Grab 'Highway 50 Survival Kit' before driving east by Mark LaPointe, Outpost Staff In this package: Cloistered oasis is treasure Park claims long history Visitors escape stress No seasonal boundaries Baker guards gate An eye on the future   No trains or planes journey near the Great Basin National Park, so visitors will need to get into their cars and drive from Reno, Carson City, Las Vegas or Salt Lake City. Its about a six-hour drive from Reno or Carson, a little less from Vegas or Salt Lake. From Las Vegas, the park is accessible via U.S. Highway 93 North. From Salt Lake City, drivers will follow Interstate 80 West to Nevada and then Highway 93 South. U.S. Highway 50 East from Reno is the most direct route to the park. Dubbed "The Loneliest Road in America" by Life magazine, the two-lane highway often lives up to its name, greeting drivers with miles of emptiness and solitude. Life added that travelers needed "survival skills" to drive the route. In typical good humor, Nevadans rose to the challenge, and today's travelers can stop off at any number of visitor centers and chambers of commerce along the way to get their "Highway 50 Survival Kit." The kit points out historical sights along the road to help make the trip more interesting. For a more complete look at Highway 50 from Fallon to Ely, check out "The Loneliest Journey," also in this issue of Outpost. Next copyright 12/10/97 Nevada Outpost http://www.jour.unr.edu/outpost Nevada Outpost is produced by students at the Reynolds School of Journalism, University of Nevada, Reno Copyright 1999 Nevada Outpost http://www.jour.unr.edu/outpost  TOP