Nevada 2013 Travelogue

                    Myself at Great Basin National Park      

              

Title: Travelogue: Exploring Nevada's Rural Beauty - July 2013

Introduction: 

 In July 2013, I embarked on a memorable journey to Nevada, eager to capture every moment of my adventure. Flying from Atlanta via Delta Airlines to Salt Lake City, I then embarked on a scenic drive along I-80 west towards Elko, Nevada. This six-day trip was centered around my aspiration to conquer Wheeler Peak within Great Basin National Park, the second highest mountain in Nevada. Join me as I recount the details of this captivating expedition.

Day 1: Atlanta, GA to Salt Lake City, UT to Elko, NV - Stops in Wendover and Wells Despite battling a bout of Pink Eye in my right eye, which had caused some concern, I resolved to proceed with the trip. Equipped with glasses and a diligent hand hygiene routine, I hoped not to leave a trail of contagion from Atlanta, Georgia to Baker, Nevada. On July 2, 2013, my ultimate destination for the day was Elko, Nevada.

Navigating the early morning hours, I couldn't rely on Atlanta's public transportation system, MARTA, as my Delta Airline flight departed at 7:15 AM, before MARTA's operating hours. Thus, I made my way to the Park 'N Go lot in East Point, GA, a twenty-minute drive from home, where I would park my car for the duration of the trip. Initially, I struggled to locate the parking lot, momentarily perplexed by the minor name variation from the Park 'N Fly I had booked. However, I eventually found it and hurriedly boarded the shuttle, aware that time was ticking towards my flight. Fortunately, as I reached the gate on Concourse C, I overheard the gate agent apologize for a delayed boarding—a sigh of relief. Walking down the ramp, I reassured myself that I was indeed embarking on this westward journey.

Envisioning a tranquil flight with moments of relaxation, music, and contemplation of the evolving landscape outside, my expectations were disrupted when a young man returning from a three-year Mormon mission to Ecuador occupied the middle seat next to me. Beyond him, in the aisle seat, sat a man in a baseball cap who wasted no time complaining to his office about being seated in coach.

Engaging in conversation, the lawyer from Utah revealed his familiarity with Mormon culture, advising the young missionary to disregard the assigned seats and join his friends. This encounter broadened my understanding of Mormon traditions, as I learned that missionaries often struggle with separation anxiety, having grown accustomed to constant companionship during their missions. With the young missionary seated again, I found myself only one seat away from the talkative divorce lawyer. He boasted about his lavish home in Atlanta's Country Club of the South neighborhood, his collection of sports cars, and his family's sprawling ranch—the largest in southern Idaho, he claimed. He also regaled me with a story of how he had defended country singer Alan Jackson by smashing a paparazzi photographer's camera, leading to a friendship with the star. My initial plan for a peaceful flight was replaced by an unexpectedly engaging conversation with the boisterous lawyer, all while donning my oversized reflective glasses and clutching sanitizing wipes.

After deplaning in Salt Lake City around 9:20 AM Mountain Time, I headed for the rental car station. Through Enterprise I had rented a small SUV for the week. I am comfortable with an SUV when out west in case I wish to travel on one of the numerous dirt or gravel roads in the Great Basin region. I really didn’t have any plans to travel on any unpaved roads on this trip like trip like I did in 2010 when I went down a 15 mile dirt road to the ghost town of Hamilton, NV, but still I wanted the option. The SUV I ended up in Salt Lake was a blue 2013 Toyota Rav 4.  

On the road west

For months I had it in my head to get on I-80 West towards Elko, NV with a goal of having lunch in either West Wendover, NV, 123 miles from the Salt Lake airport, or in Wells, NV 181 miles further west. Getting on I-80 at 10:15 AM, it certainly wasn’t lunchtime in Utah like it was back in Georgia where it was 12:15 PM so change of plans to eat more immediately. I knew I'd be tried after getting up at 4:15 AM and I planned to remedy my sleepiness with one of those Five Hour energy shots purchased at the TA truck stop I had seen on the map. For hunger I’d eat trail mix as I drove, but I reconsidered my bodily abuse as I recalled how I had pushed myself on the last Nevada excursion when coming out of Las Vegas three years ago. Three years earlier I hit the long and lonely US 93 north with little time to waste and next to zero food choices for miles and miles. Just an exit or so west of the Salt Lake airport I found an office park typical of what you find near most large airports with its mix of hotels and offices and there attached to a Comfort Inn was a Perkins Restaurant. I know the Perkins chain from the Northeast and this location as I found out later is the only Perkins in Utah. At Perkins I ordered an omelet and coffee as nourishment for the road ahead of me.   

With a full stomach I traveled west on I-80 along the Great Salt Lake on my right. I decided to turn off the interstate to get a closer look at the lake itself by stopping at the Great Salt Lake State Marina. Rolling down the window as I drove into the parking lot  I noticed the heat outside as it was now reaching a hundred degrees at this point. The large parking lot jutting out into the lake via a peninsula had few cars and there were no people in sight. I was thinking this is off season here because who wants to come here in these temperatures! I figured at $2.00 to park it was cheap enough for a few pictures of the lake before moving along. I had been warned on the plane via that boastful lawyer that the Great Salt Lake smelled bad and I found that is indeed true as I climbed down an embankment to the beach of hardened salt and sand. Thousands of tiny flies parted ways as I walked towards the water for my brief look into the water. Given the flies, the dead seaweed stench, and the oppressive heat ,this would haven been a nightmare of a day at this beach if one intended to sunbathe or play a game of volleyball. In the distance across the lake, the best I could tell, I saw the red shoreline of Antelope Island which later I would hear positive reviews of from other travelers, but it was a far drive from my location. This was of course state marina and in fact I saw a few hundred sailboats moored, but I saw no one on the docks nor anyone managing the boats. I noted a flag pole with its concrete base honoring the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games; a rust stain mixed with the letters and Olympic rings. There was a visitor center in a trailer, but it was closed. Okay, I saw the Great Salt Lake, time to go.

Great Salt Lake State Marina

Back on I-80 west I did stop at the TA truck stop outside of Salt Lake City as I originally planned. While perusing the truck stop aisles my mind was going over what I needed for travel, mainly sunscreen since I planned to go out onto the Bonneville Salt Flats under an intense sun in less than a hundred miles. At this truck stop I couldn't find sunscreen and just ended up with additional snacks for the road. On I-80 West again I noted the highway ran parallel to the lake and the Union Pacific Railroad's east – west line. I soon started to see white salt on both sides of the road. Signs along I-80 warned of sleepy drivers, that monotonous desert heads you to a dream state I suppose, but not me as I was excited about the trip. At one point I saw a Morton Salt processing plant along the road near Grantsville; hey one can consume the ground here! Further along into the Bonneville Salt Flat I passed the 87 foot sculpture by Swedish artist Karl Momen called "Metaphor or The Tree of Utah” with it's over-sized concrete fruit.  

Salt Flats, Wendover, and West Wendover  

Just outside of Wendover, UT I found my opportunity to get off of I-80 and check out the Bonneville Salt Flat via a rest stop that opens out onto the landscape. I looked at the car thermometer which was reading 101 outside, hot, but this was the chance to get really intersting pictures. Stretched out for miles is white salt ending only on the horizon at rusty brown mountains, how far to those mountians I didn't know. With a collapsible tripod, bottled water, and an iPhone I walked while the ground crunched under my feet. The slat here is defined by hexagonal honeycomb-like patterns. I had been on a salt flat before in Death Valley National Park in California, but this one in Utah is right next to I-80 allowing for easy access for travelers. One could walk a long way on this salt, but the sun at noon was beating down on me and during a massive heat wave over the region. I had to be smart and not  too adventurous with reason out here on the salt. My best picture here was an iPhone shot looking back at my hat, bottled water, camera bag, and lone tripod unattended on the expanse of the slat flat; a photo later posted on Facebook entitled "Where is Steve now?”. 

 Bonneville Salt Flat 

Once I was back in the car I made a mess of the floorboard on the driver’s side with salt from my shoes. Back on I-80 my drive was short since just beyond the edge of the slat flat is Wendover, Utah. As a mini-gambling mecca Wendover is a town split in two between Utah and Nevada. It's Wendover  in Utah with no gambling and that's where parking lot of the Montego Bay Casino is, but once inside the door of Montego Bay you’re in fun loving, blinking lights,win or lose West Wendover, Nevada . I pulled into the service lot of the Montego Bay in Nevada, but I had to just walk across the AstroTurf hillside to visit the state line and get a picture of the border painted there across Wendover Blvd. I had the idea to go into the Montego Bay to eat in one of the three restaurants there. The casino resembles the Las Vegas model, flash and chrome, though only on a much smaller scale. The Montego is about four stories tall with mirrored glass windows and looks like a comfortable place to escape from reality or the summer heat. Amongst the gaming machines are large video walls projecting images of various tropical paradises; I wondered, if the idea was to keep you gambling until you get enough cash to visit these places away from the “nothingness” of  West Wendover perhaps? I decided I don’t want to sit down in the Montego Bay restaurant; too much time and money. Neither side of current day Wendover would be there, or maybe it would be a truck stop or just a rail crossing, if it weren’t for legalized gambling in Nevada. Residents of Utah can get their fix of Vegas type slots in West Wendover while Las Vegas itself is 366 miles to the south via US 93 and Reno is 397 miles west via I-80. West Wendover has a large concert hall for some Vegas type entertainment. Out of curiosity I checked via my iPhone to see if Mike Love’s version of the Beach Boys had played West Wendover, NV as it seems without Brian Wilson in tow they play places like this, it's my own silly interest, and sure enough a few months earlier the Boys had played the Peppermill Concert Hall of West Wendover, Nevada. 

Wendover has some unusual notoriety since during World War II the Wendover Army Air Field was a training base for bomber pilots including the crew of the Enola Gay, the first aircraft to drop an atomic bomb. I spotted the almost ghost town-like Wendover Field from the hill that is the parking lot of the Montego Bay Casino and decided I should go look around. After settling on the safe cheap bet of McDonald’s for lunch, I made a brief stop at the memorial of the Enola Gay aircraft in a shaded rest area on side of the road. The Enola Gay aircraft was stationed in Wendover until June 1945 and the hangar that was home to the plane has been partially restored at the Wendover Air Field. The hangar had been listed as one of the most endangered historic sites in the U.S., but thanks to some needed funds it is being restored. There is however certain oddness about the glorification of the world entering into the horrors of atomic warfare, but there it is with a fresh coat of paint. On the lighter side of historic importance, the Wendover Airfield stood in for the exteriors of Area 51 in the 1996 film "Independence Day" and a few of the flying scenes for the 1997 movie Con Air were filmed at Wendover. A nonflying "prop" mounted on a bus chassis of the Con Air plane is located along the air strip. 

As an old World War II era base, it is remarkably intact, though in a mostly decaying state. Some of the buildings that would have been torn down at some point in most towns remain intact. There are old now unused airplane hangars along the runway, a hospital complex that resembles an old barracks or perhaps Hollywood's vision of a prison camp, and a red and white painted control tower that has been restored to its forties look. One of the old barracks building appears to be now an apartment building with numerous satellite dishes attached the faded paint and parked outside are rows of old cars dating back to the fifties. I cruised around the old base taking pictures amazed it was so easy to be there without fences or even signs warnings about entering the aging buildings. There are vehicles around, but I don’t see anyone outside;see that’s the odd thing about rural Utah or Nevada, one can go into a town or historic site and while seeing signs of life never actually ever see anyone moving about.

 Before leaving West Wendover I visited Wendover Will, a 63-foot-tall neon cowboy with a cigarette dangling from his mouth. The sign was once was part of the Stateline Casino in West Wendover and was erected in 1952. The sign sits at the western edge of town having been moved to the current site in 2005. Wendover Will is included in the Guinness Book of Records as the "World's Largest Mechanical Cowboy"; how many of those are there anyway? To view Will I parked in a parking lot that contains a small exhibit about the emigrant migration west and I took pictures at various angles of Will towering above me.

Wendover Will

From West Wendover I got back on I-80 west. Next I was looking for a dramatic mountain peak  known as Pilot Peak. Once I saw Pilot Peak I realized it's past importance as a guide for travelers. Pilot Peak rises 6,400 feet above the Great Salt Lake Desert hence it's status as a landmark. Explorer John C. Fremont saw the peak from the east during his third expedition mapping out the Great Basin and then the Donner Party used the peak as a landmark while going west in 1846. I pulled off of I-80 to get a picture with the mountain in the distance behind me; a selfie with a mountain I suppose. With people along for the journey I might have considered climbing Pilot Peak, but for now it’s just one stop along the way.  

  

After leaving my photo opportunity of Pilot Peak I headed out on I-80 with my next destination of Wells, NV. It was getting later in the afternoon and while there was a massive heat wave over the area making the news, scattered thunderstorms were coming into view. As I got closer to Wells I could see a storm in the distance and spits of rain hit the windshield. Seeing streaks of lightning against black skies, I wondered what the weather would be like when I arrived in Wells, which I very much wanted to check out. 

Wells, Nevada: An Earthquake damaged gem

Arriving in Wells I found the storms far in the distance and not a factor in touring the town. As far as most travelers on I-80 are concerned Wells is a spot for fast food, motels, gasoline, and truck repairs, but beyond new businesses along the interstate there is an aging town of historic value. Originally Wells was a place called Humboldt Wells along the wagon trail to California. The town originated around 1868 and became an important railroad stop along the original Transcontinental Railroad. With numerous hotels, Wells was once a stopover for passenger trains going either going west or east. The old business area of Wells were already in decay when at 6:16 A.M., February 21, 2008 a magnitude 6.0 earthquake occurred five miles northeast of town greatly damaging the older buildings. I recall the hearing of the earthquake on the news, but never thought I’d visit the town itself.  

Wells, Nevada

The most notable destruction from the 2008 earthquake in Wells is on 7^th Street facing the railroad. It appears that after the quake a long row of damaged buildings were just fenced off and there they remain minus any insurance or disaster relief. There were few people around as I snapped pictures and made videos of the damaged areas in town. Wells has a ghost town feel in spots while actually being sort of alive at the same time. I believe the 7th Street area was once the center of activity in Wells and was then called Front Street. There is an old bank on 7^th Street, obviously now a residence, that building eluded any noticeable damage from the quake and it might be the nicest "house" in town.   

   

Back on I-80 it’s another it was 50 miles from Wells to my first overnight stop of Elko, NV. As I drove west and approached Elko, from my iPod playlist “Nevada” I heard the band Railroad Earth and their song “Elko”; perfect timing! 

Elko, Nevada 

I had looked at Elko via Google Street View, but here I was actually driving its streets. Elko is a boomtown yet again due to current high prices for gold and gold is very much still being mined near Elko. Several mining companies maintain North American headquarters in Elko.With the gold boom the town has a mix of old and new development with a few new shopping plazas in development, plus new fast food franchises all mixed with the old guard of lower tier casinos. The Thunderbird Motel where I stayed has a sixties architecture with the buildings inclosing a parking lot and smallish swimming pool tucked in the corner. It seems like the place for contractors to stay as the lot is full of  utility vehicles most likely connected to local mining operations. Thankfully the workers that stay at the Thunderbird must be a tried bunch because at nightfall it’s quiet.   

I pushed it hard from my house in Atlanta, flying almost cross-country to the Salt Lake City airport, and then to Elko. After the plane it was 226 miles across land with the few side trips added in. The day is stretched out going from the Eastern Time zone to the Pacific.Time Zone. I managed to get to the store for supplies for the next day of hiking in the Ruby Mountains. 

Day 2, July 3, 2013: Elko and the Ruby Mountains

Since my brain remained on Eastern Time I woke up early, maybe around 7:00 AM, but I needed to get going anyway so 7:00 worked. I walked over to McAdoo’s Restaurant on 5^th Street for breakfast. McAdoo’s is a more gentrified place then one would expect in Elko with specialty dishes, fancy cupcakes and classical music playing. One online writer had said the restaurant was on “Yuppie Row”, this compared to more hardscrabble “Old West” Elko. 

After breakfast I head southeast to the Ruby Mountains which is about 21 miles. My main destination in the Ruby Mountain Range was the Lamoille Canyon road. The Ruby Mountains are sometimes called Nevada’s Swiss Alps. Like the Yosemite Valley in California, a place Lamoille Canyon is often compared to, this area was shaped by glaciers during the last ice age. The Ruby range runs approximately in a north-south direction and is about 90 miles long and twelve miles wide. In my reading about Nevada it is often mentioned as spectacular and a must to see, though like many sites in Nevada away from the Vegas or Reno area it is not well known outside of the region.  

Lamoille Canyon Scenic Byway that I traveled on is 12 miles long. On either side of this canyon road are towering mountains, U-shaped canyons, aspen trees, grass meadows, high waterfalls, and mountains with year-round snowfields making up the scenery. I stopped for my first hike at the Changing Canyon Trail which is a loop trail about 1.5 miles long. It was cool outside, in the low seventies, despite the heat wave in the region. As I walked there was morning sunlight streaming through the aspens down to wildflowers that seemed to be everywhere. Mountain mahogany, sagebrush, and balsamroot are in the drier areas of the trail that leads to a beaver pond before looping back to the road.

Lamoille Canyon in the Ruby Mountains

Continuing south on the Lamoille Canyon Scenic Byway, I came to the end of the twelve mile road.   At the end there is a circle with a parking lot, horse drop off, picnic area, and facilities. The trail I decided to take leads up to the Dollar Lakes and lastly Lamoille Lake. While the trail goes much further this was my first hike of the trip, a primer towards more hiking. Afternoon thundershowers are a concern in this region and I was avoiding that by going for the short trip of four miles. The beginning of this hike is in open terrain with wildflowers in abundance before crossing Lamoille Creek and into a pinewood forest. The trail starts at 8,000 ft and ends up at about 10,000 ft. Views of Lamoille Canyon seemed to get more and more amazing as I climbed each leg of the trail. At one point I came to a bend in the trail and discovered snow clinging to a cliff. I was excited to see snow close up, simple proof I was high up in altitude in early July. With shadows it takes all summer snow to melt and I exclaimed my happiness of snow to a couple coming down the trail, but what I didn't realize was there was more snow to come. Further along the snow abutted the trail with clusters of wildflowers which were too high  to photograph with my point and shoot camera; a photo dreamed of, but not possible. I came to the Dollar Lakes which are two small shallow ponds surrounded with colorful wildflowers blowing in the wind. I crossed a swampy meadow and finally reached Lamoille Lake. As it was the first hike of the trip perhaps I over-monitored myself while climbing at the high altitude and asking myself how was doing in the thin air. In testing myself I found I was breathing easy and my heart rate was fine, really I was thinking of the big climb up Wheeler Peak in Great Basin National Park a few days ahead. At  Lamoille Lake I rested, took pictures, and noted the scenery. The lake looked to be 10 Ft. deep and crystal clear and most likely ice cold if I was to take a dip; snow was at the banks in spots. I sat on a rock that protrudes into the water and thanked God for the opportunity to be in this wonderful place; at rest and in peace!

Leaving any highlight on this trip was done was with hesitation, questioning myself if I was truly soaking in the moment while not knowing if such a time and place would come again soon, maybe it's always like that, but move on As I headed back down the trail I passed others going up, seniors with walking sticks and teens in flip flops. It had warmed up outside, but nothing like the heat wave that’s in the surrounding deserts. 

Before returning to Elko I drive into the community of Lamoille further east down the road away from the canyon drive. I went as far as the much photographed Lamoille Presbyterian Church where the Ruby Mountains tower in the background.

Back in Elko was about 4:00 PM and I hadn't eaten yet and I debated whether to hold out for the Star Hotel Basque Restaurant, but it was too early and besides I had wanted to try the Costa Vida Fresh Mexican Grill. I am always interested in chain places that aren’t located back home and Costa Vida had opened in Elko earlier that week; I had noticed prior to my trip an ad looking for employees for the location. Costa Vida is an example of the current Elko boom because with recent spikes in the price of gold mined in the region. There are new chain places opening in Elko these days that wouldn’t have opened there before the boom. Costa Vida is a lot like Moe’s back home since you walk down the line telling employees what you want on or in your meal. The emphasis at Costa Vida is on "Baja Mexican" with smothered burritos. 

  After dinner at Costa Vida I decided I would go see what the local college looks like, yes a busman’s holiday of sorts for me since I work at a college. Great Basin College next I-10 opened in 1967 as Elko Community College and now offers two and for year degrees. It being the evening of July 3^rd the campus was completely empty; I never saw a soul nor security. It’s a nice modern campus with a clock tower and a running stream albeit with the assistance of a pump in the center of campus. Elko’s lone Television station KENV (NBC) is on the edge of the campus; I recommend viewing their very basic local newscasts online or live if you're visiting - the least slick newscast I have ever seen, just local news. 

Back at the motel, I walked around downtown Elko. I had to investigate the Commercial Casino across Idaho Street from my motel with giant polar bears on its facade. Though built in 1869 there is no charm from that time period left now at the Commerical. I will say the Commercial is probably the only casino around with a 10 foot, 4 inch giant white stuffed polar bear standing guard by the entrance in a glass case. The bear named “White King” is the theme of the place. White King's arrival was the result of a 1957 challenge to find the largest Polar Bear in the Arctic Circle, how it came to Elko I am not sure.

I saw that the gift shop for the Western Folklife Center was still open so I went in. The Folklife center sponsors the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering each January in Elko that showcases poets, musicians, musical groups, and plays of cowboy poetry. The gift shop has an entire wall of cowboy poetry CDs and I purchased a two disc set that more or less is a best of encompassing a ten year span of the National Cowboy Poetry gathering . 

The Star Basque Restaurant in Elko, NV

Later around 9:00 PM I thought I could perhaps stomach eating one of the large meals served at the Star Hotel Basque Restaurant. Basque restaurants and old Basque Hotels are an interesting aspect of this region, French Basque Country sheepherders made their way to Nevada during the mining booms of the mid to late 1800s and 1900s. The Basques in Nevada often stayed with their fellow countrymen in boardinghouses which had group dining rooms and that marked the beginning of Basque family style dining in Nevada which remains to this day. The Star is one of the more famous Basque restaurants in Nevada. It is family style dinning where everyone eats together at long tables so I was wary of joining in on this social time. There was a line outside and numerous men in cowboy hats at the bar. The place was on my wish list, but not really in the cards given the crowd and the late hour. 

Day 3: July 4, 2013: On the road to Great Basin National Park, plus Metropolis, Currie, Cherry Creek, Ely, and Baker, Nevada

In the morning I checked out of the Thunderbird Motel in Elko.  With no restaurant at the Thunderbird, they hand out meal coupons to a few places nearby so I partook in the breakfast at the Red Lion Hotel and Casino close to where I would jumping on the interstate again. The Red Lion is a western based chain of hotels and in Elko it is one of the larger and fancier casinos. I had a decent ham and cheese omelet and coffee in their coffee shop. In the people watching category, during breakfast I noticed a man a cowboy hat and suit meet with a sheriff’s deputy, maybe nothing but my imagination, but it seemed like a scene from a movie; a meeting trouble in town?  Between bites of food I called my friend Mike in Portland, OR and explained, much to his surprise, that I was a mere ten hour drive, that's nothing out west, from his home. In the parking lot I finally reached my wife Anna via a cell call. Anna during my trip was on Amelia Island in Florida with the family. I hit a nearby Albertsons grocery for more supplies and headed east on I-80 towards Wells and US 93 south. 

I got off at Wells to hit US 93 south towards Ely, NV and stopped into a Love’s Travel Stop and started thinking how close I was to the ghost town of Metropolis, NV. I grabbed my Nevada Atlas and studied the map. While I had backed off from the idea of going to this remote ghost town, I started thinking when will I pass this way again and so I went off of my itinerary just a bit. Before leaving the travel center I purchased a flimsy Wells Progress newspaper from a bin. The paper is more like a high school publication and it's actually printed back in Elko, this is after being printed in a garage for years in Wells, but still it gives a taste of the local news and opinions of the region. I headed through Wells on my way to Metropolis six miles northwest of town. I knew that if I headed across the railroad tracks and took a left I would be, I hoped, on the road to Metropolis with pavement most of  the way, I had to trust my map book. In Wells I saw a nice wooden sign pointing towards Metropolis and I was hopeful I to see another sign, only in truth that was the only sign I saw the rest of the way. I was a little nervous heading off of my itinerary, but still I enjoyed seeing the scenery off of the interstate such as it was with small ranches and cattle occasionally in the roadway.  

I passed a few dirt roads that might have lead to Metropolis according to my map book, but I was unsure of the distance and road conditions. Finally around a bend I looked south and far in the distance I saw what I thought might be the arch of the old Metropolis school as seen in almost every pictorial of the place. In order to confirm that the speck I was seeing amongst the sagebrush was indeed the noted arch, I took my point and shoot camera and zoomed towards what I saw and then snapped a picture. I took a look back at my photo and indeed it was the arch, there was Metropolis! I turned around and then drove down a well maintained dirt and gravel road towards the former town site.  

Metropolis, NV 

Metropolis, Nevada around 1910 was intended by Pierce's Pacific Reclamation Company to be the center of a large farming district. The company purchased 40,000 acres and built a dam in a creek about 15 miles east of the town. Metropolis was predominately Mormon and advertised to church members in the region. The Pierce Company built an amusement hall, a post office, a school, a train depot, and a modern hotel. The town faced serious  problems almost immediately since Pierce didn’t obtain water rights to the creek they had dammed. The downstream town of Lovelock sued to prevent the damming of the creek. Farmers tried dry farming wheat which worked until crickets invaded the crops. The town was completely empty by 1950.  The ruins of the school are defined by an archway standing in sagebrush, while the remains of the hotel identified by elevator shaft and a collapsed basement. The cemetery that I didn’t see along with few structures I did see are all that remain now of the community. I viewed the monuments to the town's residents, took photos and made videos of the site and then moved on - there was no one around and the silence was eerie.  

Leaving Metropolis and reaching pavement again, I passed cattle along the road as I headed back into Wells for one last pass through. I stopped to take a picture of the sturdy appearing all brick Nevada Theater before going south on US 93. It was 63 miles to my next destination of Currie, Nevada through the high desert while running parallel to the Humboldt Mountain Range. I had glanced at the gas gauge after passing one of those scary “No Services, Next 140 Miles” signs, however I had enough gas really, but wasn't not my car and so I couldn't with certainty calculate what it might take to reach Ely where services are fully abundant. 

 

 

Currie, Nevada

My next stop, a place services left years ago, Currie, NV, is an old railroad stop named for a rancher who settled there in 1885. Currie was my first time coming across the partly abandoned Nevada Northern Railway out of Ely. Currie was the midpoint from the start of the railway in Ely to the south and the northern end of the line in Cobre, NV. A few people reside in Currie, I actually saw an older man there teaching a young girl how to ride a bike near the old closed mercantile. There is a railroad station, an old one room schoolhouse, a row of simple white cabins that once were for overnight stays, and the Currie Hotel that looks to be a storage barn for a ranching operation - faded letters for the Currie Hotel remain on the dirty yellow building. Railroad passenger service ended for Currie in 1941 and today many cars just fly by. 

I got back on US 93 to head south and less than a mile down the road I saw a sign for Cherry Creek and think that’s road I wanted as Cherry Creek was my next desired destination; but so soon I wondered ? I turned off and the road turned to gravel soon after; my Nevada Road Atlas saved me. This time more than the Atlas being a fun novelty it saved me much time and anguish because while in reality Cherry Creek is down that particular road I turned on, it is 35 miles away on gravel and I knew there was a better and shorter route. I passed the junction of US 93 and US 93 ALT called Langes Station. Langes Station has one motel and nothing else; I didn't stop, but what an experience that would to stay in that place. 

Cherry Creek, Nevada

I came to the turn off of US 93 to Cherry Creek. The old historic town of Cherry Creek is about eight miles off of US 93. To get the town I crossed the beautiful wide open Steptoe Valley. About half way down the paved road one crosses the rusted remains of the Nevada Northern Railroad mainline. Just like back in Currie the tracks here are long abandoned. There was once a train station here for Cherry Creek, but the building was moved to Ely to the White Pine County Museum. 

The town Cherry Creek came to be in 1872 when large deposits of gold and silver were found in the area. For two years the town prospered and then the mines played out, but it all came alive again in 1880 with more discoveries and the town grew to 6,000 people with 28 saloons; party central for many at one time. Once again mining played out and the population went down to 350 by 1890. There are people in Cherry Creek today and I saw a couple of them, no one else though, as I took pictures and shot some videos.

After Cherry Creek I could’ve stopped at the Egan Canyon Pony Express Station exhibit on US 93 which is pretty much at the junction of the highway and the road to Cherry Creek, but I kept moving; I can’t see everything I suppose. 

McGill, Nevada

The next point of civilization I came to is McGill, Nevada. I don’t stop in McGill, but rather I roll through slowly taking pictures out the car window. There are a few weather-worn classic looking western buildings in McGill. In the early twentieth century Nevada Consolidated Copper Company had numerous mines in the region and was seeking a partner to create a smelter for copper in the area. The Cumberland and Ely Mining Corporation had acquired land near the then McGill Ranch and the two companies formed the Steptoe Valley Smelting and Mining Company. McGill grew to a town of 2,864 by 1920. The smelter closed in 1983 and I am unsure how many live in the town now, though the 2010 census showed the town at 1,148 even without the smelter.   

Outside the Hotel Nevada in Ely

After McGill and 19 miles later I was in Ely, Nevada and now I was retracing my June 2010 trip some. I stayed at the Hotel Nevada in Ely in 2010 and so knowing the decent food at that establishment I headed there first for dinner; the patty melt with cheese bread is excellent. I need to get to Baker, NV before dark so after eating I headed out. I had plans to return to Ely later in the trip. 

Traveling east on US 50 I had forgotten the curvy and steep part of the road that exists through Connors Pass before coming into the expansive Spring Valley. In the distance beyond the valley and towards where I was headed, Great Basin National Park, I see a giant cloud of brown smoke. I learned later the smoke was the Black Canyon Fire not far from the limestone Lexington Arch in the south end of Great Basin NP. 

So what has changed in the Spring Valley since 2010 when I last passed through? Now giant wind turbines, windmills, dot the valley floor as Nevada’s first wind farm. There are 66 wind turbines operated by Pattern Energy set up since August 2012. Does this take away from the beauty of the valley? When you think about how this wide open valley of sagebrush, where one can see for miles and miles in both directions the view that is now indeed interrupted. The valley has remained unchanged for thousands of years, however progress has shown up. If one looks up these windmills in the Spring Valley online you will see there was a lawsuit to stop them, but you clearly see who won that fight. The other viewpoint of these wind monsters is they are interesting to watch, if not graceful partners with the valley as they generate clean power for the region. 

My motel in Baker,NV

After passing through the Spring Valley I came into the Snake Valley on the other side of the Snake Range through the Sacramento Pass and then I turned south on State 487 to head  south 5 miles to timy Baker, NV. My final destination was the Silver Jack Inn and LectroLux Café. It’s was early evening and a thunderstorm was coming. I checked in and ended up with the same room, # 2, that I had in June of 2010, so it is like coming home! The Silver Jack has an L shaped narrow wooden ,not so fancy, motel building with an open courtyard between itself and an old general store building. The old store is now used as a café and the place to check-in. In the café there is a store for a few food items and micro beers if you wish. I grabbed my stuff from the car and headed for the room as the wind got stronger with blowing sand. A family with kids was eating in the courtyard, interestingly enough speaking both in German and Spanish simultaneously, when suddenly their table umbrella blew over and they departed. It rained hard for a brief while and then stopped. The hot day was replaced by an almost cold evening. In my room I watched satellite TV in my room where there was a documentary on Iranian cinema on; yes odd, but true viewing in the Snake Valley of Nevada/Utah.

Day 4: July 5, 2013, Great Basin National Park, the Bristlecone and Glacier Trail.

I got up fairly early for breakfast in the LectroLux Café which is known by that name because there is a LectroLux vacuum cleaner hanging from the ceiling. Firefighters who had been working the nearby Black Canyon fire were lined up outside to eat. The firefighters, a group of both young men and women eat in silence at the big table in the middle of the café, I thought they'd be more conversational with each other, but no. 

My destination of the day was the Bristlecone and Glacier Trail in the higher elevations of Great Basin National Park. Thinking of the eventual climb up Wheeler Peak I considered this hike through the Bristlecone grove and up to the glacier as the warm up towards the larger climb. I had hiked this Bristlecone trail before in June 2010 with a lot of determination because I was in foot deep snow then. In 2010 I couldn’t hike much beyond the first grove of Bristlecone Pines without fear of being very alone in an unfamiliar place in a deep snow. In the warmth of early July I could now hike to the glaciers that lie at the base of Wheeler Peak with ease. 

I drove from an elevation of 5,315 ft. in Baker up the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive ending at an elevation of about 10,000 ft at the trail-head. Just beyond the parking lot is the Wheeler Peak Campground which I would love to stay at, however it is first come first serve and it fills up quickly in the summer; I didn't bring camping gear anyhow. 

Bristlecone Pine

The natural stars of the Bristlecone trail are of course the Bristlecone Pines themselves. Bristlecone Pines here above 10,000 ft. are some of the oldest living things on the planet with some trees in this area can over three thousand years; one tree was dated to be 4,900 years old! There is something spiritual about being in the presence of a living thing that is thousands of years old. I made it a point to touch their smooth yet weathered wood; I thought to myself, here I am in this time and yet just a blip in their lifespan! These trees grow incredibly slow, so a forty year old Bristlecone Pine may only be an inch tall! There are a few dead Bristlecone Pines that still stand and yet they died thousands of years ago. A few trees you may think are dead, but really aren’t. Among the Bristlecone Pines it’s a rocky landscape of quartzite rock formed by glaciers which I would see further up the trail. 

I passed the Bristlecone grove and now I was now beyond my 2010 hike. Unlike in the fog and snow of my previous visit I could clearly see Wheeler Peak towering above this area. Vegetation gives way to piles of rocks as I got closer to the base of the mountain. I stopped at a warning sign about falling rocks in the area, but clearly the trail went on beyond this point. A woman hiking on her own kept going and others soon followed - so on I went. The piles of rocks at this point have a hollow sound as you walk mainly because of the air pockets below that go perhaps hundreds of feet down to dirt that you cannot see in this area.

Myself at the glacier

I came to the glaciers; now for clarification about a glacier in Nevada, a glacier by definition is a body of ice that lasts from year to year and that flows under its own weight. This is a small glacier, and is it is considered to be a textbook Alpine Glacier. It is the only glacier in Nevada and one of the southernmost glaciers in the United States; just one more unique feature in Nevada that few know about. A thunderstorm rumbled in the distant valley below and with no cover in the area and I grew somewhat concerned; this seemed to be the theme on this trip with numerous afternoon showers arriving like clockwork. 

My hike on this day went up to 10,900 ft. which was basically training myself for the hike the next day up to the second highest point in Nevada, Wheeler Peak, at 13,063 ft. On the trail returning to my car I ran into the family with young children, the same family who I saw as I checked into the motel in Baker. Seeing a four year old hiking along and thinking of my own son I ask how he is doing and his mother says that altitude is making him cranky, but he is alright. It turned out this family lives in California and is multi-national using two languages to speak to each other, I have never seen this before.  

I headed back down to Baker on the Scenic Drive through the park. It was warmer and quieter now  than in the morning back at the Silver Jack Inn. Lunch had long closed down at the LectroLux Café so I decided to head to the Border Inn with is on US 50 in the middle of the Snake Valley and directly on the Nevada and Utah border. The Border Inn has a gas station, a general store, and a small casino on the Nevada side with a basic motel across the Utah state line. I was the only one in the Border Inn restaurant where two teenagers where running the food service this day.  I had my ham and cheese and then headed outside to watch a thunderstorm cross the valley headed towards Baker in the distance.  

In the evening I went to dinner in the LectroLux Café back at the motel. The longish table in center of the café ends up being by default the community table with both couples and single patrons, strangers and otherwise all joined together in that one spot because of  a lack of seating. There I sat on my own at the center table listening to conversations around me, actually hoping an opportunity of an introduction. Traveling alone, though enjoyable as it can be with the freedom to do what you want when you want, has its drawbacks when you actually do wish to be social or just add to the subject mater overheard. I admit I was jealous of the people around me with friends and family, perhaps on the western journey of a lifetime, all having their in-depth conversations about the experiences of the day, including some the same exact experiences I had just had myself. Still the magic that seems to happen at the LectroLux Café at that center table started to happen or maybe it's just regular good human behavior where people start taking to you out of nowhere. Someone must have notied my Nevada guidebooks, but I started to compare notes with two couples, Rick and Cindy, and then  Lauren and Rick. One couple I met was from Oregon and the other from a town outside of Pittsburgh, PA. As I spoke of  ghost towns and roads of Nevada, Cindy from Oregon expressed surprise that there is someone from Atlanta, Georgia so interested in the back roads of Nevada!

After dinner, I walked around Baker itself taking pictures and exploring this very small desert community. In front of the old high school building, now the Baker Community Center, some bicyclist set up camp. Next to the bicyclist and their tents there was piano that had been left to the elements in the old school yard, one guy bangs out a tune on the piano while another works on his tent.Across from the Silver Jack Motel, I found the foundation of the long gone Mira Monte Hotel built in 1915, I had seen pictures of the building.  The downside of my tour of town was that my point and shoot gave up the ghost there the day before my big mountain climb. The camera was just worn out from so many pictures being taken over the last few days, it was overheating really. 

Day Five, July 6, 2013: Great Basin National Park. The hike up Wheeler Peak

Even within the unknown and excitement around my upcoming epic climb up Wheeler Peak, I still slept well the night before. I got up in time for the opening doors of the LectroLux Café for breakfast, as one must start early on hikes up Wheeler Peak due to afternoon thundershowers. I ate oatmeal and thenI bought the homemade trail mix they make at the LectroLux and I hit the road for the trailhead to Wheeler Peak.

 I arrived at the parking area for the summit hike at 7:40 AM. The elevation at the trailhead is at 10,000 ft. and I would be going up 13,063 ft. The estimated time to complete the hike is six to ten hours, 4.5 hours if you know the trail or push it I suppose. Of course I had that nagging feeling of can I do this, even with my high level of confidence. Steady heart pounding climbing at a high altitude for at least three hours is not my usual workout, but we shall see, and still it is is so exciting to be here. The Wheeler Peak walk-up trail is not a straight away climb by any means as it meanders towards the mountain. The beginning of this trail is all pines, then beautiful aspen trees, before going through a classic mountain meadow with Wheeler Peak in distance before ascending into rocky hills. I ran into a woman who was on the Bristlecone Pine trail the day before when I was and she told me she had to turn around because of the wind on the ridge just ahead; she said with her 110 pound frame she was actually afraid she’d be blown off of the mountain!

I kept going just waiting to feel the gale force winds above the tree line. On a ridge above the tree line I stopped at a rock wall shelter for a break and shortly after my brief rest I encountered the fierce winds I had warned of. I stopped to video record myself taking the brunt of what had to be 40 mph winds. I was thinking is this what is going to be like this the entire way up? I learned the answer was no, the winds will come and go depending on the angle the trail is at while going up. The dirt and loose rock trail soon became all rock as the trail is defined by a pathway between piles and piles of  grey rock. There were points I felt most confident literally crawling across the rocks while carefully calculating each movement while second guessing which rock was very loose or just slightly loose. My major concern going up the mountain was would I slide off the trail or get a foot stuck between rocks. I was taking my time as the climb became steeper and steeper.

The Walk-up trail to Wheeler Peak

As I had my eyes to the ground watching each step on loose rocks, to my surprise  I was suddenly at the top of Wheeler Peak! I thought there was more trail ahead, but no! Wow, there I was! The doubts were over, I had made it! I found about fifteen people at the summit all involved in what felt like a party to my senses. Folks were walking around taking in the view, a few were sitting in the roofless rock shelters, and many were discussing their hike up and whether or not it was easier or harder than the last time they had climbed. I was new to the experience, to type of mountain, and new to a 13,063 ft. high presence, eye to eye with the clouds . I was overcome with emotion as tears briefly welled up in my eyes. All the second guessing by myself and others around my "extreme" mountain climb was now worthless as I had succeeded on a major bucket list item for me.  

I had reached the summit of Wheeler Peak

The top of Wheeler Peak is narrow, perhaps 25 accessible feet across and 300 feet long. It's made up of of loose gray slate. One of the rock shelters at the summit has a mailbox imbedded into the wall where if you want you can leave messages, handwritten journals, and perhaps prayers. The views here of course are incredible as nothing in over a hundred miles is higher. I had my picture taken by another climber with my iPhone, I gave the point and shoot camera another try, but no go. Looking in the distance I saw the white puffy clouds growing in size, their bottoms growing darker by the minute, it was time to climb down. 

Going down isn’t as exerting as the climb up, however it is slippery, far more than when going up. I discovered quickly that one hiking boot was too small, an issue overlooked in my planning and purchasing of appropriate gear for the hike, my right big toe was being pushed into the wall of the boot. I heard thunder while I was still exposed above the tree line. I needed not to be the tallest object in the fields of rocks. There was a rain storm overtaking a mountain in the distance and thankfully I came to the tree line before the storm got any closer. It never rained much, I was putting on my rain jacket on and then removing it again minutes later. 

I reached the wonderful mountain meadow I had seen on the way up and there I saw two Mule Deer feeding in the grass. I was tried, but still occasionally I found myself running in am attempt to beat a thunderstorm that I couldn't really tell if it was at my back or right above me. I was almost back to the car, just beyond the Aspen trees, when it started hailing; maybe this is normal at 10,000 ft.  For the record I had left the car at 7:40 AM and I returned to the car at 3:20 PM and so done was this hike of a lifetime. The drive back down into Baker was almost ordinary seeming despite the amazing views. 

That night at dinner at LectroLux Café I learn from Lauren and Rick, a couple I had met the day before, that there will be a stargazing talk by the rangers at the Lehman Cave Visitor’s Center  that evening at dusk and even though I was tired I thought why not? There area around Great Basin National Park is considered one of the darkest places in the United States. With the light pollution of cities and towns, even in most rural places it is hard to see the Milky Way in the United States, but not here, because with the darkness here right after dark the Milk Way comes into view! At Visitor’s Center parking lot the park service set up several high-powered telescopes for viewing the Cloud Nebula, planets such as Saturn, distant various stars, and constellations.  

I had ran into and sat on a stone wall with the couple I had met at dinner, Rick and Lauren, who told me about this event. At one after making several trips to a telescope in the darkness Lauren asks me if I am an evolutionist or a creationist. There was irony in this question given my viewpoint of the God created world that surrounded us and stood stretched out before us at that moment and so I answer that I am not a Creationist, but I explained that it take a longer conversation and decent dialog to explain. Perhaps Lauren's question came after the park ranger had mentioned the Big Bang and stars being billions of years old which can sadly be a point of contention to some involved in the creation story argument. While I didn’t explain anything that all well to Lauren at the time, my thoughts come together later on the subject. I don’t believe the bible to be a science textbook, though science isn’t divorced from it and science does not discount God altogether. Lauren had said to me at the stargazing, “ We just can’t believe all this came from nothing” and I never got say back, no it didn’t all come from “nothing” as God willed all of material creation in of its magnificence and see that this is all right before us in the stars, in the mountains, and in the wonderment of us all coming together in this place at this very moment; we are alive indeed.  The day had ended with the stars above and for me with the mountain climbed. 

Day Six: July 7, 2013: Return to Ely and the Nevada Northern Railroad  

The next day I had breakfast with the couple I had viewed the stars with and then waved goodbye to them as headed quickly off to Mass in Ely. Mass was at 10:00 AM and I had drive fast across the Spring Valley, approaching 90 MPH as drove into Ely only to be confused by two 11^th streets in Ely. Thankfully, I remembered there is Ely and then there is East Ely, it's two towns historically adjoined with occasional duplicate streets, though outsiders wouldn't know this, you almost have to know the history of the town to get navigate its streets. I made it to mass at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in time for the homily. As it turned out this was the first Sunday of Fr. John McShane’s new assignment in Ely. After mass I told Fr. McShane I was visiting and he said “please come again” and then having heard him say that his last assignment was Caliente, NV, I told him how I had visited that town and that I taken my picture in front of the old railroad depot in 2010,  with that news that he lit up and blessed me on the spot! After mass I headed to the Hotel Nevada for lunch while planning to later visit the Nevada Northern Railway Museum in East Ely and take the 1:00 PM excursion towards McGill. 

Myself riding the rails of the Nevada Northern

The Northern Nevada Railway Museum was built primarily to reach the major cooper producing area in White Pine County, Nevada. The railway, constructed in 1905-06 and extended northward about 140 miles from Ely to a connection with the Southern Pacific Railroad at Cobre, NV. In 1978 the railroad shut down , but then in 1986, Kennecott Mining Company transferred the entire Ore Line, as well as the railroad's yard and shop facilities in East Ely, to the White Pine Historical Railroad Foundation, the non-profit organization which today operates the Nevada Northern Railway Museum. 

The excursion I took was to just outside of McGill to the north of Ely. We saw the original Nevada Northern main line tracks that lead north split off as we headed towards McGill. I recalled how I had stood on the rusted abandoned rails of the main line at Cherry Creek just a few days before. The Nevada Northern is isolated to itself these days, there is no connection the east west Union Pacific to the north, but the hope is to connect rail lines to the north in West Wendover in the future for tourist to ride south to Ely. As we rode along an old railroad man with a gravelly voice gave a spiel about the railroad and the surrounding Steptoe Valley. He pointed out where rattlesnakes napped and where the valley stopped and opened up to another valley in the distance. On this train there were passenger cars and flatbed rail cars that had been converted for passengers to ride in, I stuck with the outdoor flatbed myself. A rain storm mixed with dust seemed to follow us along the way, but it never really rained directly on us. I talked to a few fellow passengers, one guy from Utah had brought his girlfriend down for the weekend to show her this area he enjoyed. As we rolled people got to know the rail crew, one couple kidded the conductor about his apparent crush on a waitress at a local restaurant that he had highly recommended while mentioning her. It's wonderful how people are brought together in a time and place and quickly form bonds; as a loner on this trip I had noticed this more than once. The conductor we learned moved to Ely, NV from New York just to work on this railroad. 

The train engine switched ends to pull us back to East Ely at Adverse Siding; by the way you’ll see these named sidings on maps out west and think they might be town there, but often it is an old wooden telephone booth and that's it, and so was with Adverse Siding, NV. As we headed back it was noted that black spots of ground are along the tracks were from years of coal burning steam engines, as it happened on this trip a diesel pulled us, though this museum has working steam engines. 

Adverse Siding, Nevada

Back in East Ely I took the tour of the train shops where they store and repair the train equipment. Wow, what a place! Steam engines with funnels in the roof to take the steam out, train cars jacked up, all sorts of odd train equipment such as trains made blow snow off the tracks during deep snowfalls, old tools, machinery - some of those items well over a hundred years old, and oil coloring the floors deposited through the ages. It was a cinematographic scene in the train shops with light streaming through the widows with in a dusty haze. 

For dinner I went to Evah’s Restaurant in the Ramada Cooper Queen Hotel and have Chicken Florentine. The restaurant overlooks a small casino floor and there is a pool at the end of the room where kids were playing. I thought of having my own kids here someday, though the slots would be an odd misunderstood distraction for them. I spotted one couple I had met on the train, but they never noticed me there.  

Going back to Baker I drove across the Spring Valley one last time and I photographed an approaching storm with Wheeler Peak in the distance. On the other side of the Snake Range while almost back in Baker the wind was blowing strong from the storm I had seen in the Spring Valley. The telephone lines along the road were flipping in the wind like jump ropes for a child and the car was being buffeted by the wind coming over the Snake Range. Having avoided the rain and now safe back in Baker I was invited by Rick and Cindy from Oregon to join them in the café where I told them more about Ely and I talked once again with them about the ghost towns of the area. The café and the entire Silver Jack Motel are run by a couple from Michigan ,Steve and Jessica, apparently they were trading a busy life back home for a busy life running this place. Later at 11:00 PM even though I was exhausted I forced myself  to get up and drive towards the Lehman Cave Visitors Center to a pull off  and view once more time the Milky Way in all its glory, paying one last time homage to this place I was in. 


Day 7: July 8, 2013; Back to Salt Lake City, Tulsa, OK, and Atlanta, GA 

Looking back at the Snake Range one last time

Early the next morning I came into the café where the manager Steve was serving breakfast, yet again to the firefighters, and he asks me what I have planned for the day and sadly I reply that I am leaving to go back to Atlanta. There was still a little more adventure to be had driving across 90 miles of Utah with no towns or even ranches along US 50 until Delta, UT. 

Driving into Utah and up the into the next mountain range on US 50 I looked my rear view mirror to see my last view of the Snake Range behind me in Nevada and standing tallest was Wheeler Peak where I had climbed two days before. I drove I past temptations too remote and simply not meant for those who travel alone. I passed Notch Peak which is well off the tourist track, but one side of this peak has the second highest vertical drop in the United States. I crossed 90 miles of nothingness and stopped briefly in Delta, UT to take a picture and then keep moving towards Salt Lake City.  

 While following signs to Salt Lake, I happily ended up unexpectedly in the Eureka, UT which is a town I had seen on the Destination America Channel show “Ghost Town Gold”. It may be canceled now, but "Ghost Town Gold " was a show where two antique collectors rummage through old western mining towns looking for valuable and forgotten items, they went to both Eureka, UT and Eureka, NV. I didn't expect to see this town, but there I was! 

Coming into metropolitan Salt Lake City I didn't have much time, but I made it to a In-N-Out Burger in the suburb city of Draper, UT before driving on and returning my rental car at the airport. Oddly because of the extreme heat in Salt Lake City we were told the aircraft couldn't fuel up fully and take off with the full weight so we had to fly to Tulsa, OK before flying to Atlanta, so Tulsa was a bonus. 

Bonus stop, Tulsa, OK

It's obvious to say I miss my trips when they're over. I have more of Nevada to explore, perhaps with my family in tow. I would like to see the Black Rock Desert in Nevada. Traveling alone as I did can be done when one gives someone back at home an itinerary. While I have commitments at home with marriage, children, and a career, I believe exploring solo adds to personal story shared, and to what can be given back in knowledge and experience, of course one has to be mostly at home to do this, but go see what's out there.