Today we are off to Fernley, NV, which is near Reno and Carson City. We hope to be able to do some dancing, a little gambling, and be citified for a short while for once.
Our route is Highway 50, "The Loneliest Road in America". One of the most interesting things we notice is gates and fences made from hundreds of antlers wired together. There is a wood-framed train tunnel cut through the mountain.
Bob gets excited to see Newark Valley, NV, between Ely and Eureka. That's where his kids grew up in Central New York. But there is nothing in sight save for a fence.
We see so many cattle guards where we see no cattle. Maybe at one time the ranches were bigger? Sometimes the locations make no sense. Could they be for some other purpose?
Everywhere we go, we see rocky outcroppings with a single tree hanging by one root, or a volcanic cone with a single tree precariously perched, or a boulder with a single tree growing out of the rock.
They all remind me of the art of my friend Ben Marlan. We call him "Master of the tiny landscape". It seems each tree has a story to tell, of survival against impossible odds, or of the creature that carried its seed there, or the storm that brought the burl from which it was formed.
Rain hanging from the clouds looks like wispy gray hair.
Austin, NV is the dividing line where US 50's name changes from Altman Street to US 50 on our GPS. This is the old Pony Express Trail, from 1860-1881.
We wonder who delivers the mail to these isolated towns off US 50 where there are anywhere from one to four mailboxes every 50 miles.
The Fairview Peak Earthquake Faults are 100 miles from Reno and Carson City off US 50.
There is a sign we can't interpret: US Navy Centroid Facility. There are low-flying planes and large areas of plain, with messages written at the side of the road with rocks. We imagine those are intended for the pilots to view from the air.
Bob thinks this is a B-17 bombing range for practice, based on the planes he sees.
Along the road there are scattered mining shacks and drilling or digging rigs.
We pass Sand Mountain, and a sign that says "Fallon, The Oasis of Nevada". Is it really? This is a good location for prisons - there are 3 state prisons here.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Day 41- Thursday 7/30/09 - SETTLED
We visit Great Basin National Park - elevation 10,000 feet, in Baker, NV, population 100.
We can see Wheeler Mountain, elevation 13,670 feet. Since it is so high, it creates its own weather. There is snow on Wheeler Peak. The other side is glacier - you can see the glacier if you are able to climb 9.6 miles of trails up the mountain. That would not be us.
There are examples of wildlife in Great Basin that are found nowhere else in the US, due to the isolation of the Great Basin.
On our nature walks, we see chunks of raw marble and limestone, and learn that they are both made of calcite.
We take the Lehman Cave tour. The cave was open without supervision until the 1920's when it became part of the National Park. People broke off stalagtites and stalagmites for souvenirs. They made campfires inside the cave and held dance parties in the "ballroooms".
In the evening in our campsite, we see trilling hummingbirds and an owl.
One of our favorite signs was posted at the Indian Trading Post: "Open 'til we close, Closed 'til we open".
I buy my grandson Nathan a coonskin cap. I tell my daughter Danielle that when he gets it, they can learn "Davy Crockett" and start singing it to him. My brother David used to have one and that's what we used to do to him when he wore it. (Of course he really was Davy......)
Still looking for that special little cowboy hat! Probably when we come to a youth rodeo, there will be some for sale. We seem to be always missing them by a couple of days. They take place either just before we get somewhere, or just after we are leaving.
We can see Wheeler Mountain, elevation 13,670 feet. Since it is so high, it creates its own weather. There is snow on Wheeler Peak. The other side is glacier - you can see the glacier if you are able to climb 9.6 miles of trails up the mountain. That would not be us.
There are examples of wildlife in Great Basin that are found nowhere else in the US, due to the isolation of the Great Basin.
On our nature walks, we see chunks of raw marble and limestone, and learn that they are both made of calcite.
We take the Lehman Cave tour. The cave was open without supervision until the 1920's when it became part of the National Park. People broke off stalagtites and stalagmites for souvenirs. They made campfires inside the cave and held dance parties in the "ballroooms".
In the evening in our campsite, we see trilling hummingbirds and an owl.
One of our favorite signs was posted at the Indian Trading Post: "Open 'til we close, Closed 'til we open".
I buy my grandson Nathan a coonskin cap. I tell my daughter Danielle that when he gets it, they can learn "Davy Crockett" and start singing it to him. My brother David used to have one and that's what we used to do to him when he wore it. (Of course he really was Davy......)
Still looking for that special little cowboy hat! Probably when we come to a youth rodeo, there will be some for sale. We seem to be always missing them by a couple of days. They take place either just before we get somewhere, or just after we are leaving.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Day 40 - Wednesday, 7/29/09 - ON THE ROAD
We are sad to leave Utah. We could easily have spent another week here.
Bob invents a Utah State ad: "Utah has everything from A to Z - Arches to Zion". Think he'll make his fortune selling it to the state?
We want to come back some day. There is endless beauty here and so many things we could have done if the weather had been a little cooler:
Take the 100 mile loop to the other side of the LaSalle Mountains
Drive River Road (Rt. 128) along the Colorado River
Rent a jeep - go further into Potash. See potash manufacturing plant.
See the remaining Arches which had hikes too long to do in the heat.
Explore the road in Dead Horse Point that lead to the potash beds.
PARADISE #2 - UTAH!
Although desolate, our current drive is endlessly fascinating. All the rocks remind us of giant chunks of chocolate sliced in half, or chocolate layered tortes. Who wouldn't want to hang around that imagery for another week?!
Driving West on I-70, mini canyons abound, with washes running through them, now dry. In NM they would be called "arroyos", in Israel "wadis".
Ranches seem to have their own exits off the Interstate, but the ranch names are not mentioned, and they cannot be seen from the road. Personally, I can't imagine surviving that degree of isolation.
To prevent rock slides falling into the road, the state sometimes puts what looks like cattle fences diagonally across the rock face, or else places the largest piece of chain link fence you have ever seen.
Climbing over 7000 feet elevation, our bag of Apple Chips nearly bursts from the pressure. We can hear the plastic crackling.
On the hill down I-70, 12 miles from I -89 N., there are two tunnels blasted into the mountainside, for an old road that we can see below. A little piece of history, one of many, passing before our eyes as we drive. We often visualize the rugged pioneers either building or traversing such scenes in the mid- 19th century. That road was probably used right up until the Interstate was built.
We eat lunch at Mom's Cafe' in Salina, UT. Her scones are actually fried dough. Mashed potato gravy is sausage gravy. Perhaps this will be the trend as we proceed West.
As we are driving, we see lots of double tanker trucks. The second tank is always smaller. They must have a total length requirement for flammable substances. The UPS trucks we see are sometimes triple trailers, though.
Beautiful green fields are interlaced with golden grass, interspersed with more scrubby desert. There are dust devils 30 feet high dancing around. When they cross the road, they are ghostly and scary, and somehow manage to pick up extra speed as they whirl across asphalt.
On our arrival in Baker, NV, we find a cool little store and restaurant a block from our campground. It is called The Electrolux Cafe'. Hanging from the ceiling are sculptures made from old Electrolux vacuums, like the one my Mom used to have in our house in Cincinnati.
They have a very eclectic collection of food in their case - soy milk, organic yogurt, homemade granola and hiking bars, gourmet cheeses, and other things I haven't seen since we hit the West.
The cafe' is also a motel, with 3 rooms, and they show free movies every night.
Bob invents a Utah State ad: "Utah has everything from A to Z - Arches to Zion". Think he'll make his fortune selling it to the state?
We want to come back some day. There is endless beauty here and so many things we could have done if the weather had been a little cooler:
Take the 100 mile loop to the other side of the LaSalle Mountains
Drive River Road (Rt. 128) along the Colorado River
Rent a jeep - go further into Potash. See potash manufacturing plant.
See the remaining Arches which had hikes too long to do in the heat.
Explore the road in Dead Horse Point that lead to the potash beds.
PARADISE #2 - UTAH!
Although desolate, our current drive is endlessly fascinating. All the rocks remind us of giant chunks of chocolate sliced in half, or chocolate layered tortes. Who wouldn't want to hang around that imagery for another week?!
Driving West on I-70, mini canyons abound, with washes running through them, now dry. In NM they would be called "arroyos", in Israel "wadis".
Ranches seem to have their own exits off the Interstate, but the ranch names are not mentioned, and they cannot be seen from the road. Personally, I can't imagine surviving that degree of isolation.
To prevent rock slides falling into the road, the state sometimes puts what looks like cattle fences diagonally across the rock face, or else places the largest piece of chain link fence you have ever seen.
Climbing over 7000 feet elevation, our bag of Apple Chips nearly bursts from the pressure. We can hear the plastic crackling.
On the hill down I-70, 12 miles from I -89 N., there are two tunnels blasted into the mountainside, for an old road that we can see below. A little piece of history, one of many, passing before our eyes as we drive. We often visualize the rugged pioneers either building or traversing such scenes in the mid- 19th century. That road was probably used right up until the Interstate was built.
We eat lunch at Mom's Cafe' in Salina, UT. Her scones are actually fried dough. Mashed potato gravy is sausage gravy. Perhaps this will be the trend as we proceed West.
As we are driving, we see lots of double tanker trucks. The second tank is always smaller. They must have a total length requirement for flammable substances. The UPS trucks we see are sometimes triple trailers, though.
Beautiful green fields are interlaced with golden grass, interspersed with more scrubby desert. There are dust devils 30 feet high dancing around. When they cross the road, they are ghostly and scary, and somehow manage to pick up extra speed as they whirl across asphalt.
On our arrival in Baker, NV, we find a cool little store and restaurant a block from our campground. It is called The Electrolux Cafe'. Hanging from the ceiling are sculptures made from old Electrolux vacuums, like the one my Mom used to have in our house in Cincinnati.
They have a very eclectic collection of food in their case - soy milk, organic yogurt, homemade granola and hiking bars, gourmet cheeses, and other things I haven't seen since we hit the West.
The cafe' is also a motel, with 3 rooms, and they show free movies every night.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Day 39 - Tuesday, 7/28/09 - SETTLED
We have to get the RV serviced - it's due for its 3000 mile check-up. We get Eggs Benedict for breakfast while we are waiting. What a treat.
Every time we go out to eat, we manage to stretch it to have another meal out of the leftovers the next day. Whether it's potatoes that come with an already huge breakfast or dinner rolls, fruit or vegetable garnishes, we don't waste a thing.
Sometimes it means being creative about resources. For example, combining leftover bleu cheese dressing and leftover BBQ sauce makes a nice salad dressing with a little kick.
Corinne decides she has to get her hair cut. It's risky, since she's just started with a new style and finally found someone at home in Ithaca who can do it the way she likes it. But sun, wearing hats and bike helmets have not worked with longer hair, and so she finds a place that does it quite nicely for only $20.
Corinne sells a high-heeled shoe business card holder and two photos to the owner of the beauty salon. She has just opened up and she is happy to have some more decorative items.
The young woman who manages a second-hand clothing store next door is very interested in my hats and high-heeled shoe bracelets. She buys one of each and places a special order for a hat and matching bra for Halloween. Corinne will have to rush that one, because she'll just be arriving home on October 18th, where her materials are stored.
Bob decides he'll grow his hair out long, cowboy style, and shave his beard in preparation for growing a handlebar mustache. Corinne is excited by the possibilities of seeing his cheeks and chin for the first time.
We both are exhausted. We take naps and catch up on our rest. It is 99 degrees, too hot to go hiking today, or too hot to be motivated to hike, anyway.
Every time we go out to eat, we manage to stretch it to have another meal out of the leftovers the next day. Whether it's potatoes that come with an already huge breakfast or dinner rolls, fruit or vegetable garnishes, we don't waste a thing.
Sometimes it means being creative about resources. For example, combining leftover bleu cheese dressing and leftover BBQ sauce makes a nice salad dressing with a little kick.
Corinne decides she has to get her hair cut. It's risky, since she's just started with a new style and finally found someone at home in Ithaca who can do it the way she likes it. But sun, wearing hats and bike helmets have not worked with longer hair, and so she finds a place that does it quite nicely for only $20.
Corinne sells a high-heeled shoe business card holder and two photos to the owner of the beauty salon. She has just opened up and she is happy to have some more decorative items.
The young woman who manages a second-hand clothing store next door is very interested in my hats and high-heeled shoe bracelets. She buys one of each and places a special order for a hat and matching bra for Halloween. Corinne will have to rush that one, because she'll just be arriving home on October 18th, where her materials are stored.
Bob decides he'll grow his hair out long, cowboy style, and shave his beard in preparation for growing a handlebar mustache. Corinne is excited by the possibilities of seeing his cheeks and chin for the first time.
We both are exhausted. We take naps and catch up on our rest. It is 99 degrees, too hot to go hiking today, or too hot to be motivated to hike, anyway.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Day 38 - Monday, 7/27/09, SETTLED
Laundry day. We wrap and mail more gifts while the laundry "cooks".
On the recommendation of our broker, Arnie Schwartz, we head to Dead Horse Point, home of fond memories from 1975 for Arnie.
Scrinchy views for us. Ask Bob what that means.
It is called Dead Horse Point because legend has it that a band of horses corralled on the Point without water died within view of the Colorado River 2000 feet below.
The views of the Colorado River are unsurpassed, bordering a butte that looks like an aircraft carrier.
From the top, we see 400 acres of turquoise evaporating fields for the manufacture of potash. They jump out at us as we round the corner due to their unusual color.
This area is called the Pygmy Forest because all the trees are so stunted and twisted, some growing right out of rock.
In the evening we drive to Potash to see the Petroglyphs, and to try to find the factory where the potash evaporators we saw from above originate. We watch with fascination (and maybe a bit of envy) as rock-climbers of all ages rappel with the help of guides to the tops of the cliffs along the road.
The Petroglyphs are the best we have seen. What a shame when tourists or local vandals deface rocks by carving or grafitti, where Native tribes have drawn their pictographs thousands of years ago.
Around sunset, we head up to Spanish Trail Drive, near our RV park, to watch the sunset from a huge rock overlooking The Moab Golf Course. What a contrast between green, heavily irrigated, groomed grass, and the surrounding desert.
On the recommendation of our broker, Arnie Schwartz, we head to Dead Horse Point, home of fond memories from 1975 for Arnie.
Scrinchy views for us. Ask Bob what that means.
It is called Dead Horse Point because legend has it that a band of horses corralled on the Point without water died within view of the Colorado River 2000 feet below.
The views of the Colorado River are unsurpassed, bordering a butte that looks like an aircraft carrier.
From the top, we see 400 acres of turquoise evaporating fields for the manufacture of potash. They jump out at us as we round the corner due to their unusual color.
This area is called the Pygmy Forest because all the trees are so stunted and twisted, some growing right out of rock.
In the evening we drive to Potash to see the Petroglyphs, and to try to find the factory where the potash evaporators we saw from above originate. We watch with fascination (and maybe a bit of envy) as rock-climbers of all ages rappel with the help of guides to the tops of the cliffs along the road.
The Petroglyphs are the best we have seen. What a shame when tourists or local vandals deface rocks by carving or grafitti, where Native tribes have drawn their pictographs thousands of years ago.
Around sunset, we head up to Spanish Trail Drive, near our RV park, to watch the sunset from a huge rock overlooking The Moab Golf Course. What a contrast between green, heavily irrigated, groomed grass, and the surrounding desert.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Day 37- Sunday - 7/26/09 - SETTLED
Corinne meets with Rose at Wild Rose's Import shop to show her my hats, bags, high-heel shoe jewelry and business card holders. She says my work belongs in a gallery, and sends me to Olga.
On the way to Canyonlands, we see a gondola system going up to an abandoned mine. We wonder when it was active and what they mined there. Maybe it was a tourist attraction.
We see evidence of drilling for minerals near Canyonlands.
It is 77 degrees. This morning at Islands in the Sky in Canyonlands, there is hard rain and thunder.
We hear of a ranger study which shows that most people won't walk more than 100 yards from their car to a viewpoint. They don't know what they're missing.
Walking in Canyonlands, gooseberry thorns catch Corinne's camera strap and pull her back, as though God doesn't want her to leave the trail just yet.
There are dirt roads that go down to the Canyonlands floor, for miles and miles. They are roads that the miners used to use.
It is not recommended that cars like ours, low to the ground and without 4 wheel drive, travel those roads. We are disappointed, because it sure looks like fun and the views are stunning.
The views of the Colorado and Green Rivers are amazing - clear and close.
On the way to Canyonlands, we see a gondola system going up to an abandoned mine. We wonder when it was active and what they mined there. Maybe it was a tourist attraction.
We see evidence of drilling for minerals near Canyonlands.
It is 77 degrees. This morning at Islands in the Sky in Canyonlands, there is hard rain and thunder.
We hear of a ranger study which shows that most people won't walk more than 100 yards from their car to a viewpoint. They don't know what they're missing.
Walking in Canyonlands, gooseberry thorns catch Corinne's camera strap and pull her back, as though God doesn't want her to leave the trail just yet.
There are dirt roads that go down to the Canyonlands floor, for miles and miles. They are roads that the miners used to use.
It is not recommended that cars like ours, low to the ground and without 4 wheel drive, travel those roads. We are disappointed, because it sure looks like fun and the views are stunning.
The views of the Colorado and Green Rivers are amazing - clear and close.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Day 36 - Saturday, 7/25/09 - SETTLED
The park shower has two temperatures: Cold and Not So Cold. We decide in the future we will turn on our hot water heater and use our own tiny internal shower in the RV.
We meet our "Sam Eliot", the Utah Cowboy who comes to fix the electrical quirk in our RV refrigerator. Unfortunately, he's a Smoking Man.
"Sam" lives in the RV Park part-time. His wife grows a hibiscus on the fence and there are Annie's Humingbirds feeding off the flowers. I ask him if it's OK if I hang out by the fence to photograph them, not wanting to tresspass.
"Ain't no trespassin' 'round here", he says cheerfully. "We all is just neighbors". 'Preciate that, "Sam".
Starting to feel a little claustrophobic in the camper with the blinds closed for privacy. Bob doesn't want them open due to sun heating up the RV, so we compromise and open the ones on the shady side.
Our canopy is up. It's fun eating meals under it, and it's a good rain shelter. It's 100 degrees out.
I go into Moab and meet with Kathy at the Moab Knitting Shop to try to sell my hats to her. She recommends instead an art gallery which is more "avant garde". Her sense of Moab female fashion is that noone dresses up except for perhaps putting on a batik dress for a really fancy occasion.
We meet our "Sam Eliot", the Utah Cowboy who comes to fix the electrical quirk in our RV refrigerator. Unfortunately, he's a Smoking Man.
"Sam" lives in the RV Park part-time. His wife grows a hibiscus on the fence and there are Annie's Humingbirds feeding off the flowers. I ask him if it's OK if I hang out by the fence to photograph them, not wanting to tresspass.
"Ain't no trespassin' 'round here", he says cheerfully. "We all is just neighbors". 'Preciate that, "Sam".
Starting to feel a little claustrophobic in the camper with the blinds closed for privacy. Bob doesn't want them open due to sun heating up the RV, so we compromise and open the ones on the shady side.
Our canopy is up. It's fun eating meals under it, and it's a good rain shelter. It's 100 degrees out.
I go into Moab and meet with Kathy at the Moab Knitting Shop to try to sell my hats to her. She recommends instead an art gallery which is more "avant garde". Her sense of Moab female fashion is that noone dresses up except for perhaps putting on a batik dress for a really fancy occasion.
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