The first stop was coffee and breakfast at the Coffee Mug Family Restaurant in Elko, Nevada. It’s cold out here today, enough so that before we leave town, there’s still a thick layer of frost on the roof of our car when we stop to fill the tank.
Wide-open space will stay with us all day as even our destination is in a desolate corner out in the middle of nowhere. If you think we get bored of this kind of scenery, you’d be sadly wrong, as out here, we know we are heading into adventure and new sights the likes we’ve never dreamed of.
While difficult to read these days, the Orovada Store in Orovada, Nevada, closed more than a few years ago. Interestingly, the old red gas pump displaying Ethyl for $0.74 per gallon also claims the pump was retired in 1993, so while this place might look like it has not seen business for about 50 years, it must have closed somewhere during the past 20 or so.
Not able to remember if we’d taken a photo at this state border crossing, it was time to pull over for another obligatory selfie in front of a state sign. We’ve got quite the collection of these by now as we’ve been snapping these for the better of 15 years, give or take.
Four hours into our trek north, and there’s just enough civilization out there to suit us fine.
When you cannot find nearby civilization, you look into your ice chest, and there it is. Lunch is courtesy of Giovanni Scorzo of Andreoli Italian Grocer in Scottsdale, Arizona. There is so much to tell about this generous man who has spoiled Caroline and me during the previous year, but that’s a story requiring its own blog entry. This kind of roadside feast is a luxury that adds perfection to the day.
Still traveling north on Interstate 95, we would be ready for a nap if it weren’t for the compelling vistas that snap our attention to being fully alert.
We’ve transitioned over to Highway 78. That’s right, even more desolation.
On our way to Crane, Oregon, we spot a sign alerting us to the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. It’s early enough in the day, so we decide to stop in. The visitor center was closed, and I can’t remember if it was because of the time of year or if this particular day was their day off, so we headed to the lake. That road to the lake does not take us to the lake. Instead, it takes us to a dead-end that, from our vantage point, suggests it’s quite the hike to the water’s edge. We would have been well-served to go on that walk.
Somewhere between the bridge in the previous picture and near this sign, we got a flat tire. There’s NO cell service out here, not that it matters, as we have a spare. I get to changing the spare on what “looks” like level ground, and as the left front tire is just finished being unbolted, the car starts to roll forward. Yeah I know, emergency break, brick behind a tire, or something, but this was my situation. Caroline had to lean against the front of the car to stop the thing from rolling off the jack. I’m panicked because if the car rolls off the jack and the tire falls off, we’ll never get the car jacked up again, and there’s NO cell service and the visitors center is CLOSED. Of course, walking to the road would have been an option, except it was 6 miles to the road and 58 miles to the nearest town. Well, it turns out that this wildlife refuge had even more excitement coming to it after our minor situation when, six weeks later, the refuge was occupied by the Bundy family. By the time we arrived in Crane, it was dark and seriously cold.
Cold was perfect, though, because we weren’t just staying in Crane; we were booked for the night at the Crystal Crane Hot Springs, where a giant natural pool of 102-degree water steeped in minerals was awaiting our visit. There can be no exaggeration about how perfect this was, and we can enthusiastically recommend a visit to this place. BTW, we had also booked some private time in one of the bathhouses with a giant tub of mineral water in a cedar-enclosed room. All-in-all a wonderfully perfect day.