Spectacular mountain ranges cloaked in snow, and friendly Nevadans along the way marked a relaxing journey for Alyce and me from Boulder City through Rural Nevada to UNR graduation in Reno. The next time you visit Reno, Bricks on South Virginia near Plumb Lane, site of the old Vario's is fabulous! The Halibut Cheeks special, Rack of Lamb and Crab Legs with impeccable service can’t be beat!

Going home we cruised the Loneliest Road, Hwy 50, to visit Austin and overnight in Eureka. On the final day of a wonderful excursion in Rural Nevada we looked forward to breathtaking scenery along the Great Smoky Valley, SR 376. Ominous black clouds, wind and rain joined us at Carver's. Howling wind, and huge black thunderheads chased as a gust caught the car. Off the road we spun, into the desert. Scary, but still upright! Yea, the car started! We checked the tires and pulled back onto the deserted road. The “Extraterrestrial Highway” felt lonelier than Hwy 50!

After a quick stop at the Little AleInn, we re-checked the tires and headed for Alamo, last stop before home; wow, we were ready. About 25 miles past Rachel, two flat tires (yes guys, rocks in the bead) and NO cell service. A gale still blew; the thundershowers had caught us. Surely we were encountering the hellfire and brimstone we had always heard about!

Eternal thanks to a very nice lady who stopped in the rain; she was headed to Rachel and would call for the Alamo tow truck. Meantime, we flagged down some Nevada Department of Transportation folks who assured us they too would contact the tow truck in Alamo to make sure they knew we needed help. Maybe things were getting better.

Wind, rain and thunder persisted when an SUV pulled up and rolled the window down; a friendly face! Sharon Taylor, the Little AleInn bartender said, “You girls can’t stay here, 99% of the people who might stop are nice, it’s the 1% who are bad. I’ll take you back to Rachel where you will be safe”.

We both bravely said, “We’ll be fine; we’ll stay with the car”. Sharon said she would just wait a few minutes in case we changed our minds. It had never occurred to us about the “bad” people and we knew the tow truck was two or three hours away. Sharon’s message sank in. We went back to Rachel with her and met Pat Travis, owner of the Little AleInn.

Sharon and Pat are the kindest people ever! They went way above and beyond to rescue total strangers. Pat hauled us down to meet the tow truck since we still had the car keys! Alamo motels were sold out so Pat took us back to Rachel for the night where we enjoyed Rachel style hospitality, and a home cooked dinner. Next morning, in bright sunshine, Sharon drove us to Alamo.

A pair of Nevada Natives experienced the true meaning of Rural Nevada Hospitality, Kindness and Caring from Rachel’s Star Residents during a 1300 mile journey along Nevada’s State Highways. Thank you Sharon and Pat!

Ginny Gottfredson
Sales Manager
Lake Mead Cruises
Ginny was born in Reno, Alyce Gottfredson was born in Caliente.