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Our sidequests or sidetracks
Often it is precisely the detours, the unexpected side tracks and the small discoveries along the way that give color to a journey.
Not everything yielded what we had hoped for, but that didn’t make the search any less interesting. On the contrary.
Trilobites in Caliente, Nevada
My husband is passionate about fossils and minerals and couldn’t resist looking for trilobites, the fossil remains of marine animals that lived hundreds of millions of years ago, in the vicinity of Caliente .
No matter how carefully we looked, the trilobites did not show themselves.
But the lonely search over the deserted slopes, with threatening storm clouds above our heads, made for a special experience.
Caliente: Side Track
Moreover, we discovered Caliente town, with its beautiful historic train station and the Side Track Café, which serves surprisingly tasty and healthy meals.
The name of the café turned out to be almost symbolic.
Side Track literally means sidetrack, and that’s exactly where many of the most beautiful travel experiences can be found: not along the big routes and well-known attractions, but on the small detours. Like this café.
Cathedral Gorge, Panaca
earby, near Panaca, you will find a compact rock gallery where you can walk between the narrow rock walls. Ideal with children.
Is it as spectacular as the places I described earlier? Maybe not. But for children, this should be the ultimate place: space to play, discover and just enjoy nature.
There’s also a lovely spot for picnics, all set up with families in mind.
Garnet Hill, Ely
The same thing happened on Garnet Hill near Ely, where collectors have been looking for the deep red garnets that sometimes just lie on the surface for generations.
It is possible that many returned home with beautiful specimens in the past.
Unfortunately, we didn’t.
Again, I mainly saw families with children. Children have a natural urge to search, discover and be amazed.
Maybe we have never completely lost that bit of playfulness.
Hickison Petroglyph Recreation Area, Nevada
We also didn’t just drive past the Hickison Petroglyph Recreation Area with ancient rock paintings along Highway 50 (loneliest highway in the world).
History may be present but we failed to see pictures in the so-called rock paintings.
On the other hand, the views on the trail were beautiful.
By the way, the place is only 1 km from the road and you don’t have to make a detour at all.
Newspaper Rock/Needles, Utah
We found something completely different at Newspaper Rock, along the road leading into the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park.
An impressive collection of figures, animals and symbols covers one large rock face.
It feels like you’re looking at an ancient newspaper whose language you cannot decipher.
Glass Beach, Fort Bragg, California
Our search was not limited to fossils and archaeology. Along the coast, we searched among the tide pools for small wonders of marine life and polished glass on Glass Beach.
The glass comes from the garbage that was dumped here off the coast for years. Only afterwards did I read that the municipality is asking not to pick up any more glass, because it is getting exhausted. Sorry about that.
That’s the appeal of collecting: the possibility that an unexpected treasure is hidden behind every corner.
The world of Barnes & Noble, Reno, Nevada
For a collector of dollar quarters, a visit to Barnes & Noble was also part of our trip. Not for the quarters themselves, but for a special folder in which you can keep them neatly.
My husband just found the last copy.
It was a bit of a drive before we got there, because Reno is a vast city with an even more extensive suburb.
In the meantime, I walked around in the huge bookstore and was amazed by the enormous amount of manga on the shelves. At least five large shelves were completely filled with it.
Manga is the Japanese comic art that has a huge fan base worldwide.
Still, I was amazed by the place the genre occupied in this bookstore. It seemed as if the manga department was a shop in itself.
Railway enthusiast
As a railway enthusiast myself, I have a weakness for photogenic train stations and nostalgic railway details.
In Caliente, Truckee, Williams and Ely with the historic Nevada Northern Railway and even on the Californian coast near Fort Bragg, where the famous Skunk Train departs, I got my money’s worth.
From Wilson Phillips to country music
Even the music seemed to blend into the landscape along the way.
Sometimes a song from the past popped up unexpectedly, such as Wilson Phillips‘ Hold On from 1990.
At other times, contemporary country filled the car, with songs like Choosin’ Texas (She’s from Texas) by Ella Langley, a song that I will associate with this journey for the rest of my life, just as Hold on symbolizes our initial journeys to America.
The soundtrack of the trip may have changed, but as always, it fits perfectly with the décor.
Emma
Honestly? Not everything that is popular is also worth it. Read more about this in our next story.