August 3, 2015
From the Hotel Nevada in Ely, NV

This morning, the owners of the KOA offered to take us to our car!  You have to understand that Greg and Nanci are VERY strong followers of Jesus.  When I called to reserve the site 2 weeks ago, I gave Nanci my pastorreiners@peacelutherangi.org email address.  Dont really know why I didnt use my gmail address.  Now I do.  She checked out our website, saw that "we were all about Jesus", and couldnt wait to meet the two of us.

They are very open about their faith with their campers.  They give out fortune cookies with bible verses to all campers who stay there, have Christian movies to rent, Christian shirts and other things for sale.  The 10 Commandments are posted under the glass on their front desk.  Some folks react negatively, but most appeciate it. They went waaaaaaaaay out of their way to help us work through options, and when nothing worked out, they talked it over and she came in on her day off to work for him ao he could drive us to our car.  We were stunned at this generous act, and deeply grateful as we were going to spend the day trying to find a ride over there.  Another example of "trail magic", or in this case Gods hand at work, using believers in Jesus to help us.

Greg was an awesome tour guide filling us in on lots of area details.  They have owned that koa since 1978!  Among other things he showed us where they filmed the episodes of Bonanza.  (We got a pic on the way back by later on.)  I would urge you to use their koa if you are ever in the area.  Or just stop in and meet them.  They would love that.

We stopped at a beautiful spot on the lake shore on our way toward hwy 50.  I will miss this place.  It and the weather in summer are absolutely breathtakingly beautiful!

We headed east on highway 50, nicknamed "the lonliest highway in the world'.

After leaving Carson City, we took a side trip to Virginia City.  What a cool place!  I could have spent half a day walking the boardwalks on both sides of the road.  For you history buffs, you will remember that VC was the site of the Comstock Lode Silver mine (1859), one of the most productive silver mines in the world.  (We also drove through nearby Gold Hill, a huge gold mine.)  Most of the original trees around Lake Tahoe were chopped down to build VC and for timbers in the mines.  The horses were wild ones (they are all OVER Nevada) on the edge of VC.

Other of you history buffs will remember that VC was where the Cartwrights made their trips to town!

For several years, I have wanted to drive Hwy 50 across Nevada.  We were NOT disappointed!  Lots of straight, desolate stretches along with lots of beautiful passes between 4000 plus feet to over 7400.  There are mountains all along the way and today there were beautiful rain clouds.  It was magificant!  Sometimes we would meet no cars for 10 miles.  Pics never do it justice, but here are a few.

About dark we arrived in Ely.  We are in room 509 at the famous Hotel Nevada.  It was built in 1929, is filled all kinds of slot machines as well as really cool historical stuff.  We did a lot of looking around, ate supper in their 24 hour restaurant, then went to our room.  Gregs been out for a long time and I should have been, but I wanted to completely catch this blog up. I will continue to blog.  Even though we are no longer on the trail, the adventure continues!  (-:)  More tomorrow, or I should say, later today...