Gabbs,
Nevada. US-50 is called "The loneliest highway in
America" and it may well be although there seems to be more
traffic these days than there used to be. After
crossing the state on 50 a number of times I noticed a
poster tacked on poles east of Fallon advertising the Gabbs Rodeo. There is a highway sign at the junction
of 50 and Nevada-361 that points to Gabbs and it made me
curious. If you think 50 is lonely, try 361. You
could probably take a nap on the southbound lane and not be
disturbed. Gabbs is about 40 miles south of 50 and
makes a good stopping point if you want to go to Las Vegas
the long way. They have a filling station and a motel
(see photo) a beer joint and small market. They also
have a fairly large high-school and the fair grounds which I
guess is where the rodeo is held. Not much else but it
makes for a really pleasant ride. 361 will eventually
take you back to US-95 at Luning, east of Hawthorne.
Antimony,
Utah Some of the best riding in the West is found
in Utah, particularly the southern portion. We
discovered the "Road to Antimony" after spending the better
part of a week touring Zion National Park and then Bryce
Canyon National Park. The road starts out paved as you
leave Bryce Canyon but after a few miles turns into graded
gravel. (see photo). Roads like this can be great fun as
long as there isn't any other traffic (there wasn't) and as
long as you have your rock-guard on your drive belt.
The gravel tends to pile up in loose furrows at the corners
which makes for some interesting sensations where the seat
meets the seat! The town of Antimony was originally
named Coyote, but as families moved into the area, the metal
named Stibnite, or Antimony was discovered and some mines
were opened nearby. I guess they shot all the coyotes so
they renamed the town in the late 1800's. The town
doesn't have a large population, only about 125 people or so
but there is a large prosperous "Dude Ranch" , The Rock'n-R
Ranch, that will put you up and let you ride horses
until you can't stand it. (Photo by MadDog,
a great companion and long time GoldWinger)
Key West. Not much to say, just
a huge tourist trap where you can spend all your money on
tee-shirts or coffee mugs with cute slogans, but the ride
out was interesting. It's about 125 miles from
Homestead, FL to Key West and most of the road is 2-lane
with a 45 mph speed limit. I averaged over 50 mpg out
and back because of the laid back throttle position.
Lots of boat rental places, fishing piers, souvy shops etc
but also some beautiful scenery especially once you get past
Key Largo. There are many places along the road where
you have the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Gulf on the
other. I spent the night in a campground on Strawberry
key and went swimming. It was fun to swim back and
forth under the highway bridge, from the gulf to the sea and
back again. Even in February the water was as warm as
a swimming pool. I found the old Chevy pickup truck
parked behind one of the thousand or so beer joints in Key
West. Made an interesting picture, no?
Silverton, Colorado. Nestled in the
San Juan mountains of southern Colorado, Silverton makes a
great destination or stopping point along the "million
dollar highway" which runs from Durango to Montrose.
The view from Molas Pass, just south of town is sensational
and as you descend toward the north you come around a sharp
bend and there is the town laid out a thousand feet below
and its a view you normally see only from an airplane.
Silverton is a real town as well as a tourist destination.
There are a couple of pretty decent places to eat and they
have a Conoco station there that makes the best coffee I've
ever tasted. The last time through it started to rain
as I left Durango and the rain turned to snow at the summit.
By the time I hit town I was shivering so bad I could hardly
hang on to the bars and I'll tell you, that coffee saved my
life!
Leaving Silverton, continue north to Ouray
(you-RAY) Colorado. Here's another unbelievable view.
Ouray is laid out at the end of a box canyon that has walls
going nearly vertical on 3 sides. The canyon is so
narrow at the far end it seems like you can stand in the
middle of town and reach out and touch the walls! A
sign stands at the entrance to town that states "The Swiss
Alps of America" or some such hyperbole, but by any standard
it's an amazing place. This road is definitely not for
the rider in a hurry, but well worth the time and trouble to
get there.
It's not the destination, it's the
"getting there". It's nice if there's a pot of gold at
the end of the rainbow but there doesn't have to be.
Other Rides and
Accidental Destinations
Tillamook Oregon
Colorado
