The Loneliest Highway

US Highway 50 running through Nevada is called the Loneliest road in America because of the extreme distance between the towns.

The state even brags about it!

In fact, the communities along the highway have put together a tongue-in-cheek “Highway 50 Survival Kit.” The kit contains brochures and maps of the places along the route and a special Highway 50 passport which travelers can have validated in the five largest communities (Ely, Eureka, Austin, Fallon and Fernley).

Validated "passports" can be mailed in to be redeemed for a "I Survived the Loneliest Highway" pin and a “Survivor” certificate signed by the governor.

I found that finding someone to stamp my passport was not always easy....I had to really search for some of them. But I found that was part of the fun as we roamed through the towns and shops.

Yes, it is true...the drive along this road is pretty lonely. But there is always something to see in the desert, you just have to keep alert. As you near the town of Middlegate, watch for the Shoe tree. I was amused when I came across this big cottonwood tree in a roadside gully hung with hundreds of shoes. I even saw a pair of roller skates and a water ski hanging among the branches.

From a distance the tree seems to be holding a crop of fruit or maybe sort kind of companion plant like the Spanish moss of the South.

But as you drive closer you realize your mistake and wonder; .....how? .....and why?

From the look of the huge pile of shoes on the ground under the tree, not everyone has the luck of making their footwear hook onto a branch. I tried to toss some of the pile of shoes back into the tree but it is harder to do than it first appears.

If you would like more info on this and other Highway 50 attractions, do some web surfing by starting with these links:
http://www.magazineusa.com/us/states/show.aspx?state=nv&doc=30

http://www.roadtripamerica.com/roadside/shoetrees.htm