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Driving Interstate 80 in Nevada and Utahalso see the Driving Highway 6 page for travel between SLC/Provo and Green River, Utah via Price, Helper and Castle Dale. Got Dinosaur? Get to Price...Comstock Historical Society and Virginia & Truckee Info:Virginia Truckee History -- Links -- Photos -- Discussion |
See the United States the Amtrak Way -- behind schedule
California's best railroad trip -- San Luis Obispo to Santa Barbara on the Coast Starlight
Why I Want Big Changes at Amtrak
| photos coming | THE SKI COMMUTE -- THE BETTER KNOWN PART OF I-80 Highway 80 is a well known connection between San Francisco, Sacramento, and Reno. The trip from Sacra-tomato, or "Sac," often begins with a stop at the excellent California Railroad History Museum in Old Town Sacramento. It's about a five minute walk from the Amtrak platform where the Capitols and Coast Starlights stop. Then there's the California Zephyr making stops at Sacramento on its way up the hill -- the California Zephyr continues along a historic trip to Reno along Judah's trans-Sierra Central Pacific route. Often the Sacramento Rail Museum volunteers are aboard to give their scripted speeches about interesting sights along the right of way between Sacramento and Reno. Some of the most exciting railroad history occured between Auburn and Truckee, in places with names like Colfax, Blue Canyon, Cisco, Hampshire Rocks, Troy, Soda Springs, Norden, the abandoned Donner Pass snowsheds, the bypass tunnel and Horseshoe Bend. I know this area well and will cover it in future pages. There's a little info at the old californianevada.com pages about Highway 160 from the Bay Area to Sacramento. Past Sacramento and Auburn, there information about Cisco Grove, the Lincoln Highway and Rainbow Lodge on Rainbow Road. DRIVING PAST RENO INTO THE DESERT IS FUN AND INTERESTING Many people dread driving Interstate 80 between Salt Lake City and Reno. "It's a wasteland" is a common refrain, and "are we there yet" comes from the kids in the back seat. "Where's the next McDonald's, are we there yet?" Your drive on Highway 80 can be a positive experience in history and sightseeing. If you can spare at least one hour somewhere in your travel schedule, you'll find a wealth of ways to make the trip interesting. Post trapper trade travelers have followed this route for over 150 years, starting with the emigrants on the California and Overland trail. The Pony Express routes run near Interstate 80, and helping to end the Pony Express, the Central Pacific built the transcontinental railroad along much of the emigrant trail in Nevada west of Elko. Fast forward to the 21st Century. Now, along with reminders of the past you can find a wide range of casinos, historical downtowns, wide open spaces, hunting, hiking, Alpine lakes, and the Armpit of America. Read on... RENO -- GREAT EVENTS OR CHEAP HOTEL ROOMS, NOT BOTH Reno is great. The city slogan is "We Love This Place." Despite recently being overrun with speculative over-development, Reno still has its charms. My favorite events are the Balloon Races and Hot August Nights. During these events it's impossible to find a cheap decent room. At other times, during the week, when there's no convention, in the off months like October and January-March, the casinos offer great rooms at cheap prices. The El Dorado and Silver Legacy downtown are the newest hotels, excepting the botique Sienna on the River. Reno has done a particularly good job redeveloping downtown with a riverwalk and increasingly upscale downtown. The Truckee River and the Amtrak trains run right through downtown, and the Reno Trench has recently relieved the surface streets from congestion. Reno has what many casino towns on Highway 80 have -- civilization in the wilderness. Nearby Sparks is home to John Escuaga's Nugget, on of my favorite places to stay. It's hard to go wrong at the Reno El Dorado either, ask for the economy rooms if you want to save a few bucks and don't need a lot of space. With Tahoe, Carson City, Virginia City, Truckee and bunches of ski areas nearby, Reno offers something for everyone with a friendly small town feel that Vegas could never replicate. NOW YOU'RE ON INTERSTATE 80 As a disclaimer, let me say, "in my humble opinion." IMHO, many tourists drive really badly on Interstate 80. While most people drive nearly exclusively in cities, with deadlines, traffic jams, rude drivers and speed contests, I feel most at home on Interstate 80. This is especially true when I drive east, away from California. You have to realize that you can die pretty quickly on Highway 80 if you don't follow a few simple rules: -- NEVER accelerate when changing lanes in slush, snow or ice. -- Your 4wd rental SUV doesn't stop any faster on ice than my VW -- Tailgating semi-trucks is never a good idea -- Plan lanes changes a mile ahead, not a second ahead -- Visualize using your turn signals -- Expect trucks to pass ahead of you suddenly pulling out -- Be patient with slower drivers, don't tailgate, wait -- If someone really wants the left lane, pass em on the right (for CO drivers, this is socially acceptable in other states) -- Conditions change, construction happenss, slow for the cone zone -- Look miles ahead for changing conditions -- Weekday or night driving can be safer -- I'd rather drive with truckers than tourists anytime -- YOU DOZE YOU DIE - stay awake on the road with caffeine SAFE NIGHTTIME DRIVING ON THE OPEN ROAD (I-80) A 15 minute powernap can wake you up, or if you don't wake up for hours you needed the sleep anyway. I don't know many cops who will get mad at you for playing it safe. Just tell the police, "I was trying to catch a nap, I hear it's a good way to stay awake." Then tell the cops that you're not going to Burning Man and they will let you go. WHITE LINE FEVER AKA HIGHWAY HYPNOSIS One reason to know something about the areas around Interstate 80 is to break up your trips. Unless you're pedal to the metal hell-bent to Utah, you can at least take a few mintues to drive the Business 80 routes that leave the freeway and pass through the downtowns of Northern Nevada. Whatever you do, mix it up a little. Highway Hypnosis is a real thing, and you don't want to hypnotize yourself onto the back of a semi-truck. I borrow an eye exercise from the computer world to keep my eyes fresh. Look at something close, like your hand or dashboard, then look at something outside the car maybe 100 feet away, then refocus back on the road as it stretches miles ahead. Your eyes will thank you. Here endeth the safety lesson. WHAT TO DO WHERE TO GO? BATTLE MOUNTAIN - LOVELOCK Battle Mountain calls itself "Basecamp to the American Outback" and used to hold the Old Spice "Armpit of America festival" after an east coast newswriter used the armpit quote. ELKO / CARLIN / PALISADE / LAMOILLE CANYON NAT. SCENIC BYWAY WELLS / ANGEL LAKE SCENIC BYWAY WENDOVER / STATELINE / NEW MONTEGO CASINO SALT LAKE / DESERT / SALT FLATS MORE CIVILIZATION -- SALT LAKE CITY / LEATHERBEES SALT LAKE VALLEY THE EXCELLENT ROADS TO WYOMING - I-80 AND Hwy 84 SOUTH ON 15 TO PROVO -- Highway 6 to Helper/Price, or onto Vegas? |