Lower 48 — Day 21

44 States

8,156 Total Miles

Day 21 is coming rapidly to an end and we didn’t make our goal of 48 states in 21 days. However, we think we’ll end up seeing all 48 states in 24 days, which is not bad considering all we’ve gone through with weather and mechanical issues.

We decided to leave Las Vegas at 4:00 a.m. to get ahead of the heat during the day. Which, was 106°F today. It was still 86°F at 4:00 a.m.

I’ve traveled US95 from Carson City to Las Vegas a number of times and it’s not uncommon to see a burro or two. Today we must have seen two dozen burros in and around Beatty, Nevada. I wish I could have taken a picture but they were too far away for my iPhone to get any detail. But, here’s a picture of some burros for you anyway:

We stopped in Goldfield, Nevada for a restroom break and I saw this little junk store, uh…I mean “Antique store” and thought it was unique.

Goldfield has an interesting history but not interesting enough for me to write about here. It’s safe to say that with a population of less than 300 they practically give land away down there to anyone who is willing to stay, we kept riding.

Central Nevada has a strange and desolate beauty, which is quite different than the cacti you’d might expect in a desert.

If you look far to the west (left) in a couple of these pictures you can see the Sierras in the distance.

Somewhere around Hawthorne we came upon this couple with their classic truck and camper. I asked them if they take their truck and trailer to car shows and they don’t. They just like to restore old things and use them. They we so happy that I showed interest in their work, they even gave me a tour of the camper, which had all custom hardwood cabinets and furniture and modern appliances.

I thought Kendall could use some more old Nevada mining town time so we rode through Virginia City on the way to Reno.

Now that we are in Northern Nevada it feels like home because I lived in Carson City for 13 years but I still have many more miles to travel before I can rest.

Tomorrow we set out on the final four states in our ride.