Today we crossed more parts of the Rocky Mountains. The natural beauty was somewhat lost on Paula as she Lamaze-breathed thru the passes and around the curves.

We went thru several straight and fairly desolate patches with highway services as much as 100 miles apart. Therefore we were lucky to have observant Captain Tom periodically checking our tire pressure on the dashboard; he noticed that the left rear tire suddenly was losing pressure. Also lucky was that the exit for Salinas UT and a truck stop was a mile ahead. Tom found the sharp shard of metal, and we called and found that the Southern Tire Mart was around the block. In 15 minutes they had extracted a razor blade?!? from the tire and repaired it for $21. Amazing, and we feel very fortunate. We also bought a can of Fix-A-Flat at the truck stop, just in case. 

Our destination, Ely, is a retro-looking Western town with many murals depicting its history as a copper mining and railroad town. The featured image for this post is one such mural with Tom talking to Margeaux on the phone in the foreground. The town looked healthy. Many specialty shops had weekend hours only, but the ones open were doing good business. We walked the main drag and saw lots of casinos and eateries.

Our small motel, The Four Sevens, is neat, clean and smells good, with a big bed, desk, TV, microwave and fridge, as well as laundry room.