Sunday, May 10, 2009

Hwy. 50: The Lonliest Highway

The Return Trip

Thought I would change the title since we are on another significant
roadway. After leaving Grand Junction this morning, we were on both
I-70 and Hwy. 50 through Utah. We left the interstate at Sidalia, UT,
and followed Hwy. 50 across the rest of Utah and in to Nevada. We are
spending the night in Ely, NV.

South of Ely, way back in the foothills, are the Ward Charcoal Kilns,
a series of six kilns used to produce charcoal for the nearby iron ore
smelters. They were built in 1870, and are the finest of their type.
Italian masons built them, and the artistry is beautiful. Each kiln
held 6 to 8 acres of trees. Needless to say, there was not many trees
left by the time they swithed to coke brought out by the railroad. The
doorway is about 6 feet tall.

Saw a gorgeous elk near the highway coming up the pass into Ely, so
for dinner we ate at a local restaurant and had an elk burger. What?

Tomorrow is the final leg back to Tahoe along the Lonliest Highway
some more.

No comments: