The breakfast at the Ramada Limited in Green River, Utah was lousy. I arrived for breakfast at 8:25am and there were 3 waffles, some bread, no fruit, no yogurt, 3 cold eggs without shells sitting uncovered, some rock hard bulk donuts, and cheap flimsy paper plates. Wow, my most expensive room in 3 weeks and such a lousy breakfast! I do have to admit, the hotel did have good pillows.
I left Green River about 10am heading west on I-70. Stopped several places to enjoy the beautiful view and geological features of San Rafael Swell.
After a couple of hours, I reached Salina, Utah, and found its best known attraction, an old statue of Ute Chief Blackhawk which is sometimes misidentified as Milkshake Man. Other than the statue, Salina is known for a 1945 massacre of German POWs.
I am heading to Ely, Nevada, and my GPS unit seems like it wants to route me west on Utah SR-161 (to Utah SR-257 to US-50). Fortunately, an employee at a Chevron Station in Cove Fort, Utah convinces me not to go that way since "It is a dirt road, and not good at all". I subsequently confirmed this with satellite images. Unfortunately, I was unaware of the fort in Cove Fort, which offers daily free tours.
I headed north on I-15. It is interesting to see speed limit 80 MPH signs. It was raining and there was road work going on, so the actual 80 mile an hour drive was rather short lived.
I left I-15 heading west on a boring Utah portion of US-50 for about 2 hours until I hit the Nevada border.
It takes about an hour to reach Ely, Nevada from the Utah-Nevada border on US-50 (which becomes less flat and more interesting). I drove by the Bristlecone Motel (which was the #1 rated motel in Ely according to Tripadvisor.com) but there was No Vacancy. Actually, I should mention that I found Tripadvisor.com very useful during my road trip for its ordinal ranking of hotels (and motels) within a city. The number two rated hotel in Ely, The Hotel Nevada (and Gambling Hall), did have rooms available (and was less than $45 including tax, breakfast not included).
The Nevada Hotel and Gambling Hall is a very unique place. The 6 story building was built in 1929 and is full of memorabilia, curios, and old photos. My room on the fourth floor was large and the WiFi reception was great. The bed was a little soft for my taste. The bathroom was very small and had several signs warning about water pressure (but it worked great for me). The employees in the hotel, from desk clerk to waitress to bartender, were all very friendly and customer focused. The casino is comprised of slot machines on the ground floor, and a fairly small card room in the basement. At registration, I was given a coupon for a free Margarita at the casino bar, and a beer across the street at The Liberty Club. There was a 24 hour Happy Hour with 99 cent Margaritas and $1 beers.
The Hotel Nevada would be a great place for motorcycle riders or car clubs to visit. Actually, there were some guys there from some type of Corvette Club. The hotel and casino are fun and Highway 50 west of Ely is a great uncrowded road.
