I
t spreads before me for
countless miles like an ad-
venture buffet, begging to
be explored and savoured.
As I devour the landscape,
the exhilaration of US High-
way 50 consumes me in return. It
meanders the breadth of Nevada, a
colossal roller coaster dipping and
soaring through huge bowls punctu-
ated by high, twisty passes. As I cross
the valleys, anticipation builds. I see
the mountains ahead, rising up with
the promise of sumptuous twists and
turns. I prepare to sink my teeth into
the curves and scenery. I swell with
joy knowing this is my home state
and that I get to ride this stunning,
vast, openness as often as I like.
Northern Nevada’s stark landscape
is courtesy of the tectonic stretching
familiar to geologists like myself as a
basin and range formation. This, my
friends, is the Great Basin—a giant
tub in the middle of the country with
no outlet to the ocean. The Highway
50 corridor through the Great Ba-
sin in Nevada is called Pony Express
Territory. Roughly the route of the
iconic horseback mail service of the
1860s. You will sometimes feel like
you’ve stepped back into that time as
you ride. This area, in many ways, is
still the wild west.
My fellow explorers know that the
straightest route is rarely the most
interesting. But what to do with the
quirky, often desolate Highway 50? To
the uninitiated, the “Loneliest High-
way in America” may seem it doesn’t
have much to offer aside from a way
to cross the state. Its charms and side-
trip offerings aren’t obvious to the rid-
er blasting its length as quickly as pos-
sible. It requires forethought, too, so
as to avoid finding yourself stranded
without fuel, food, or lodging.
That’s where I come in. To get you
primed for a fantastic ride in my be-
loved stomping grounds. Consider it
insider info from someone who has
TRAVERSE 71