On the Road Again - VW Vanagon Style

Written by Karen.

After a flurry of last-minute activities and fond goodbyes, we began our road trip under cloudy skies and rain showers and headed east along Highway 50 into Nevada. Dubbed the "Loneliest Road in America" by Life Magazine in their July 1986 issue, the label - instead of being a deterrent for us driving a yet untested 1984 VW Vanagon - piqued our interest and curiosity. Life Magazine wrote, "We don't recommend it.  We warn all motorists not to drive there unless they're confident of their survival skills." We are up for the challenge!

The air is cool and damp, and Chinook takes the elevation gains and drops like a champ. Highway 50 is a two-lane highway, but there are vast stretches of distance and time when we seem to have the entire world to ourselves. We can't drive fast; Chinook operates best at speeds between 50 and 62 miles per hour.  We begin to appreciate and notice our surroundings a bit more as we travel slowly. We notice that despite the chill of the high desert Nevada spring air, the wildflowers are starting to bloom and there are endless fields of green, red, yellow and white.  Nevada is not necessarily a bunch of rocks in the middle of nowhere.  First stop: Lahontan State Recreation Area.  

Lahontan State Recreation Area - Nevada

As we drove up to the edge of the water, we
were the only ones in sight.  We had the entire
campground to ourselves.

We awoke the next morning to a clear and sunny
day.  The campsites were actually down below, but we
didn't push our luck driving in the soft and soggy sand.

Impressive off-road action shot!

In search of Highway 50 again...