The Road through Nevada

Here we are taking the high road on through this hot and unexpectedly beautiful state.

This is the Extraterrestrial Highway...no, we didn't see anything weird. No flashing lights or hovering spacecrafts. Unfortunatley. My brother will be dissapointed. This first day we headed through was not nearly as hot as we thought it would be...we had wonderful shade most of the day. Shortly before this shot was taken there was a beautiful red sun shining through the clouds from the fire that blazed over the hills. We were too busy riding to stop and take a photo :( I know, it's sad. Mim got a speed demon bug along the way and shot out ahead of me on his sport bike to take a photo.
After a few hundred miles we chose a ghost town hot springs to visit and possibly camp at for the night in Warm Springs, NV. When we got there we found the pool surrounded by barbed wire fences and with a sign that warned people to keep out. Of course, it would take a lot more than that to stop us! So we headed into the pool and saw how gorgeous and natural the hot spring water was.

As we took off our shoes to soak our feet, I noticed some life swarming around a bush near the pool. Looking closer I took a short breathe and walked slowly away...there were giant sized wasp-like insects with pitch black bodies and large dark red wings apparently guarding the hot springs! One of those suckers just patroled the pool like it owned the place. So much for that idea...on we drove. After riding a brutal 370 miles we decided we needed rest and a shower...so we stopped in Tonopah, NV and searched for a cheap hotel. The first one we went to, the Economy Inn, was frightening so we turned around and got the other room available at the Mizpah Hotel. It was an old building that had been cleaned and refurbished and was very cool to stay at. The bed was HUGE and soft and we were SO happy. Of course it wasnt one of the cheaper hotels, so we cooked our dinner that night in the hotel parking lot before going up to bed...

Did I mention the bed? It was luxurious.

Goodbye sweet, sweet heavenly room at the Mizpah...oh how we enjoyed thee. Time to pack up and head out to finish our treck to California! We were so excited this morning to make it to California. Have you ever wondered how much luggage you can fit on two motorcycles on a trip like this? I think you might be suprised...here is our gear all packed up and ready to be straped to the bikes.

It's not a light load, but we sure have found a need for everything so far. We made it to California today and found our first stop...read about it in our next post!!