, etc. 900 square miles of protected wildlife habitat. We did not see wildlife while driving along the way. Either there are not any wildlife left in the area or they wait til dusk to come out for grazing.
At 5:40 pm we decided to take a break for the night, boondocked inside Sheldon National Wildlife at N41.89974 W118.99059. The elevation was around 5,000 feet.
We had leftovers for supper that Edith made yesterday. Quick & simple. Then we played cribbage. It had been a long while since we last played this game. Edith won the game.
Very few cars went by. Edith checked Stellarium app to see where and what time the Milky Way will appear. She got her camera and tripod ready for astrophotography.
It was around 8:30 pm when it started to get dark, but not dark enough to see the Milky Way. It was not until after 9:15 pm that Edith was able to see it.
The moon was more than half full and it was difficult to capture shots of the Milky Way. The three planets under the moon were clearly visible. Could see the Big Dipper on the west side of the road. Edith proceeded to take Milky Way pictures, but they were not as great as the ones she took a couple days ago.
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| Big Dipper if you can find it |
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Close-up shot of the moon through spotting scope
We used IPhone to snap this picture. It was difficult finding
the right angle, but we managed the best we could get |
Erwin went to bed around 11 pm while Edith was still outside taking pictures. It was not as cold outside. Very few vehicles went by. After editing pictures Edith hit the sack around 12:30 am.
Roadside attraction - Muffler Man holding firecracker at 980 Broyles Ranch Road. He is about 14' tall. It was commissioned and shipped early this year.
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