Many times my wife and I will hit the road a half hour to an hour before lunch. This allows us to drive a ways and then take a break for lunch. It’s nice to break up longer drives. Such was the case when we departed Fallon, Nevada heading east on Hwy 50 aka The Loneliest Road in America. As we were traversing the Dixie Valley, noon passed and my stomach began to grumble. I soon spied a nice wide pull out, pulled off and parked. As we were exiting the tow vehicle heading to the trailer to prepare lunch we heard a fighter jet roar overhead. As we strained our eyes in an attempt to see the fighter, we witnessed a plume of dust rising from the desert floor, then the sound of more jets streaking overhead and more dust plumes. Strolling over to the fence line along the highway and reading the badly faded notice hanging on the barbed wire informed me that we were parked along the perimeter of a bombing range.
Sweet, I thought, lunch and a free show, how can you beat that? As we sat at our dinette enjoying our lunch, watching the desert being aerated and studying the dummy targets out our window, we realized we were right under the approach to some of the targets! Well, hopefully they don’t release any bombs prematurely or this may be my last adventure in RVing I thought! Upon later research I learned the jets were from the nearby Naval Air Station Fallon and the pilots are part of the Top Gun program. Having lunch with Tom Cruise wannabes, just another adventure in RVing!
If you find yourself traveling Hwy 50 and in need of a little entertainment with your lunch, you will find the pullout at N39 16.735 W118 16.268 Enjoy!
The Loneliest Road in America http://ponyexpressnevada.com/pony-express-loneliest-road.html
Naval Air Station Fallon http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Air_Station_Fallon
Dave Helgeson’s many roles in the RV industry started before he even had a driver’s license. His grandparents and father owned an RV dealership before the term “RV” had been coined, and Dave played a pivotal role in nearly every position of an RV dealership. He and his wife Cheri launched their own RV dealership in the Pacific Northwest. The duo also spent 29 years overseeing regional RV shows. Dave has also served as President of a local chapter of the Recreational Vehicle Dealers Association (RVDA), worked on the board of advisors for the RV Technician Program of a local technical college, and served as a board member of the Manufactured Home and RV Association. Dave’s reputation earned him the title of “The foremost expert on boondocking,” bestowed by RV industry icon, the late Gary Bunzer (The RV Doctor). When he’s not out boondocking, you’ll find Dave in the spotlight at RV shows across the country, giving seminars about all things RVing. He and Cheri currently roam in their fifth travel trailer, with Dave doing all the service, repair and modifications to his own unit.
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