Desert Escape (3.19.24)

Dave loves deserts of any type or location.  The week of March 19, 2024, I worked at our home in St. George and Dave took long walks in the dry hills above our house.  We spent one afternoon in Zions Park together, hiking the familiar mile-long trail to the mouth of The Narrows.

We drove home through Ely, Nevada, along a road that Dave loves because it is so utterly desolate.

We paused our trip to enjoy the silence and spare beauty of an abandoned homestead.

Ely had its own glitzy charm.  We stayed at the Prospector Hotel and Casino, although I have gambled a grand total of a dime during my lifetime.

There were a few vintage brick buildings in town, including the Hotel Nevada, which had a huge neon sign in the shape of a miner with his pickax attached to one corner of the hotel.  Ely  has prospered through its lead mines.

Another sign proclaimed that the hotel was an official "stamp location" of Highway 50, also known as "the loneliest road in America."

Another picturesque site in Ely is Jail House, which defines itself as a "casino motel."  That is a new term for me.

Dave and I walked through the casino of our hotel to the cafe.  The food was surprisingly good--Mexican seafood enchiladas.

There was a display of farm equipment in the front yard of our hotel.  The yellow and green colors made me wonder if the equipment was from John Deere.

I couldn't sleep and was up at 5 a.m. on March 21, when Dave awakened.  We decided to drive home and watch the sun rise as we drove due east back to Salt Lake City.