Two very interesting USA highway stretches....

2017ish

2017ish

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I will post a more detailed new thread later on our present road trip, but thought these two sections of today's 560 mile drive deserved a shout out.

First, US 50 from Lake Tahoe to Carson City, NV. Wow. What a display of the impact of a rain shadow! From Alpine forest to scruffy desert without ever touching the gas pedal...

Second, I-15 between the Nevada border and St. George, Utah. Driving up the Virgin River Gorge, immediately followed by the red rocks of Utah (starting in Arizona) was mind-boggling. DW made her best effort at filling up her camera's memory card on this short section of road.

If you have the chance, both of these are well worth driving. For us, they were even better because they were unexpected.
 
Thanks for sharing. I'm especially impressed with the sky! Neither the Midwest where I am now and especially Oahu have such clear skies as a rule. I drove from SLC to Denver on the "back roads" and was very impressed with the geography. It was, of course, much more lush in terms of vegetation. But the mountains were amazing and the air was clear as crystal. I wish I could remember the exact route but I avoided Interstate where possible though I don't usually do that. (Over 30 years ago, now.)
 
If you’re in the South, try the Natchez Trace from Nashville to Natches. 444 miles of two lane country highway without a single stop sign or stop light on the highway. Also, no commercial trucks are allowed on the highway. It’s not as GRAND as I15, but it is very pretty and full of interesting history. Andy Jackson traveled down the Trace with his army to kick the British out of New Orleans. Merriwether Lewis is buried just off the highway. Get the Park Service map and guide before you go.


I drove it in late September Early October. Sadly, due to a cool Summer the Fall colours were late. But, it was still a great drive. Max speed is 45mph. Plan an overnight stop.

Apparently, this is one of those regional delights that the locals try to keep to themselves.
 
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2017ish said:
First, US 50 from Lake Tahoe to Carson City, NV. Wow. What a display of the impact of a rain shadow! From Alpine forest to scruffy desert without ever touching the gas pedal...
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Yeah. We have drive that stretch many times. Beautiful area.
 
2017ish said:
<snip>

Second, I-15 between the Nevada border and St. George, Utah. Driving up the Virgin River Gorge, immediately followed by the red rocks of Utah (starting in Arizona) was mind-boggling. DW made her best effort at filling up her camera's memory card on this short section of road.

If you have the chance, both of these are well worth driving. For us, they were even better because they were unexpected.
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The Virgin River Gorge is really pretty with a couple inches of snow on the red rocks and cactus.
 
Chuckanut said:
If you’re in the South, try the Natchez Trace from Nashville to Natches. 444 miles of two lane country highway without a single stop sign or stop light on the highway. Also, no commercial trucks are allowed on the highway. It’s not as GRAND as I15, but it is very pretty and full of interesting history. Andy Jackson traveled down the Trace with his army to kick the British out of New Orleans. Merriwether Lewis is buried just off the highway. Get the Park Service map and guide before you go.


I drove it in late September Early October. Sadly, due to a cool Summer the Fall colours were late. But, it was still a great drive. Max speed is 45mph. Plan an overnight stop.

Apparently, this is one of those regional delights that the locals try to keep to themselves.
Click to expand...
I'm putting this one on my "to do" list though I'm hardly in the South.

Couple of questions. Hope this one doesn't sound silly: Is there a preferred direction of travel (north to south or south to north?) I would likely take I-55 to or from the terminus. To or from Nashville, the car already knows the way.

If the best time is in the Fall, what about spring/early summer (which likely would w*rk better for us?) I like to "lazy" sight seeing when the days are long.

Are accommodations readily available along the way or is it imperative to have reservations? We're more of a "stop when we're tired" vs "plan every stop" kinda travelers.

We maybe could squeeze this in within the next month, but it might take me that long to talk DW into that long car trip. (I've mentioned before that I wanted to do highway 1/101 on the west coast and she balked. I finally told her I was going and she was welcome to join me or stay home - she went with me and loved it.)

Thanks for the idea and any details. :greetings10:
 
I'm also a fan of I-50 from Tahoe to Ely NV, dubbed the loneliest road in America. Several cool little mining towns from back when, like Eureka and Austin, and you will only see a few cars. Take 278 up from Eureka and you can drive for miles without seeing a manmade structure or a car. Now that is a lonely road!
 
We've done both of those drives quite a few times and I agree they're both great. Did you get much smoke on 50 from the fire that's burning north of Carson City?
 
Koolau said:
I'm putting this one on my "to do" list though I'm hardly in the South.

Couple of questions. Hope this one doesn't sound silly: Is there a preferred direction of travel (north to south or south to north?) I would likely take I-55 to or from the terminus. To or from Nashville, the car already knows the way.

If the best time is in the Fall, what about spring/early summer (which likely would w*rk better for us?) I like to "lazy" sight seeing when the days are long.

Are accommodations readily available along the way or is it imperative to have reservations? We're more of a "stop when we're tired" vs "plan every stop" kinda travelers.

We maybe could squeeze this in within the next month, but it might take me that long to talk DW into that long car trip. (I've mentioned before that I wanted to do highway 1/101 on the west coast and she balked. I finally told her I was going and she was welcome to join me or stay home - she went with me and loved it.)

Thanks for the idea and any details. :greetings10:
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I don’t think it is better one direction or the other. I did find the Southern half of it somewhat more interesting. There are plenty of towns and cities that parallel the Trace. Those have the hotels and eateries you will need. I don’t recall any restaurants, gas stations or hotels that are right on the Trace. I guess that’s the price you pay for no stop signs and no stop lights. Of course, there are roads that cross it and they have stop signs but only for the cars on the other road, not the Trace.

Search on Natchez Trace tips and you will find a ton of resources.
 
Chuckanut said:
If you’re in the South, try the Natchez Trace from Nashville to Natches. 444 miles of two lane country highway without a single stop sign or stop light on the highway. Also, no commercial trucks are allowed on the highway. It’s not as GRAND as I15, but it is very pretty and full of interesting history. Andy Jackson traveled down the Trace with his army to kick the British out of New Orleans. Merriwether Lewis is buried just off the highway. Get the Park Service map and guide before you go.


I drove it in late September Early October. Sadly, due to a cool Summer the Fall colours were late. But, it was still a great drive. Max speed is 45mph. Plan an overnight stop.

Apparently, this is one of those regional delights that the locals try to keep to themselves.
Click to expand...
Agree. It is a very pleasant drive. Also apparently fun to do on bicycles (according to DW's aunt and other enthusiasts).
 
cathy63 said:
We've done both of those drives quite a few times and I agree they're both great. Did you get much smoke on 50 from the fire that's burning north of Carson City?
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We didn't notice it on Sunday--and DW was getting out to take pictures every so often...

We did notice it last week when we came through Reno to Tahoe on our way from Lassen Volcanic National Park (and, a bit more smoke on the more northerly sections of the jaunt earlier in the trip)
 
During the first half of July, I drove CA 36 from US 395 near Susanville to US 101 near Fortuna. CA 36 supposedly has 1,811 turns over ~250 miles. I parted ways from the first car group at CA 44. There was nobody else on the road for most of the way until I got near Interstate 5 at Red Bluff. That was magical, winding down the mountains through Trinity National Forest down to the Sacramento River in the late afternoon.

The next morning I joined the second car group to take on the twistiest section of CA 36. There were some highway maintenance stops on the 2 lane road, but luckily it wasn't as hot under the incredibly scenic redwood forest. We got out of our Miatas to chat and admire the scenery during the long waits, so definitely a different experience. Once past the road work, there were plenty of fun technical turns with no one ahead of us, because logging trucks and most other vehicles pulled over and waved us through. How nice!

Sadly, CA 36 east of Red Bluff has been devastated by the ~430k acre Park Fire started July 24 near Chico (arson).
 
More Cowbell said:
During the first half of July, I drove CA 36 from US 395 near Susanville to US 101 near Fortuna. CA 36 supposedly has 1,811 turns over ~250 miles. I parted ways from the first car group at CA 44. There was nobody else on the road for most of the way until I got near Interstate 5 at Red Bluff. That was magical, winding down the mountains through Trinity National Forest down to the Sacramento River in the late afternoon.

The next morning I joined the second car group to take on the twistiest section of CA 36. There were some highway maintenance stops on the 2 lane road, but luckily it wasn't as hot under the incredibly scenic redwood forest. We got out of our Miatas to chat and admire the scenery during the long waits, so definitely a different experience. Once past the road work, there were plenty of fun technical turns with no one ahead of us, because logging trucks and most other vehicles pulled over and waved us through. How nice!

Sadly, CA 36 east of Red Bluff has been devastated by the ~430k acre Park Fire started July 24 near Chico (arson).
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Sounds like a very enjoyable drive. Have you driven the Tail of the Dragon?
 
During lockdown, members of my car club drove cross country just to drive the Tail of the Dragon! I was not retired then, I would've joined them.
 
On this same trip, I was washing my windshield at a gas station in Bridgeport ($6.99/gal for premium!) on US 395 while waiting for the rest of my group to finish their ice cream and got to talking to an off-road adventure motorcyclist from Montreal. He was riding a new section of the CA Backcountry Discovery Route (BDR). Pretty neat! Not for me though, I want a bed and shower at the end of a travel day.
 
Drove the Tail in my Miata with my son. Had a blast!
 
calmloki said:
I'm also a fan of I-50 from Tahoe to Ely NV, dubbed the loneliest road in America. Several cool little mining towns from back when, like Eureka and Austin, and you will only see a few cars. Take 278 up from Eureka and you can drive for miles without seeing a manmade structure or a car. Now that is a lonely road!
Click to expand...
Driving that stretch runs the risk of getting "buzzed" by F-18s and F-35s from Top Gun or air wing training.
 
How long to get to Tale of the Dragon from Asheville? Is there more to see and experience than those 11 miles?
 
The drive from Prescott Valley to Jerome in AZ is something like 156 turns in 12 miles. Lots of slow to 15 or 20 type.
 
2017ish said:
I will post a more detailed new thread later on our present road trip, but thought these two sections of today's 560 mile drive deserved a shout out.

First, US 50 from Lake Tahoe to Carson City, NV. Wow. What a display of the impact of a rain shadow! From Alpine forest to scruffy desert without ever touching the gas pedal...

Second, I-15 between the Nevada border and St. George, Utah. Driving up the Virgin River Gorge, immediately followed by the red rocks of Utah (starting in Arizona) was mind-boggling. DW made her best effort at filling up her camera's memory card on this short section of road.

If you have the chance, both of these are well worth driving. For us, they were even better because they were unexpected.
Click to expand...
Have done the I-15 one from Nevada to Utah and I agree. It’s spectacular!
 
As far as Interstate Highways go, I would say our drive last summer through WEST VIRGINIA on I-64 was one of the most beautiful stretches of Interstate I have experienced.
 
US6 from Ely NV to Tonapah NV. One car in back of me in 126 miles. 7 cars coming the other way.
 
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