Chasing passport stamps & surviving Nevada’s ‘Loneliest Road’ challenge
Heading out on a road trip to Nevada, I carefully packed along two passports. No, I didn’t need a citizenship passport for Nevada – although the Silver State can sometimes be endearingly quirky. I had in my proud possession two passport-size brochures: The Official Nevada Highway 50 Survival Guide, and the Nevada State Parks passport.
My goal was not only to spend a couple of weeks meandering Nevada’s highways, byways, deserts, ghost towns, and parks. I was also going to enthusiastically accept the Travel Nevada challenge to collect stamps in my Highway 50 “Loneliest road in America” passport. The “carrot” was an unnamed gift and a certificate if you collect a minimum of five stamps from eight different communities along the forlorn swath called Highway 50.
But that wasn’t enough of a challenge for me:
I also had my Nevada State Parks passport that lists the state’s now 27 state parks, teasing me to fill those pages with stamps, too.
Then, once I got to Great Basin National Park, I discovered that adults could also do the games and riddles in a brochure and earn a Junior Ranger Night Explorer patch for children, allegedly. Ooooo, I’m in!
This all sounds like travel games for distracted kids, but activities like collecting patches and stamps and solving ranger riddles force you to go beyond your norm, push your limits just a bit, learn more about your destination, and challenge yourself to see or do things you might not normally see or do.
And isn’t that what travel is all about in the end?
Less than lonely on Nevada’s Loneliest Road
My first stop on the Loneliest Road was Austin, Nevada. And that is indeed a lonely place, officially called a “living” ghost town. Records show a population of, well, one, which conflicts with its own website that claims more than 300. I found the owner of a part-time B&B, got a tour, and learned more about Austin’s lively mining history. But I didn’t stay to count residents. The one restaurant remaining only opens when the owner is in the mood.
Then I was off to Eureka. I exited lonely 50 to look for a town stamp. Sadly, the museum and tourist office were closed, but who am I to take “no” for an answer? I wandered into the town post office, found the nicest employees, and they told me about some unusual mining sights and then gave me my desired stamp. Score!
Would I have walked down Eureka’s main street if I hadn’t been searching for a stamp? Likely not. Would I have heard about these historic mining sights up the hill? Nope. I also discovered another town worth a drop-in next time.
Baker, Nevada, which boasts a population of about 21 or so, seems a bit desolate but features one great store called the Bristlecone General Store. The owner, Liz, calls her shop “a place of comfort, coffee, and conversation.” It’s adorable, with snacks, great coffee, books, a reading nook, fresh-baked cookies (Could I resist the last lonely chocolate chip?), and a place to hang out. Yup, Liz gave me my sought-after stamp. And this place is a must-visit if you are headed to or from Great Basin National Park.
After easily collecting my fourth stamp in Ely, getting my fifth and last stamp became challenging. So close…. I was determined to get my certificate. I wasn’t going through Fernley or Fallon on my way back, although I’d been through each on prior trips. So, I had to get off the freeway in Dayton. What the heck is in Dayton, I thought. Turns out a lot more than you think – a quaint, historic downtown, a museum, a state park, and a saloon where Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable, and Montgomery Clift filmed the 1961 movie, “The Misfits.” Yup, right there in littl’ ol’ Dayton. And you reckon they are dang proud of it.
Unfortunately, it was 6 p.m., and nothing was open. Thwarted! But I was forced to take a walkabout in Dayton – someplace I had never been. I made myself a promise to come back!
That left only Carson City for my desperately needed fifth stamp. I stopped at the Nevada State Museum – and again made a great discovery: a gift shop filled with all kinds of local arts and crafts, and a museum with a surprising depth of history exhibits and demonstrations. But, alas, no stamp. Was I going to give up? Heck, no. I asked around and discovered that the “Visit Carson City” office was next door, and unbeknownst to even the museum staff, there was a kiosk on the side of the building with stickers that would take the place of a stamp.
I was now officially golden!
I am now a Junior Ranger Night Explorer, too – although my buddy Dieter thinks he is
While in Great Basin National Park, I also picked up the Junior Ranger Night Explorer pamphlet. Meant for kids ages 5-12, but you’re as young as you feel! And I felt pretty young. And cocky -- how hard could this be? HA. HA. HA.
A friend and I took to the pages with glee, expecting a walk in the park. The next thing we knew, we were learning about sunspots, constellations, and light pollution through word jumbles and riddles. We were asked to observe around us, and we even made a planisphere to find constellations in the night sky. (Great Basin is proud of its dark skies as an International Dark Sky Park.)
I found myself looking at stars a little differently. And I earned my junior ranger patch – after taking the mandatory oath. Although we couldn’t help exclaiming a few times, “This is for five-year-olds?!?!” More than 400 national parks and public lands have junior ranger programs to help kids (and, yes, adults) learn more about the park, nature, and animals. Just ask next time you are in a park. And earn your patch, too!
How did I miss Nevada’s State Parks passport program?
Last year, I was gathering stamps in the Nevada State Parks passport, but just for the fun of it. Each park’s stamp is designed to highlight something in the park, which gives you more to think about. Only recently did I learn that if you collect stamps from 15 parks, Nevada State Parks will gift you a free annual parks pass, valid for once in your lifetime. That ain’t chicken feed, since it would normally cost $100 for a year, yet a parks representative told me very few actually complete this challenge.
So here I sit, with just 12 of the 15 stamps needed—dang it!! OK, I’d been to two other parks but didn’t think to snag stamps at the time. I'm so close! I guess I have my work cut out for me on my next road trip to Nevada.
By the way, I received my “gift” for completing the Loneliest Road challenge – a nice “I Survived” pin (which Dieter is now wearing) and a Loneliest Road sticker – as well as a certificate noting “Fortis Fortuna Adiuvat.”
Or “Fortune Favors the Brave.”
— Story by Therese Iknoian - See more photos by Therese Iknoian here – all available for purchase for gifts or just for you!
Sounds like a fun trip! Wish I had known about these challenges a couple of years ago, when I drove the loneliest road to Great Basin, then on to Escalante.