Nevada: The Loneliest Highway in America

May 6, 2026: Got up early, drove the washboard, and headed to Ely, Nevada. I was going to go to the Ward Charcoal Ovens that are giant stone hives once used to burn wood to create charcoal for the smelting process, but it's a state park so there is a fee (only $10 for out-of-state license plates) AND, more importantly, there are ten miles of dirt roads to get there. Ah, no. That seven miles of washboard to the Lunar Craters was bad enough. Big Blue would like to keep her new windshield shiny and lacking in chips and cracks!

I went to Ely, excited to see their murals. The air was cool and smelled so clean and fresh! I walked around the old cemetery looking at baby graves. Unfortunately the whole main street was being re-constructed. I couldn't even walk down the sidewalks! It was all chopped up with large dirt-moving trucks and cats milling about. The murals are on the sides of the buildings so no access other than gazing from far away.

I left heading west toward Reno on "The Loneliest Highway in America" or Highway 50 that cuts across the center of Nevada. Beautiful, peaceful drive. Not completely lonely as I passed a few vehicles, but wonderfully quiet with interesting, yet calming scenery. The temperature was a perfect 65 degrees and the highway was curvy with ups and downs over the various passes and summits.

I only heard about Stokes Castle from looking for free camping on the app iOverlander. Many people had such good things to say about parking overnight next to castle ruins. Castle ruins? In Nevada? I was curious. They all said they enjoyed an incredibly peaceful and quiet night with the exception of an occasional tourist until the sun went down. So that's where I headed.

On the way I passed through Eureka. Cute, old town with lots of Wild-West-looking buildings. I stopped in to see their Opera House. The friendly office-working woman invited me in to wander at will. Gorgeous! Very well maintained! I love the old-style balconies on the outside and the inside. Straight out of the Wild West!

The castle ruins are in a little town along the loneliest highway called Austin. My initial impression was it's a quaint, adorable town with nice, clean well-maintained houses. The downtown was intact, but some of the businesses were in serious need of new signage or dilapitated. It was odd I was there on a Wednesday, but everything was closed! It has three gorgeous churches on the very short main street and the smallest laundromat I've ever seen located in one of those prefabricated sheds. Top loaders and the cost was only $1.50 per load!! Unfortunately one person was in there doing laundry with stinky detergent and the washers looked dirty. Nope.

For a moment I thought I could live in such a cute town with all the green pine trees and beautiful valley scenery until I took a walk down the main street and encountered reminders I'm in Trumpland with racist, hateful, anti-Muslim, pro-Christian propaganda hanging in business windows. No wonder everything is closed. They probably can't get any customers with their nasty attitudes! I can do a night in Austin, but I won't be living there!

Stokes Castle was only 1/2 mile from town up smooth dirt road. I was excited to see through the trees a real castle-looking structure! OH! There are trees here! So nice to see greenery for a change after months of desert living. I think they are Ponderosa Pines and they smell so good.

OK. With the exception of its "ruined" state, I think this is my dream house! The historical placard says it was built in the 1897 by a guy named Stokes to be used as a summer home for his sons. The architectural plan was based on a castle he saw outside Rome. It seems the sons lived in it for two months that first summer and it was never inhabited again! Maybe the boys were bored with nothing to do in such a small town? What a shame!!! So sad no one kept it maintained, but that seems to be common in a lot of these old Wild West towns. Three not-so-big stories, with balconies, and a fireplace.  Just my size. It's definitely my dream house!

I love the view it has too! The blue skies, sunshine, and cool temperatures make this a perfect setting!

I parked and prepared for my free overnight. As warned, vehicles with tourists showed up every half hour or so, but with not much to look at they quickly left. Around 11pm a vehicle pulled in and shined its lights on me parking right behind me! WTH??  There is plenty of space on the other side of the castle! This is common practice for RVers...they will cuddle right up close, but not usually a car. I guesssed it was a man as men never seem to consider anyone around them. The next morning around 6am their car alarm went off. People are so rude and thoughtless!! Yep, it was a man.

Good-bye, dream house...