Hello everybody,
Last night in Cedar City, Utah after I wrote to ya'll I went to see the movie Rocketman. It was really good. My dinner was a bucket of popcorn at the movie. This morning I woke up early as usual. I tried to take a shower but there wasn't a drop of hot water. At 7:00am I hit the road and headed for Nevada. When I crossed the border I entered the Pacific Time Zone so I had to turn the clocks back an hour.
The first place I visited in Nevada was Cathedral Gorge State Park. The park is located in a long, narrow valley in southeastern Nevada, where erosion has carved dramatic and unique patterns in the soft bentonite clay.
It was a beautiful morning. Cloudless sky and almost 60 degrees. I carefully walked through the unusual rock formations and managed to remain on my decrepit two feet despite the uneven ground.
I was at the park for about two hours and the only person I saw was a lady who walked over from the nearby camp ground. I had the whole place to myself. The picture below was taken from Miller Point where you get an elevated view of the gorge.
I enjoyed Cathedral Gorge but it was time to move on. About ten miles up the road is the small town of Pioche (pronounced � pee-oach). The town hangs on the side of a mountain in Nevada�s high desert.
Pioche is an old town by western standards, with many of the buildings predating the turn of the 19th century.
After leaving Pioche it was a very boring 130 mile drive through desolate, rural Nevada. I don't think there was a bend in the road for the first hundred miles. There was not one town or anything the entire drive.
My next stop was at Great Basin National Park.
This is probably the most remote national park in the continental U.S. with the possible exception of Big Bend in Texas. After entering the park I drove on the scenic drive up toward Wheeler Peak.
I could only drive as far as Mather Point. There was sixty inches of snow beyond and the road was closed. Below is Wheeler Peak, elevation 13,063 feet. The bright sun shining on all that snow bleached out most of my panoramic shots of the area. I really should learn how to take pictures. Only this zoomed in shot of Wheeler Peak looked natural.
Wheeler Peak is the second highest mountain in Nevada. Below is a picture from the visitor center.
Next it was a little over sixty miles to Ely, Nevada. Below is the White Pine County Courthouse in Ely.
Ely is where I am spending the night. I am staying at the La Quinta Inn. Much higher quality accommodations than last night.
Not very many dining choices here in Ely. McDonalds, Carls Jr. and a Denny's inside a casino was all I saw. So I went and got my dinner from the deli department at Ridley's Market. The food was ok but very salty. At least I didn't have to go far. I didn't even have to use the car. The market is right outside my window. The picture below was taken seconds ago from my window.
That's it for now,
Tim
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