Today was an interesting day. I really wasn't sure where to go with the bad weather. But, because of the Choice Hotel points program in its final days, I absolutely could not stay another night at my current hotel. I could go to another Choice Hotel (such as the Comfort Inn) in the same city if I wanted to and still get the big points, but I also really did not want to stick around Elko. Time was marching on and I wanted to keep moving.
In looking at the weather, the big storms planned for the US 50 area seemed to be gone. There were just some isolated thunderstorms with very low chances of precipitation. That was one option. But I did not really want to head south. Still, there were some nice state parks down that way, such as Cathedral Gorge and Valley of Fire.
The other option was to head north into Idaho and Montana. I've wanted to go back to Craters of the Moon National Preserve in Idaho to get better pictures of the ancient hardened lava. Last time I was there, the lighting was not great and the pictures were merely acceptable. Unfortunately, the weather forecast called for snow and rain in that area for several days. No point in even trying to take pictures or drive around the back roads in that kind of mess. So, I decided to drive through Idaho and then get up to Dillon, Montana. It would be an eight hour drive.
I made a hotel reservation, and actually managed to get $16 off the rate because I got a "manager's special." Thankfully, there was still time to cancel the reservation. My friend from Montana (who I wanted to see) called me and said that while Helena (the capital and where he lives) was not going to get hit with snow very badly, there were some mountains along I-15 and there could be white outs. Some places were scheduled to get three feet of snow. I'm adventurous, but no way would I try that in a car even WITH all wheel drive or four wheel drive. This car had neither. I knew that based on timing and everything else I still had planned for this trip, the cancellation of Idaho and Montana would mean I'd definitely not be visiting these states on this trip. I expected I also would not see Wyoming either.
I canceled the reservation in Dillon, MT and decided I needed to head further south into Nevada so I could see those state parks. I would have to spend the night in a very small city called Ely, and then see them the next day. Ely was small enough that there were no Choice Hotel brands in the city or anywhere nearby. I would have to get a different hotel. Best Western had a hotel in Ely. The rate was $62, but because I mentioned that I always get discounts from Choice Hotels, I suddenly was offered a "manager's special" for $49. That worked for me. Best Western does have a points program, but it's not nearly as generous as Choice Hotels. So, I'll have a few points banked up. They do have a stay two nights get $50 off promotion, so perhaps along the way back I'll find another cheap Best Western to stay at.
I did want to see one thing in Elko. When I visited in 2008, I just missed the Northeastern Nevada Museum. This was well worth the $5 admission. Elko is the principle city in Northeastern Nevada, and there was a great deal of history. Flash photography was allowed, so I took a photo of almost everything, including all the panels with information. When I have time, I can go over the photos and do an in depth museum tour right from my computer. I'm very much interested in Nevada history, though the long trip to Ely was on my mind and thus I didn't take it all in while at the museum.
The drive to Ely meant going east for a few miles on I-80. I had to get to the city of Wells (which is basically a series of truck stops and some hotels I would never want to stay in) so I could head south on US 93. Now that the sun was out, the mountain scenery along I-80 was absolutely gorgeous. At one point I was looking straight at snow covered mountains that looked like something out of a movie. I just wish I could have taken a good picture of them. But, as it was the interstate, stopping was only allowed for emergencies.
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When I got on US 93, there were warning signs about controlled burns. At first, I thought I was heading into smoke but it turned out to be fog. As I continued driving, I took a few pictures along the way. But, as I got closer to Ely, things clouded over. One interesting this is that the clouds seemed to flow right to the ground as they covered mountains on either side. But, it was too dark to get decent pictures of this. (I did get pictures of a similar display the next day.)
When I got into Ely, I was a bit surprised about the size of the city. It seemed to be hyped up to be bigger than it was. Still, it had several restaurants, gas stations, a school, hotels, a museum, tiny grocery stores (no chains), etc. Still, it was just so compact.
When I got to the Best Western motel, I was a bit frightened. The outside looked really seedy. But, it did have good reviews on TripAdvisor and I was only going to stay for a night. I couldn't back out of the reservation since I had gotten a low rate. However, once I got inside, everything was fine. The inside was identical to what I typically see in a Comfort Inn, except the price was a lot lower.
It began to snow outside and my car had a layer of snow. The ground was slushy. I was glad I didn't try to go any further tonight. It was very cold and dreary.
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