Travelogue -- Dr Bob's US50 Motorcycle Ride
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17 May 2012, 10:00 PM PT, Carson City, NV

I rode 276 miles today, I have 4,644 total miles from North Palm Beach. The ride today was much like yesterday, but a little different. The ups and downs from mountain range to mountain range were far fewer. In fact, leaving Eureka, it was more than 40 miles before I had to climb, and the climb was less than it had been in the climbs yesterday. I don't remember for sure, but there must have been only two or three ranges I had to cross today. The scenery became more desert looking. The elevation has gone down 1,000 to 2,000 feet. The valley here in Carson City is about 4,000 feet above sea level. It was cloudy most of the day. I did not wear my rain jacket yesterday or today, the temperature was high enough that I did not need it. I had worn it at least part of the day every day since Washington, DC.

I took a picture of the countryside early on when I first noticed the change. Here's what it looks like.

This picture shows the vegetation better.

About an hour later I was at a summit, lower than the summits yesterday, and it looked different also, no trees.

Here's a sign I saw today. I saw one yesterday but could not stop to get a picture.

And another sign. This is saying free range, and cattle could be on the road. Looks like somebody has used the sign for target practice.

This picture illustrates the point I made yesterday about the straightness of the road across the valley. This valley was 14 miles wide.

A dust devil. It appeared much stronger a little earlier, but I was not close enough. By the time I stopped, it had disappeared, but then it came back but not as strong.

Here's a valley with a lot of salt. I suppose this happens because water collects when it rains, then leaves the salt runoff after the water evaporates. Of course, this is over thousands of years. Somebody tell me if I am wrong.

Here's a close up of the ground. The dimensions are about a foot or two wide.

Here's still another valley with the salt bottom.

Between Fernley and Carson City the vegatation was much more sparse. The countryside looked very brown. The sun was shining now also. Makes the pictures more vivid.

Approaching Carson City the clouds looked different, this type of cloud is a sign of high winds and mountains. You can see the Sierras in the background. It was very windy in the stretch between Fernley and Carson City. I had to lean the bike several degrees into the wind to go straight.

Carson City is the capitol of Nevada. You know what that means, I have to track down the Capitol and get a picture. I didn't forget. Here it is. It is almost hidden in the trees. You can only see it from this one direction. The dome is silver. What would you expect in the Silver State?

There was one statue in the Capitol, It is Sarah Winnemjucca, a 19th-century Paiute educator, advocate for Indian rights and the first Native woman to write a book. The statue is a duplicate of the statue installed in National Statuary Hall in Washington, D.C.