Thursday, June 1st – Day 32 – Wandering Retirees

Moab, UT to Ely, NV via the “Loneliest Road in America”

Hi, again. Just a short note that it was a long day’s ride along exceedingly straight roads. We both got excited when a road sign indicated a curve, maybe even cautioning drivers to slow to 60. The mountains we saw in the far distance were a nice backdrop. For straight roads. Very straight. I may be repeating myself.
We’re spending the night in Ely, Nevada (pronounced “eelie”) having covered nearly 400 miles. Our total now is 5,100 for the trip. This town is a cute place, nestled between mountain ranges. A couple of notes:

There is so much space out here that even small houses have lots larger than NJ’s McMansions.
There are few opportunities to recycle. Recycling seems to be a foreign concept. Of course, since land is cheap, so would landfills be cheap. We find this very jarring. No one out here blinks an eye.

And wasteful. Portions here are huge and seem more than most people could finish so much goes to waste. More even than a Jersey diner. Same with water use. We’re used to thinking about conservation and recycling.

People are generally very willing and happy to talk and get to know one another. Even in supermarkets while your ice cream is melting. Gotta know what’s going on with the kids/spouse/parents, so forth. Have learned to take deep breaths while in line.

Tomorrow it’s off to Minden, NV, another way point to Yosemite, about 350 miles away. The map seems to show a lot more straight road. I’m sure I’ll dream of Olympic slalom. See you tomorrow on the blog.

At 50 miles …

100 miles …