When we left Reno we drove east all the way across the state
on US 50, dubbed The Loneliest Road In America by Life magazine in 1986. That
loneliness is one reason we really liked the drive. You see very few cars and
trucks and thus you don’t have to deal with the maniac drivers you do in most populated areas and on interstate highways. Then there is the beauty. Lots of people would say the drive is boring but we enjoyed the mixture of openness and
mountains, the character in each different mountain range you see and climb
over, the different colored and sized tiling’s on mountains from old
mines, and the endless blue sky. I guess after 10 years of crisscrossing this
country it still isn’t old.
Why did these RV'ers cross the state? In this case, to go to Great Basin National Park. This is not a highly visited national park but it is
important. This park protects bristlecone pine forests that have trees believed
to be 2,000 to 4,000 years old, it has flowers that don’t exist anywhere else
on earth, a small glacier, and a cave with a sensitive ecosystem. The park
elevation ranges from 6,800 to 13,000 feet so it is pretty much a mountain environment
for the driving and hiking. To see the things like the bristlecone pines you
will usually need to hike.
A couple hints: if you want to do the cave tour you’ll need
to reserve well in advance. Also, be sure to watch the park film at the visitor
center, as it is very good. Our visit ended up being rather short since we chose
not to do the cave tour because it sounded just like the one we did only two
weeks earlier. We also did not drive up the narrow, winding road to the
mountain overlooks and hikes because my passenger has a severe fear of open heights so
the road was terrifying and not worth continuing, so we turned around. That’s
ok, we can hike other places.
 |
| Great Basin NP peaks in the distance from Sacramento Pass BLM Campground |
 |
| Great Basin NP from main Visitor Center |
No comments:
Post a Comment