Sparks, NV – 349 km

Another day of great desert riding along the virtually deserted Cedarville-Gerlach-Wadsworth highway. About the only downside was one (and only one) gravel covered corner – unfortunately toward the beginning of the ride so we lost confidence in the rest of the road. Skies were mostly of the high cloud variety and temperatures ranged from 11C to 27.5C. By the time we reached our destination we were both stripped down to the mesh jackets only.

We made a number of stops along the way because there are some very interesting small towns. The first was Eagleville, CA, a small farming community where we met the owners of the Eagleville General Store which wasn’t quite open yet as they were renovating. We wished them luck. There certainly isn’t much around there to help keep their new business venture going so hopefully they have full support of the surrounding farmers.

Eagleville

At one of the many little private lakes along the way there were several trailers and a large contingency of ATV riders came out onto the highway making their way into the desert. We can image it must be fun exploring the backcountry that way. They were all geared up with the provisions they needed for the day – extra fuel, tires, water cans and we are pretty sure a good supply of beer and jerky!

Then we made a lunch stop in Gerlach, NV at Brunos. Bruno Selmi came alone to America on a boat from Italy at a tender age, leaving the post-war Old World behind for a life of better prospects. He wandered the States, picking up odd jobs and cooking for a living, until he settled in Gerlach and opened a restaurant. He then expanded into real estate, motel ownership, etc. The townsfolk of Gerlach seem to love him and his places. “Bruno’s a genuine Gerlach icon,” they say. “His ravioli is famous. He’s like our unofficial mayor.” Bruno was there today – asleep in the bar, with his head resting on one of the tables. After all he is 92 years old. We were going to say hi but he had awoken and disappeared when we finished lunch. Maybe he had gone to the toilet.  Anyway, he owns the town and has been trying unsuccessfully to sell it for a while now.

Next we stopped at Empire, NV. Well, we stopped at the general store in Empire because the company town of Empire is deserted, locked and gated. You see, Empire is Nevada’s newest ghost town since the gypsum company shut down in 2013. The company gave notice to its 95 employees allowing them to stay until the school year ended. The housing for all these workers was provided by the company and all the houses sit empty now. However, this area is kept alive by tourism because the Burning Man celebration once a year in August brings in 50000 people for a week. Sort of like our area’s Shambala we are guessing. We saw plenty of trailers and motorhomes waiting to be rented. There was also a reference to the support from “Burning Man” at one of the schools where funds had been donated to purchase a field of solar panels to economically power the school’s needs.

Comfy corner at the Empire General Store

Here we are ON FRIDAY at the Nugget. FRIDAY means seafood buffet with all-you-can eat Alaska King Crab. Which is why we are here! Tomorrow morning we head to the SF Bay area.