Summer Solstice

Austin to Eureka

We camped a few miles outside of Austin last night, at Bob Scott campground, which, to my surprise, was free!  It was a great place to stay, and I built the fire, which is one of my favorite parts of camping.  Keeping the four necessary components (thanks, Dad) of newspaper, kindling, logs, oxygen in mind, I set up the logs in lean-to fashion.  Within 15 minutes, we were roasting hot dogs.  

In the morning, I built another fire, over which we boiled water for oatmeal in a blue, porcelain-coated kettle that I bought on the side of the road from a self-proclaimed junk peddler from Pioche, NV.  Dressed in white overalls, a flannel shirt, and only one shoe, he was quite the character.  After breakfast, we headed back into town to get our highway 50 survival guides stamped.  If we get stamps from every town along the way, we get a certificate congratulating us on surviving the loneliest highway.  Nevada’s bureau of tourism is smart.  What a great way to spin a negative comment about highway 50 (“the loneliest road”, AAA representative, Life Magazine, July, 1986) and make it into a tourist attraction.  

In Austin, I asked a few people at the Toiyabe Cafe on the main street about Austin’s waste collection program.  Since it was a Sunday, there were few people to talk to.  All that I could gather was that there is no recycling or compost program, but there is a waste-collection program, and the dumpsters get emptied once a week.  Fascinating. 

On the way into Eureka, Dave and Austin were pelted by rain, hail, and lightning.  Already in town—though out of cell phone range—I had no idea what was happening down the hill.  Luckily, they were fine, and we checked into the Best Western for the night.  Beds, a hot tub, showers, and a continental breakfast sounded pretty appealing. 

Later in the evening, we climbed up a hill where we were greeted with an incredible view of the town and the surrounding mountains and valleys.  We got to the top just in time to watch the sun set on the longest day of the year.  Happy summer.