Loneliest Road in America | My First Night Boondocking Went Sideways

After two weeks in San Francisco, I finally hit the road again and headed east across Nevada on Highway 50, the Loneliest Road in America. This was supposed to be my first real night boondocking. Instead, I got too far into the dark, failed to set up the car in time, got swarmed by bugs, and kept driving until a shower and a bright Love’s parking lot in Ely sounded like luxury. This Bookish Nomad dispatch starts with a meaningful sendoff, runs through Labor Day traffic, Truckee and Word After Word bookstore, and then into the long Nevada stretch where I pushed too hard because I wanted more time in Utah. Also, apologies for the bugs on the windshield. I know. It’s gross. Chapters 0:00 Leaving San Francisco 3:44 Weird Trailer Sculptures 4:00 Trip Confessional 6:36 Truckee, CA 7:34 Word After Word Bookstore 11:17 Loneliest Road in America 13:22 Austin, NV Sunset 14:42 Night Driving, Bugs, and Elk 15:05 Eureka, NV 16:45 Ely, NV 17:31 Waking in a Love’s Parking Lot 🎵 Music licensed via Epidemic Sound: “GHOST” — Mattias Tell “Home” — The Eastern Plain “Run Away with Me” — Roof “Midnight Sun” — First Timer “Standing on Your Own” — Paper Twins → Previous dispatch:    • City Lights, Grace Cathedral, and the Last...   → Bookish Nomad playlist:    • This Is Bookish Nomad   📚 More writing + behind-the-scenes: https://amyleewheeler.substack.com/ 📸 Instagram:   / author.amy.lee   A solo road trip vlog across Nevada’s Loneliest Road in America, featuring Truckee, Word After Word bookstore, Austin, Ely, a failed first night boondocking, and sleeping in a car at a Love’s truck stop before heading toward Utah.