One Park, One Museum, One Stamp at a Time
A journey that was...out of this worldAfter our final night in Las Vegas, we hit the road for Great Basin National Park. We decided to take the scenic route and travel The Extraterrestrial Highway, Nevada State Route 375. This route takes you deep into the heart of the Nevada desert and as close to the infamous Area 51 as the government will allow. The most direct route to Great Basin would take US 93 north the entire route. We did travel on US 93 on our way to NV 375 when, through the seemingly end miles of desert, we stumbled upon Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge. I had seen Pahranagat on the map and grabbed a brochure at the Las Vegas BLM office but was blown away by the sudden appearance of a green oasis and lake in the midst of the Nevada desert. We exited the highway and drove around the refuge for about 15 minutes. The visitor center is only open on the weekends during the summer so we could not pay a visit but I walked around the surrounding area where they had some informative signs and a brief interpretive trail. The refuge was a beautiful respite from the harsh desert landscape. We returned to the road and arrived in Crystal Springs about 30 minutes later. Town is a strong word when describing the cluster of a few small buildings. Crystal Springs is the official start of The Extraterrestrial Highway and NV 375. You know you are approaching ET territory when you see large signs for ET Fresh Jerky and a large metallic alien statue outside a building called the Alien Research Center. Nevada State Route 375 was officially renamed The Extraterrestrial Highway in 1996 in an effort to attract travelers. The area is famous for its proximity to Area-51, a top secret Air Force facility where many strange aircraft have been sighted. I read online that as few as 200 vehicles travel the road on any given day. You absolutely feel the isolation and have a sense of being completely alone with just the road ahead of you. We saw very few cars pass by us traveling the other direction and I don't know that I saw any cars in my rear view mirror at any point. The area around the highway is open range and we did see cattle lounging on the road a few times. The only real points of interest along the path are the road to Area 51 and the tiny town of Rachel, NV. About a half hour before you get to Rachel, you will pass a dirt road heading off a great distance toward the west. The road is far too well maintained to be a rancher's driveway and, according the people in Rachel, is the road to Area 51. Rachel is home to the Little A'Le'Inn, a small restaurant and inn. We stopped at the Little A'Le'Inn for lunch and to take a break from driving. The food was pretty good considering you are at a dive bar 100 miles from the nearest gas station. We talked briefly with the waiter and perused their wall of souvenirs for sale. We picked up a few bumper stickers and they even had a cool stamp for my passport book. We bid farewell to the Little A'Le'Inn and continued our long trek north. The Extraterrestrial Highway ends in Warm Springs at the junction with US Highway 6. Here we turned northeast toward Ely. NV 375 was well worth the detour. The drive is stunning and a great chance to truly feel disconnected from the world. Around 2 and half hours after leaving Rachel we entered Ely, NV. Ely is a decent size town with a cool main street cutting through town. We stopped to stretch our legs and wandered through one of the old casinos. I discovered that Nevada has its own passport program for Highway 50, "The Loneliest Road in America." I was able to pick one of these "Survival Guides" at Great Basin and picked up a few stamps. From Ely we headed east to Great Basin, about an hour away.
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