Social Distancing, Nevada Style — A Ride Out to Middlegate
If you're going to practice social distancing, do it right. Do it on a motorcycle, on the loneliest highway in America, headed east toward the middle of absolutely nowhere. That's exactly what I did on a perfect Saturday in May 2020 — and it turned out to be one of the best rides I'd had in a long time.
The Conditions Were Perfect
No wind. 80 degrees. No traffic to speak of. If you ride in Northern Nevada, you know that combination doesn't come around every weekend. The kind of day where you just point the bike east and go, and everything else falls away behind you.
The destination: Middlegate, Nevada — sitting about 50 miles due east of Fallon along US Highway 50, otherwise known as the Loneliest Road in America. It's a fitting name. Out there, it's just you, the road, the desert, and the occasional tumbleweed with nowhere to be.
The Shoe Tree and the Middlegate Station
Just about a mile east of Middlegate Station sits the Shoe Tree — one of those only-in-Nevada landmarks that you have to see to believe. Hundreds of pairs of shoes, tied together and thrown into the branches of a massive cottonwood tree over decades. Nobody's entirely sure how it started, but it's been a roadside curiosity for years and a mandatory stop for anyone riding Highway 50.
Then there's Middlegate Station itself — a crazy little watering hole that has been all the rage for years and will never get any bigger, or any better. It boasts what regulars will tell you are the world's best burgers. I had a corn dog, so I can't personally vouch for the burger claim. But the atmosphere? Even with the gathering restrictions that were in place at the time, the place had that unmistakable energy of a spot that belongs to the road and the people who travel it. Riders, truckers, wanderers — everyone ends up at Middlegate eventually.
What the Ride Taught Me
Long stretches of empty Nevada highway have a way of making you think. By the time I turned back toward home, I'd worked through a few things about riding that I hadn't really put into words before.
Going fast versus going slow. Both have their place. Fast is exhilarating. Slow lets you actually see where you are. Highway 50 deserves both — open it up on the straightaways, and ease off when something catches your eye.
Having a destination versus wandering aimlessly. Middlegate gave the day a purpose. There's something satisfying about pointing at a dot on the map and actually getting there. But some of the best moments happened in between, when the road just unfolded and I wasn't thinking about the destination at all.
Riding with a friend versus riding alone. Both are valid. Riding alone on a day like that — no agenda, no pace to match, no one waiting — is its own kind of freedom. I've never been a passenger, so I can't speak to that side of it. But riding your own bike is absolutely the best thing in the world. Full stop.
Picking the right riding music. Critical. Also — a word of warning from experience: do not stop your music mid-ride. If you lose the connection, you will find yourself music-less in the middle of Nevada with nothing but wind noise and your own thoughts. Plan accordingly.
Highway 50: Nevada's Loneliest Road
If you haven't ridden US Highway 50 across Nevada, put it on your list. It runs from Fernley in the west all the way to the Utah border, cutting through some of the most remote and beautiful terrain in the American West. Small towns, ghost towns, mountain passes, and long flat stretches where you can see for 50 miles in every direction. It's not a road for people in a hurry. It's a road for riders.
Middlegate is just one stop along the way. There's plenty more out there — Austin, Eureka, Ely — each one worth a visit and a story of its own.
Get Out There
That Saturday reminded me that sometimes the best thing you can do is just ride. Pick a direction, find a destination, and go. Nevada has more open road than most people will ever explore, and every mile of it is worth it.
Gear up, queue your playlist, and don't stop the music. Browse the VCMCo. collection before your next ride at vcmotorcompany.com.