Day 11. After having our pic taken at the iconic Vegas sign we headed north via a short detour east to see the Hoover dam. Saw a programme a while back about the building of this and the massive problems they encountered but its not until you see the terrain for real that you can grasp the actual sheer scale of the work they faced. The guys that built this thing are true heros with some even losing their lives to it. Our next journey just had to be along the 375, better known as The Extraterrestrial Highway and to stop for a drink at The Little Aleinn. Anyone who has seen the film Paul will know this place but it was famous amongst UFO fans long beforehand. The road borders Area 51 and we kept our eyes open for any strange looking flying machines wizzing over the mountains that shield this highly secret facility that apparently didnt exist until the US Govt admitted it did a couple of years ago. Sadly we didnt encounter and hitchhiking aliens or see anything odd in the sky but I did get a cool fridge magnet and a tee shirt! What is quite eyeopening though is the vast nothingness. You know you are truly in the middle of nowhere when you see a road sign saying No Gas For 150 Miles. Just take a mo to process that, its like driving from Weymouth to beyond cental London without a petrol station. Heck theres only a couple of so called towns either which were just a gathering of a few trailers and shacks. Awesome desert scendry though and a road so straight youd think the Romans built it. Our bed formthe night was in Tonapah, an old western silver mining town ofmthe late 1800s. The Mizpah Hotel was built in1908 and really like stepping back in time. The cirrent owners have done a grand job in restoring it back to its former glory. Its reputedly haunted too by The Lady In Red whoa was murdered by a jealous lover on the 5th floor. Thankfully after a long drive and an excellent meal she failed to wake us from our slumbers. Ah well the road is calling again....
Posted on: Fri, 19 Sep 2014 16:19:29 +0000
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