Oh this was grand. And the donuts. I can't argue or chastise. What's the point! If we're all going to die someday, let's make it 'by donut'. It's civilized. And if there are no donuts, eat a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup to sustain you until you can get to the donut shop.
By the way, I loved your homage to the Austin minimart. It's the only sane and safe place in that town to eat these days. Of course, there's a nice little park at the east end of town and maybe the toilets will work on the day you visit.
Thanks, Sue! The mini mart upped their game at some point in the last few years. Much nicer. Is that diner still open in the middle of town? Also, my beloved Pony Canyon Motel went through some changes, from what they told me at the mini mart last year. Can't post it in public, but wow. I like Austin. The old guy at the bottom of the hill has gone on to the next world. I loved him, as well.
Hi Paul. I haven't been IN Austin in about three years, but just yesterday, Jeff and I were within rock-throwing distance. We could see it from where we got out to stretch during a "Sunday drive" to Middlegate. After our hamburgers, we drove over 722 to where it meets Hwy 50 near the Austin Airport, where we turned westward again. Since we haven't worked the Pony Express in a couple of years, we haven't gone through Austin. That minimart was pretty nice, but how did they upgrade? Do they now have an actual cafe? The Toyabie Cafe died from COVID.The owners of the International Cafe have gone insane since Trump's first election, from what I've read in reviews that have since been buried. Apparently, the old lady chases non-white people away with an iron skillet and the bartender followed by daughter into the restroom. I haven't dared go in since. I've never met the old man at the bottom of the hill. Alas, my loss. Happy trails to you and Tonya in your future travels.
The cafe went from being a standard gas station mini mart to a place where you could get fancier nuts and chocolate bars and stuff. Nothing major, but a welcome upgrade for me, since I always seem to roll through Austin hungry and it's a bit of a drive from there to Fallon. And fewer choices in the other direction, to Eureka. I have never lingered in Middlegate and really need to. It's just that one joint, isn't it? I take it the food is good?
So, that's a crazy story about the International. Wow. But I guess I'm not surprised. The Pony Canyon was - I had thought - owned by a guy named Dean - a Yankee fan and we go back a ways with some weird stories - but the last time I went through and asked about him, I was told that he got divorced and his wife now owns and runs it.
The old man presided over that long lot of broken down vehicles at the west end of town, bottom of the pass. He was the one who put out that "Speed Trap Ahead" sign and it wasn't because he was opposed to the police - which I had thought - but because he was a volunteer EMT and was trying to get people to slow down after coming down that hill. A big, gruff, seemingly scary guy who was actually a real sweetheart. I needed a tire repaired once and he did it, although he was getting older and that was a big truck tire and you could see it took something out of him. I'm curious what happened to the old Lincoln Motel. I think it may have been closed the last time I went through. If it was not on Highway 50, Austin would have long ago dried up and blown away. Just talking about it has me really missing Nevada. I need to get out there soon.
There's something about all that vast empty space that clears the mind. I feel it whenever we drive past Dayton and the land opens up to scattered houses and wild horses here and there. Val gets them in her front yard now and then when they come to visit her horses.
I never heard of or saw the Lincoln Motel. There's an Owl Club, one of five in Nevada that are unrelated. The former sheriff of Eureka said their Owl Club was meth central. But the Lincol Motel ... don't even remember seeing a remnant of it. Decades ago, we went through and went in to a grocery/general store in the middle of town, kind of where the Toyabie Cafe was. There were computer magazine on the rack, for pete's sake. Then some bright biscuit figured it would be better to move the county seat to Battle Mountain and the store and a few other places closed. That town is slowly disappearing, but the people who hang in there are a breed unto their own. I don't think they would survive anywhere else.
We talked to a waitress at the Cold Springs cafe on 50 who was one of four of the last people to live in Ione. She really missed the friends and community there before it became a ghost town. Cold Springs is the big city for her. In fact, as I recall, she lived then in Aberdeen, that tiny burg to the northeast of there. It amazes me how people can endure that kind of isolation. Granted, I love my own company, but I think I'd go bonkers in no time. ..... maybe not.
No, it's between Middlegate and Austin on 50. We;re also finding they close at 2 p.m. on Sundays (?????) but have a little sani-hut for our convenience. HA! Stock up on trail snacks then. Meanwhile, Middlegate never fails to feed well and amuse with its characters, both locals and customers.
I love everything about this! Each entry is a poem & an enclosed world of wonder. I particularly relate to the Carvel taste comparison. Dang, I forgot how I lived for my first solo walk to Carvel in Bayside, emerging triumphant with that waxy, delicious Cherry Bonnet. I can still call up the taste.
donuts give me indigestion for several days, yet when my wife brings home a bunch from the store, I cannot resist them. they are the devil's temptation. god bless 'em. oh, and ones with filling, the best, so completely decadent.
i like goofy highway signs too. There's one at a truck stop in the outback of wyoming that has a 15-foot high pony express rider made of rusted steel that runs along, and the sign sez, when he's a-lopin', then we're open. i never go in, but i always wink at that horse a-lopin'.
I believe the last donut I ate was in 1991 after a 24 hour journey overnight on 2 flights to Kauai, Hawaii. I needed that donut. It was that good. When I see donuts in a shop now, I can only return to that pit stop on the road to Haena where I swam with three sharks circling me, in awe of their snouts and eyes, wondering why I could even remain still for so long under water with my mask and tube sipping air. It was the sea that replaced the longing for anything else, including my donut. Oh, I can still have it anytime I want, even on a mountaintop. There is nothing that can replace the odor and taste, the crisp sugar melting, the airy cake and frosting, vanilla spiked and cinnamon. It was warm and a bit gooey. Even your brief story brought it back to me, Paul. I love the experiences you have on the road. A trip for me each time I read about them and the pinpointing signs that carry us through your journeys. Maybe I'll have a donut again soon. But I am wary, not wanting to lose the last most delicious one that haunts me still, that is heavenly. Thanks, C.
Just now, I absolutely got lost in your's and Sue's back and forth. Felt like a story with back story in itself. Or two drivers communicating through their walky talkies. Out on the road, driving toward away and against. Letting go! Signs are free things...no cost journey markers, throughway celebrants of passersby. Thanks you two. C.
Thanks, Connie. Something about those Nevada highways cuts me to the bone. Sue is one person who has been everywhere I have been out there and THEN some, so it's fun to talk about these places with her. Even more fun if Tonya and I can get out there and grab a coffee. Thank god for the internet - and I don't say that every day!
That's a crazy movie, very of its time. The guy never has a name - he's simply "the Driver."
Definitely a section filmed outside of Austin, Nevada. as he comes out of the series of turns on the west side of town. Still very recognizable today, 55 years later.
I'm starting your book "The Space Age Now" today, heading to Westwater, UT to sit in the sun and read on one of our last 60-degree days. There are railroad tracks there too so maybe I can catch some train photos. A good dose of sanity!
Oh this was grand. And the donuts. I can't argue or chastise. What's the point! If we're all going to die someday, let's make it 'by donut'. It's civilized. And if there are no donuts, eat a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup to sustain you until you can get to the donut shop.
By the way, I loved your homage to the Austin minimart. It's the only sane and safe place in that town to eat these days. Of course, there's a nice little park at the east end of town and maybe the toilets will work on the day you visit.
Thanks, Sue! The mini mart upped their game at some point in the last few years. Much nicer. Is that diner still open in the middle of town? Also, my beloved Pony Canyon Motel went through some changes, from what they told me at the mini mart last year. Can't post it in public, but wow. I like Austin. The old guy at the bottom of the hill has gone on to the next world. I loved him, as well.
Hi Paul. I haven't been IN Austin in about three years, but just yesterday, Jeff and I were within rock-throwing distance. We could see it from where we got out to stretch during a "Sunday drive" to Middlegate. After our hamburgers, we drove over 722 to where it meets Hwy 50 near the Austin Airport, where we turned westward again. Since we haven't worked the Pony Express in a couple of years, we haven't gone through Austin. That minimart was pretty nice, but how did they upgrade? Do they now have an actual cafe? The Toyabie Cafe died from COVID.The owners of the International Cafe have gone insane since Trump's first election, from what I've read in reviews that have since been buried. Apparently, the old lady chases non-white people away with an iron skillet and the bartender followed by daughter into the restroom. I haven't dared go in since. I've never met the old man at the bottom of the hill. Alas, my loss. Happy trails to you and Tonya in your future travels.
The cafe went from being a standard gas station mini mart to a place where you could get fancier nuts and chocolate bars and stuff. Nothing major, but a welcome upgrade for me, since I always seem to roll through Austin hungry and it's a bit of a drive from there to Fallon. And fewer choices in the other direction, to Eureka. I have never lingered in Middlegate and really need to. It's just that one joint, isn't it? I take it the food is good?
So, that's a crazy story about the International. Wow. But I guess I'm not surprised. The Pony Canyon was - I had thought - owned by a guy named Dean - a Yankee fan and we go back a ways with some weird stories - but the last time I went through and asked about him, I was told that he got divorced and his wife now owns and runs it.
The old man presided over that long lot of broken down vehicles at the west end of town, bottom of the pass. He was the one who put out that "Speed Trap Ahead" sign and it wasn't because he was opposed to the police - which I had thought - but because he was a volunteer EMT and was trying to get people to slow down after coming down that hill. A big, gruff, seemingly scary guy who was actually a real sweetheart. I needed a tire repaired once and he did it, although he was getting older and that was a big truck tire and you could see it took something out of him. I'm curious what happened to the old Lincoln Motel. I think it may have been closed the last time I went through. If it was not on Highway 50, Austin would have long ago dried up and blown away. Just talking about it has me really missing Nevada. I need to get out there soon.
There's something about all that vast empty space that clears the mind. I feel it whenever we drive past Dayton and the land opens up to scattered houses and wild horses here and there. Val gets them in her front yard now and then when they come to visit her horses.
I never heard of or saw the Lincoln Motel. There's an Owl Club, one of five in Nevada that are unrelated. The former sheriff of Eureka said their Owl Club was meth central. But the Lincol Motel ... don't even remember seeing a remnant of it. Decades ago, we went through and went in to a grocery/general store in the middle of town, kind of where the Toyabie Cafe was. There were computer magazine on the rack, for pete's sake. Then some bright biscuit figured it would be better to move the county seat to Battle Mountain and the store and a few other places closed. That town is slowly disappearing, but the people who hang in there are a breed unto their own. I don't think they would survive anywhere else.
We talked to a waitress at the Cold Springs cafe on 50 who was one of four of the last people to live in Ione. She really missed the friends and community there before it became a ghost town. Cold Springs is the big city for her. In fact, as I recall, she lived then in Aberdeen, that tiny burg to the northeast of there. It amazes me how people can endure that kind of isolation. Granted, I love my own company, but I think I'd go bonkers in no time. ..... maybe not.
Isn't Cold Springs on 395?
No, it's between Middlegate and Austin on 50. We;re also finding they close at 2 p.m. on Sundays (?????) but have a little sani-hut for our convenience. HA! Stock up on trail snacks then. Meanwhile, Middlegate never fails to feed well and amuse with its characters, both locals and customers.
Thanks, C! I am basically off donuts now, but still think about them fondly.
I love everything about this! Each entry is a poem & an enclosed world of wonder. I particularly relate to the Carvel taste comparison. Dang, I forgot how I lived for my first solo walk to Carvel in Bayside, emerging triumphant with that waxy, delicious Cherry Bonnet. I can still call up the taste.
Thanks, El!
donuts give me indigestion for several days, yet when my wife brings home a bunch from the store, I cannot resist them. they are the devil's temptation. god bless 'em. oh, and ones with filling, the best, so completely decadent.
i like goofy highway signs too. There's one at a truck stop in the outback of wyoming that has a 15-foot high pony express rider made of rusted steel that runs along, and the sign sez, when he's a-lopin', then we're open. i never go in, but i always wink at that horse a-lopin'.
The Devil is involved, without doubt.
I believe the last donut I ate was in 1991 after a 24 hour journey overnight on 2 flights to Kauai, Hawaii. I needed that donut. It was that good. When I see donuts in a shop now, I can only return to that pit stop on the road to Haena where I swam with three sharks circling me, in awe of their snouts and eyes, wondering why I could even remain still for so long under water with my mask and tube sipping air. It was the sea that replaced the longing for anything else, including my donut. Oh, I can still have it anytime I want, even on a mountaintop. There is nothing that can replace the odor and taste, the crisp sugar melting, the airy cake and frosting, vanilla spiked and cinnamon. It was warm and a bit gooey. Even your brief story brought it back to me, Paul. I love the experiences you have on the road. A trip for me each time I read about them and the pinpointing signs that carry us through your journeys. Maybe I'll have a donut again soon. But I am wary, not wanting to lose the last most delicious one that haunts me still, that is heavenly. Thanks, C.
Just now, I absolutely got lost in your's and Sue's back and forth. Felt like a story with back story in itself. Or two drivers communicating through their walky talkies. Out on the road, driving toward away and against. Letting go! Signs are free things...no cost journey markers, throughway celebrants of passersby. Thanks you two. C.
Thanks, Connie. Something about those Nevada highways cuts me to the bone. Sue is one person who has been everywhere I have been out there and THEN some, so it's fun to talk about these places with her. Even more fun if Tonya and I can get out there and grab a coffee. Thank god for the internet - and I don't say that every day!
The flooded prison cell reference made my day✌️
Yummmmm
Thanks for the low calorie rememberance
I still want to see the movie "Vanishing Point". I've heard that part of it was filmed in Cisco, UT.
That's a crazy movie, very of its time. The guy never has a name - he's simply "the Driver."
Definitely a section filmed outside of Austin, Nevada. as he comes out of the series of turns on the west side of town. Still very recognizable today, 55 years later.
I like it, but it's a weird movie.
I'm starting your book "The Space Age Now" today, heading to Westwater, UT to sit in the sun and read on one of our last 60-degree days. There are railroad tracks there too so maybe I can catch some train photos. A good dose of sanity!