EXPANDING THE RIDE
I have a few favourite side trips
along the Loneliest Highway in Amer-
ica. There are plenty to choose from.
My top favourites are slight detour
loops rather than out-and-back spurs
when I’m focused on riding Highway
50 itself and not meandering too far
off course.
Do yourself a favour and veer off on
State Road 2/722 to ride Carroll Sum-
mit between Austin and Middlegate.
This
slightly-off-the-beaten-path
route will give you a sense of Ne-
vada off the main road along with
some spectacular riding. This sec-
tion is the original route of Highway
50. Its twists and elevation changes
can make it difficult to keep the road
passable in winter storms, so in the
late 1960s the state rerouted the high-
way a few miles north in lower and
more gentle terrain.
By far my favourite detour is what
I call the Virginia City Trifecta: Six
Mile Canyon, Geiger Grade, and State
Route 341 (also known as “the truck
route”). This ride is 50 miles (80
kilometres) of densely packed techni-
cal twisties with breathtaking views
and it is not to be missed. Either di-
rection will light your motorcycling
soul on fire. I like to start this ride
from Highway 50, just east of Day-
ton: Head up Six Mile to Virginia City,
swoop down Geiger Grade, loop the
roundabout at the end, catapult back
up the grade into Virginia City, then
down the truck route to rejoin High-
way 50. You’ll likely see wild horses
alongside the road just about any-
where on this ride. And be mindful,
should you discover a band of them
as you round a blind curve.
Spooner Summit between Car-
son City and Lake Tahoe is also a
must ride. It’s not a detour but this
section of Highway 50 is technically
outside of “the Loneliest Highway in
America” territory. This ride is huge,
continuous sweepers that lay out
jaw-dropping views of Carson Valley
below.
Looking for a bit of dirt? Take his-
toric Fort Churchill Road along the
Carson River, between Silver Springs
and Dayton. You’ll ride a narrow can-
yon through the mountains on the
same route used by Pony Express
riders and thousands of emigrants
in Conestoga wagon trains headed
for California during the Gold Rush.
Watch for more of those wild horses
and for chukar, a large partridge with
dramatic markings. They are native
to the Middle East and are the nation-
al bird of Iraq and of Pakistan.
TAKE IN THE SIGHTS
Nevada’s history is rich, long, and
complex. The past couple of hun-
dred years have been shaped largely
by mining and railroads yet it is also
home to prehistoric petroglyphs and
fossils. A string of historic markers
along the road offer insights into
Nevada history, and you’ll find Pony
Express-specific station markers and
interpretive stops.
Even if you’re not a railroad buff,
the Nevada Northern Railway Mu-
seum in Ely and the Nevada State
Railroad Museum in Carson City are
really engaging and give a sense of
how rail shaped the state. The Neva-
da State Museum in Carson City is a
fantastic way to get a comprehensive
sense of the Silver State’s history in
one stop. Just outside Fallon pull off
the highway at Grimes Point to see
ancient petroglyphs drawn by native
people who gathered on the shore
of what was at the time a massive in-
land sea. And make sure to budget
some time to see Great Basin Nation-
al Park. No crowds here. It’s one of
the least-visited national parks in the
US because it is remote, not because
it isn’t worth the trip.
And Nevada is known for its hot
springs. What better way to loosen
up on a long ride than to soak up the
huge landscape from the warmth of a
natural hot spring? A short dirt ride
out to Spencer Hot Springs east of
Austin will deliver one of the jewels
TRAVERSE 74