Forgot to mention yesterday seeing nodding donkey oil pumps and desert racing, trial bikes and dune buggies. Seemed to be a big deal with camps of RVs, marshal points at road crossings and trucks with tanks on there roof filling up at garages.
So, to today. Today was a day another day of wide vistas.
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| Great Basin from Wheeler Peak Scenic drive |
Options included the Leghman Caves but after talking to the guy at the Visitor Info Centre we found it was a 1:30 tour at booked times and with another 200 miles to go after this visit we knew the latest we could be away was about 2:30. We decided to stick to the Scenic Drive 12 miles up Wheeler Peak to 10,000 ft and a 2.5 Mi trail to visit the Bristlecone Pines.
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| 3,200 Years old and still alive (tree) |
The Bristlecome Pines are extraordinary trees living as much as 4,000 years. When the trees die they do not rot being intensely resinous but stay in tact and simply weather. Cross matching ring patterns from living and dead Bristlecones has been used as a way of bench marking carbon dating. One living tree was 3,200 years old taking it back to having been a sapling before the pyramids were built in Egypt.
At the trail-head car park it began to rain just before we left and we thought we'd let the heaviest pass, 2 mins later it was hail stone! We set of with waterproofs in 16 degrees and at 10,000 feet noticed the difference in effort but is was a lovely walk and the trees, though just trees, were intensely interesting.
At the top of the trail we also had views up to the albeit small glacier and massive corrie under the high top of Wheeler Peak.Occasional thunder rumbled overhead and we had a couple of showers light enough to shelter under trees.
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| Looking up to cwm under Wheeler Peak |
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| Still Waiting for the RAC |
Returning to the car, the temperature went from 16 up near the pines to 35. We had lunch, sandwiches purchased this morning, and headed off now 3 pm.
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| That's 18 miles |
there are hills in every direction and charging along with cruise control set the drive is a pleasure.
It's not long before we hit the state border and leave Nevada heading into Utah. This arbitrary line also means that we lose an hour as we move from Pacific to Mountain time. Utah has a 65 limit on open road where Nevada was 70 but I may have pushed the envelope a little from time to time.
We eventually leave the Great Basin and pass high into Skull Rock pass dropping through tight curves to the next massive open area. The geological monoliths of the pass form shapes like Mexican temples and in the distance huge cliffs stand with black and white strata clear in slightly off horizontal.
The next open vista includes a massive salt lake but sadly we pass several miles away so don't get to actually see the surface close up.
Around the town of Delta, the desertifiied earth changes to pasture, at first the circles of green you see from the air are on google maps. These have an irrigation frame on wheels travelling around a central water feed point, hence the circle. After this we see fields of corn, wheat and silleage being collected, all a new sight after the dried out barren areas we have travelled. By the time we are close to our destination, gold coloured pasture extends toward the hills lit by the lowering sun.
Having lost the hour to the wonder of time zones we arrive at our hotel at Skipio at 7pm. Not too bad considering we left Great Basin so late but the only places to eat are Dairy Queen (a burger place) which closed at..... 7pm and Subway. Great, Subway will do. Notice on door "Sorry for inconvenience, we are closed at 7 tonight". Aarrrgh! SO, tonight gourmet dinner was a garage shop microwave burger and re-hydrated noodles with fruit salad and a bottle of Pinot fortunately purchased this morning which made everything better.
Statistics: Miles today: 237 miles; Miles so far: 1574; Fuel today 9.54 gals; Fuel so far: 50.531 gals; States: Nevada, Utah; Time Zone: pm Mountain (UK-7), am Pacific(UK-8)
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