Road trip, 2017 – Ptown to Tonopah

We leave around 8 AM for the start of our road trip and a leisurely journey half way to St. George, UT today. After a quick stop for breakfast in Manteca we run into a little traffic in Oakdale. Due to our long history of finding interesting things we notice this I.O.O.F. Art Deco building with its fabulous turret clock.

Odd Fellows building facade with turret clock

Our next stop is at Chinese Camp, CA to change drivers. We stop at California Historical Marker No. 423 which is about the founding of Chinese Camp, the still-standing post office built in 1854, and the Tong Wars. We wander around the town which is mostly comprised of derelict old buildings.

Historical marker about Chinese Camp

Then it’s on to Yosemite NP. The trouble with going through the park is all the slow drivers. We just want to cross through the park and others would prefer to gawk at every leaf and rock. Nonetheless we manage pretty good time. Here are some pictures from our transversing the park by way of Tioga Road.

A view of Lake Tenaya
Looking across the lake
There are still patches of snow on the mountains
A granite dome that looks like an ape to John and a Stormtrooper to me

We have lunch at the Whoa Nellie Deli where we have a bowl of indifferent vegetarian chili which is greatly helped by the addition of cornbread.

Vegetarian chili with cornbread

Now we have just over two hours left to Tonopah so it’s past Mono Lake, over roller coaster road, a left turn at Benton where there are children in the playground for the first time in 14 years of passing this tiny town, then a right at the burntout shell of a bordello in Coaldale, and we are in the nowhere town of Tonopah.

We are staying at the refurbished but still dingy historic Mizpah Hotel. Our room is very small and there is no place to put anything but we will survive. It is only one night.

some pictures from our evening in Tonopah –

The town has been trying to spruce up  itself with civic art but a lot of the storefronts are abandoned and it is all rather depressing looking.

Big Bill who saved many miners in a mining accident
Salute to the troops
Mural of the many planes tested at the nearby range
Tonopah takes pride in being the home of the stealth bombrt
The County Courthouse looks like there is a space ship bursting out of it.

Lastly we have dinner at the new-ish Tonopah Brewing Company. John has burnt ends and I have  BBQ chicken sandwich. It is merely okay. John likes the porter a lot.

Friendly interior of a Tonopah Brewing Co.
Actually even the nuclear test site was not very spicy
John and beer
John’s burnt ends – not enough bark and spongy in the center
My chicken sandwich. Pretty meh.

On to St. George tomorrow!

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