DAY FOURTEEN – ELY, NV TO LAKE TAHOE, NV

Last night we stayed in The Hotel Nevada in Ely The Hotel Nevada opened on July 7, 1929, built at a cost of $400,000, and for a brief moment it was the tallest building in the entire state — six stories high, towering over a mining town in the middle of the Great Basin. It was designed by H.L. Stevens & Company, a San Francisco architectural firm that specialized in fireproof hotels, and it originally had 100 rooms, a restaurant, banquet room, club room, barber shop, and storage areas — a full luxury setup for a remote copper‑boom town.

When gambling became legal in Nevada in 1931, the Hotel Nevada added live gaming and quickly became the social hub of Ely — miners, travelers, politicians, and celebrities all passed through. Jimmy Stewart, Wayne Newton, and Ann Rutherford are among the names tied to its guest history. So not quite Lincoln Highway, but still… Jimmy Stewart!

We had the most amazing woman take care of us during our stay, Jen. She suggested activities Hunter might like, and when he insisted on pulling a lever instead of pressing a button on the slot machine, she walked us right over to the old‑school machines so he could do it “properly.” Later, when he announced he was done, and I went to redeem my free drink coupon (yes… two free drink coupons, thank you very much), she sat with him and taught him how to play keno — which I already told y’all about yesterday. She was just incredible.

As I’ve said previously, there are only two points on this trip where I pre-planned leaving the 1913 route, and this is the second time. I decided not to go north to Reno for a couple of reasons. First, I’ve already been to Reno and didn’t find it all that impressive. I also felt it would be a huge time suck and didn’t really think it would be all that—well, culturally significant for Hunter to see. But I did think that taking the third‑generation alignment of the Lincoln Highway and following The Loneliest Road in America would be incredibly cool.

Back in the 1980s, Time magazine famously called this stretch of U.S. 50 “the loneliest road in America,” basically warning people not to drive it unless they were confident in their survival skills. Nevada ended up embracing the nickname, turning it into a whole thing into a tourist destination because what citified human wouldn’t want lonely peace for five minutes? There’s a passport, stamps, t-shirts, and of course, bragging rights. It’s quiet, wide‑open, and strangely beautiful, and it runs right along the old Pony Express and Lincoln Highway corridor. So, I got the passport, and we’re doing it!

Our first stamp was yesterday in Ely, but today we headed out early and we not only saw, but also photopraghed… wild horses! Four of them were just hanging out in a field. I saw one early enough to pull over, and then we saw three more. It was such a great way to start the day.

There were many mountain stretches today, but our first climb was Antelope Summit. I saw a sign I had never seen before Major Deer Crossing… ok then… continuing on. During my research, I found a Nevada audio guide that plays little snippets at different places along the road. Antelope and Pancake Summit are in a volcanic region of Nevada. The trees along the road are stunted because the wind whips through so quickly and makes it so cold that they hug the ground trying to get heat. Pancake Summit is named because the rock formations supposedly look like stacked pancakes. Now that I have climbed and descended Pancake Summit, I can firmly say I have no idea what they are talking about. I did not see a single stacked pancake formation anywhere. However, Hunter and I did spot some mule deer, so enjoy the singular picture that Hunter took…

Then we entered the town of Eureka. It is a super historic lead mining town. I was really interested in seeing the Eureka Opera House. When we got there at 8:15, I thought it was too early, but the sign said it opened at eight. When I pulled on the door and it was locked, I was a little sad. We walked around town, got a picture with the marker outside the courthouse, and saw the General Motors dedication. The GM section of the road is nearby. We passed the gravel lot but could not see anything.

Eureka is fantastic because they have a walking tour of the town, but we did not have time to do all the markers. The museum was closed, and if you wanted to go in, you had to talk to the Opera House. So we moved on to get coffee at the Depot Station Coffeehouse. We split a muffin that was absolutely delicious and got Milky Way coffee that was fantastic.

Returning to the Opera House, two young women dropped everything they were doing and gave us a tour. They were completely knowledgeable, brought us backstage, and were so kind to Hunter and me. It was one of the nicest moments we have had. The Eureka Opera House was built in 1880 and beautifully restored in the early 1990s. It is now on the National Register of Historic Places.

You could spend an entire day in Eureka. The museum, the Opera House, the courthouse, the antique shop, the coffee bar. It is a quaint town with so much history. There is even a five hole outhouse preserved on a street corner. I did not take a picture because who wants to see that, but yes, a five hole outhouse built for a very wealthy man.

We hit the Hickison Petroglyph area next. Hunter and I did the quick loop and saw a few petroglyphs and a scenic overlook. The petroglyphs were unlike any I have seen before. Not super obvious, but we got a few. The overlook was beautiful.

Then we descended into Austin, which was settled by a pony express rider who found silver. Its big claim to fame is an 1864 Civil War era bet between the general store owner and town doctor and a friend over who would win the mayoral election. Whosever’s candidate lost had to carry a fifty-pound sack of flour to a neighboring town over a mile and at the end of the mile they would auction off the sack of flour to benefit all wounded soldiers. The store owner lost and while followed by onlookers, he dutifully carried the sack. After such a task, they all, of course, ended at the saloon where merriment ensued. The flour was auctioned off for $350, but the new owner re-acutioned it off and the same followed time and again until by the end of the day the sack of flour had raised $4,500. But it did not stop there. The Merchantile owner continued with the sack of flour auctioning it off as far away as New York and ultimately raising $175,000. Adjusted for inflation, that 50 pounds of flour would have raised roughly $3,700,000.

Austin is also smack in the middle of Nevada. To get here on The Loneliest Road, you have to do quite a number of switchbacks out of the Toiyabe National Forest. And we know how much I love a switchback on a road without guardrails, but at least I was hugging the inside this time.

Austin itself is tiny. Not much open. We could not find the general store. But there was a gorgeous gift shop with beautiful handmade jewelry… and a 20-foot-long anaconda skin from South America in 1955, cause why wouldn’t there be?

Just as you leave town, you make a left onto a dirt road to Stokes Castle. It is in all the guidebooks. Josh and Pops came here less than a year ago, and the fence was falling apart barbed wire at the top. Josh literally walked right in and took video (3:32:32). When we got here, the new fence was beautiful and fully redone. There was no getting in unless the gate was open, which it was not. Stokes Castle was built by a train magnate who modeled it after a castle in Italy. He used it for two years and abandoned it. It has sat here ever since. It is now on the National Register of Historic Places. The new fencing gives me hope they might restore it. I cannot believe I am going on about a fence.

Then we crossed into the Pony Express Trail for the next forty eight miles. Why not. Let us check off more auto tours.

We entered Cold Springs, which had been a Pony Express station, a stagecoach stop, and even telegraph service. We reached the remnants of the rock walls of the Overland Pony Express station. It is enormous. Completely fenced off, so the pictures are terrible, but it is huge. There are signs inside, so they must open it sometimes. Really amazing.

Next was the shoe tree. I have prepared for this for a long time. Two pairs of Vans. Shoelaces pre-tied to be as long as possible. Hunter and I approached with joy and trepidation. We already knew we would miss the tree at least a hundred times and have to do the walk of shame into the pit of despair to retrieve the shoes. I asked Hunter if he wanted to go first, but he gave me that honour. I am proud to say I made the tree in two throws. Hunter got better each time. And within five throws, he hit the tree, and his shoes hung perfectly beneath mine. We did a happy dance at the tree and another at the car. It was a super cool experience.

Then came Middlegate Station for The Monster Burger. Yes, Monster Burger. Middlegate Station is known for it. You could feed a family of six with this thing. And it is a legit good burger. I do not know if I spoke to an employee or the owner, but when I said it was legitimately good, he said it’s angus beef. I had to abandon the bun, but even the bun was delicious. It was like a fluffy brioche bun. The cook was the sweetest guy, cause he’s right behind the bar cooking. I told him I was sad I would probably never be back to eat this again. It was voted number forty-four burger in the state, and I don’t know how other burgers beat it. The burger I had in Omaha was amazing, but it was soaked in wine. Anything soaked in wine is going to be good. This was a straight-up burger’s burner. Yes, the monster is a gimmick, but beyond size, it’s just meat, seasoning, and toppings. Really delicious.

Our next stop three moments came all at once. Cresting a hill, we were suddenly upon the salt wells, Sand Mountain, and a Pony Express stop. Salt Wells sits just east of Sand Mountain, a quiet alkali basin that once supported small‑scale salt and borax operations during Nevada’s mining boom. Later it became a tiny roadside stop on the Lincoln Highway, with a bar, gas station, and eventually the infamous Salt Wells Villa brothel. Today the only active presence is the modern geothermal plant, sitting out on the flats where the old settlement once stood. What’s left is just open desert and salt crust.

Sand Mountain was formed over thousands of years as wind carried sand from nearly forty miles away and dropped it here because it couldn’t push it over the surrounding mountains. All that trapped sand piled up and eventually created its own mountain. It’s basically a giant dune built by stubborn desert wind, and rumor has it that Sand Mountain actually sings. When the wind hits it just right, the whole dune vibrates and produces this low, humming tone that carries across the basin. It’s called a “booming dune,” and Sand Mountain is one of the few in the world that does it.

There was a Pony Express station there too, but barely any ruins remain.

Then we went through Fallon. I thought Fallon would be tiny like the other towns. I was incredibly wrong. It is a significantly sized town with a main street. It has a historic hotel and saloon that stamped our passport. It also has ties to the Lincoln Highway. And Fallon holds the real Top Gun school. Not the movie version… the actual Navy fighter‑pilot training program. Obviously, it’s on a Naval base, so we couldn’t go in, but yes… the real Top Gun is in Fallon, Nevada. Meanwhile, the movie insists it’s in San Diego, which is ironic because San Diego is where the Navy SEALs train, not the pilots. I’m just saying… a little cinematic sleight of hand.

Officially Fallon is where the loneliest road ends. But, I’m confused because if you follow The Route 50 Loneliest Road Passport, it continues to Dayton and Carson City, so our adventure is not over.

As we stayed on 50 this is where we intentionally split from the 1913 until Carson City. We are not heading to Reno. We are following the third generation alignment to land in Carson City earlier.

Arriving in Carson City a little later than we wanted, we skipped the tour of the US Mint and started the Kit Carson self-guided walking trail. I was really excited because I had made Hunter a scavenger hunt to fill out along the way. We made it about ten houses in and even saw deer hanging out around one of the homes. Then we moved on with our day and wound our way up the mountain to Lake Tahoe.

Elizabeth has made a rule that I am not allowed to say where I am staying the night I am staying there, which is why I do the update in the morning. But tonight I have to make an exception. Sorry Lizzie. And then the story goes here.

So when Hunter was three-years-old, and I was still working with The Body Shop at Home, the leadership conference was in Reno. On the last day, the final session ended around 10:00 a.m., and since we were taking a redeye that night, we suddenly had an entire day to kill. We’d already explored what was an extraordinarily seedy downtown, so one of the other ladies and I took a cab over to the airport, rented a fifteen‑passenger van, drove it back to the hotel, and loaded it up with whoever wanted to join us on a spontaneous road trip to Lake Tahoe. And I proceeded to drive the most wonderful women I had ever met straight into the mountains.

Two stories came out of that day. The first was when we were driving in and reached the sign for the California state line. I said, “Guys, I just want to drive in, turn around, and come right back, because this is as close as I will ever get to California.” And if you know me, you know I’ve made that California trip happen time and time again… and if you don’t know me, check out my Cali trips right here.

The second story is my favourite. We stopped at a place called Zephyr Cove on the banks of the lake, and it was so unbelievably gorgeous… towering pine trees, bright blue water, and a little general store straight out of a postcard. I got a vanilla soft‑serve ice cream cone and sat on the porch, thinking it was one of the best days of my life. And honestly, it still is… I tried to find the right spot, but it was a long time ago and plants grow.

Tonight, Hunter and I are staying in a cabin at Zephyr Cove.

After checking in, we dinner, I once again relied on Josh and Pops for the recommendation and he nailed it. We went to an Irish pub. The Midwest was nice, but now we are back to New York prices. Hunter had shrimp and chips. Do not worry. We did not touch a single fry at lunch. Not one. When we were leaving, I heard the bartender or owner ask if anyone wanted fries. They were untouched. Back at dinner, I tasted their tartar sauce, and they make it themselves. So delicious. I got a stone fruit salad with arugula, candied walnuts, and goat cheese and added grilled shrimp. I felt guilty ordering that at an Irish pub, but it was delicious. I do not know how I am going to recreate that one.

Afterwards, trying to beat the clock to get to the lake for sunset, we headed back to the resort. It was not the most spectacular sunset in the world, but it does not matter. It is stunning out here. I think it is the pine trees. The first thing I said to Hunter when we got out of the car was stop, inhale, smell. It is scented differently here. Just like Big Sur, but instead of cedar, you smell pine. The air is cold and crisp and scented. The waves are soothing. It is everything I ever imagined and then more. Normally, when Hunter and I get back from dinner, we never ever leave the hotel again. And here we were, out walking around to watch the sunset and take pictures in the freezing cold, wearing jeans and hoodies. It was amazing.