Highway 50: Only lonely when standing still by Mark LaPointe, Outpost Staff In this package: Fallon - Gateway to 50 Austin - nostalgic past Eureka - Hwy 50 highest pt. Ely - boomtown of the 90's Baker and Great Basin N.P.   According to the Nevada Commission on Tourism, from April of 1860 through October of 1861 the legendary pony express crossed Nevada on its way between St. Joseph, Mo. to Sacramento, Cal. Although the pony express fell victim to technology with the advent of the transcontinental telegraph line, travelers across U.S. Highway 50 through Nevada can see much of the same wilderness and desert isolation as those early messengers. Life magazine described the portion of Highway 50 that runs from Fallon to Ely, Nev., as "the loneliest road in America." Many, such as Nevada's Commission on Tourism, dispute this title. In fact, literature from the Commission on Tourism states that "travelers will find that, far from being lonely, Highway 50 is filled with interesting places and people." Nonetheless, even the commission has taken up the label and issues a "Highway 50 Survival Kit" for travelers, available at chambers of commerce and visitor centers along the famed route. If you're traveling across the state, be sure to stop along the way and pick up your kit. You'll find that that, far from being lonely, Highway 50 is full of interesting destinations and history. Nonetheless, as you travel the six-plus hour trip between Fallon and Great Basin National Park, you'll find yourself counting the distance between cars in miles and the time between towns in hours.   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