August 12th

Today started out with a "decison-making session"; which way to go?  West or south?  We opted to continue south heading to Twin Falls, ID.  It was here that an unusual phenomena ocurred.  The Triumph seemed to develop a mind of its own and directed us onto highway U.S.93 to Ely, NV.  This stretch with the Egan Range to our west and the Shell Creek Range to our east, was absolutely breath-taking.  We encountered very few automobiles and on ocassion saw no one for up to thirty minutes.  We didn't expect to have any difficulty finding a room in Ely, NV, afterall, it is not what you'd call a tourist town.  However, as we approached Ely, we encountered numerous hotrods and roadsters both approaching and leaving the town.  We knew something was up.  As we entered the town, the first thing that caught our attention, was that every motel was booked and no vacancies anywhere.  Thanks to a helpful clerk, we were directed to a small motel off the beaten path where we eventually got a room for the night.  However, this was not without difficulty.  Navigating through the small town of Ely was a virtual nightmare.  We drove past the park where a hotrod competition was taking place which explained some of the traffic.  However, talking with locals as we normally did when fuelling the car, we discovered the U.L.N.V. football team had their preseason football training camp in Ely.  Well, that explained the traffic!  We continued onto our motel and as entered the pot-holed driveway, the rear muffler exhaust clamp and hanger was torn off.  So before checking in I looked through my emergency travel kit and found I had sufficient clamps and hardware to reattach the exhaust.  As a matter of fact, it was more secure than the old system.  Needless to say, since we were in Nevada, there were casinos on every corner.  Russell found a Texas Hold-em table and I headed for some slots and Blackjack.  As before, at one of our previous casino stops, we both walked away winners.  There wasn't very much sleep that night and the next morning came quickly.  We were ready to tackle the "loniest road in America" at dawn.