The Dark Rangers of the Loneliest Road in America Conor Knighton
In July 1986,
Underneath a single depressing photo, the magazine featured this description of the two-lane highway:
“It’s totally empty,” says an AAA counselor. “There are no points of interest. We don’t recommend it.” The 287-mile stretch of U.S. 50, running from Ely to Fernley, Nev., passes nine towns, two abandoned mining camps, a few gas pumps and an occasional coyote. “We warn all motorists not to drive there,” says the AAA rep, “unless they’re confident of their survival skills.”
It was a colossal diss, but Nevada tourism officials couldn’t have been happier. All of a sudden,