On our way to Idaho for Christmas we crossed Nevada on U.S. 50, the loneliest road in America. The drive is over 100 miles between Fallon and Austin and there are few traces of human activity along the way.
Austin is a tiny town in the middle of Nevada which swelled to over 10,000 people during a silver boom in the late 1800s. Now the 21st century has left it behind and it is struggling to stay afloat. There are several beautiful churches and homes in Austin, left over from the silver boom years.
Eureka is a bit more prosperous than Austin but it also has a number of shuttered old buildings.
We spent the night in Elko had had a Basque dinner at the Star Hotel, a Basque tradition for over 100 years. The restaurant was only a couple of blocks from Elko’s red light district (brothels are legal in Nevada). We couldn’t resist a photo of “Inez’s Dancing & Diddling.”
