Day 4 - Water Canyon to Hamilton

Morning in Water Canyon

Today was a good day. I woke up before the sun after pulling into camp and going straight to bed last night. With coffee in hand, I started working on my travel-log blog entry and the Relive video I’ve been creating for each day. Connectivity in Water Canyon was terrible, so I drove down out of the campsite to find a spot with a signal—and the views on that short drive were absolutely glorious.

It really drove home how much I don’t want to be driving in the dark. Last night I missed a lot of scenery, and finding a campsite after sunset is never much fun. But once I had service, I finally got the Relive video uploaded to YouTube and finished the blog post. Going forward, I’m going to try to get everything posted in the evening so I can roll out more quickly in the morning.

Hot-Spring Detour

Coming out of Water Canyon, I passed through Winnemucca, then took I-80 for about 50 miles before connecting with Highway 305. Catherine, Alex, Katarina, and I drove this same road home from Thanksgiving last year—but it was all in the dark, so we had no idea what we were missing. The landscapes today were spectacular.

My first big stop was a detour down a washboard road toward a hot spring. I made it about a hundred yards before realizing I needed to air down, and once I did, the ride was much smoother. The spring itself was enclosed in a wire cage, feeding warm water through a pipe into a bright blue 10-foot-diameter pool. It looked inviting, but I decided not to climb in.

When I got back to the pavement, I spent about 15 minutes airing the tires back up. While I was doing that, a state patrol officer and a local both stopped to see if I needed help—Nevada hospitality on full display.

On the Road to Eureka

Back on 305, I soon turned onto Highway 50 toward Eureka, with Ely as the final destination for the day. Before reaching town, I stopped at a set of easily accessed Petroglyphs. They weren’t as grand as the ones Catherine and I saw in New Mexico during the eclipse trip, but according to a local I talked with, these were around 10,000 years old—which is incredible to think about. No interpretive signs, so their meaning is anyone’s guess. (Part of me always wonders how many of these were just ancient teenagers tagging rocks.)

Eureka

Eureka bills itself as the friendliest town on the loneliest road, and it lived up to the slogan. I stopped for fuel and noticed a sign for the museum, so I headed up a block to check it out. The open sign was out with a phone number to call. I dialed, and Cindy came up from the Opera House to let me in.

I’m glad I stopped. The museum was once the office of the Eureka Sentinel. The last issue was printed in 1960; two days later the proprietor passed away, and the building was locked exactly as it was. It stayed that way until 1980, when the city purchased it and several other properties and turned them into museums. The print shop in the back looks like someone stepped out for lunch and never returned—Linotype machine, presses, everything.

Cindy has lived in Eureka for 26 years after spending several years living on a sailboat (with some Jimmy Buffett stories sprinkled in). She’s been working at the museum for about three months and has all sorts of plans, including trying to get the old Linotype running again. After the museum tour, she took me and another visitor across the street for a tour of the Opera House as well.

Eureka was founded on gold mining and had more than 10,000 residents in the 1870s. Today it’s down in the 6,000s but still very much a mining community. On my way out of town, I detoured up to Ruby Hill to take a look at the mine before heading toward Ely.

Ending the Day

Partway to Ely, I realized I’d be arriving after dark—and I’m officially done hunting for campsites at night. I checked iOverlander and found a great little BLM campground along the route. I pulled in while it was still light and settled in for the evening.

Another long day in the van, but filled with absolutely stunning scenery. Tomorrow I’ll get up early to explore a couple of nearby ghost towns before heading toward Cathedral Gorge.