We started the day just outside of Fallon at Grimes Point looking at petroglyphs. Yesterday we spent the day living and breathing the Comstock Lode, and going back so far in time to petroglyphs was fun! There weren't real recognizable images, but it was a fun discovery none the less.
After Grimes Point, we headed just around the corner to Picnic Cave. The full trail included hikes to Hidden Cave which is more famous, but it was SO hot, and at around 6,000 feet, so hiking for me in particular wasn't super conducive. I packed 3 bottles of nail polish, but not my inhaler… Nice. I was a little bummed not to see the famous "lizard" petroglyph, but we wound back down a different trail to the car. And there it was!! This was the most recognizable petroglyph, and very easy to see (meaning it was one of the newer ones).
Next stop was Sand Springs Station and Sand Mountain. Oh, and sunburn capital of Spring Break. At this point it's unclear what is sunburn and what is heat rash… I suppose given a few more hours it will be clear! Sand Spring Station was a Pony Express Station. Of course we are saturated in Pony Express information, and we won't bore you with all of it, but here's a quick fact I thought was interesting: horses were changed out every 12-15 miles, but riders were changed out every 75-100 miles. In the photo below, note the preferred rider!
The terrain here was…hot! Actually, that's not what I was going to say. :) I'm just sitting here watching my skin get redder and redder! The terrain was actually very diversified. There was quite a bit of sand, which turned in places to salt flats.
Sand Mountain, which was in the back is this amazing 2 mile long, 600 foot tall dune, right in the middle of…nowhere! The sand is from a dried up lake (you know, 4,000 years ago), which blows around and because of the way the wind blows and the surrounding mountains, drops right where the dune is. That is an incredibly simplified explanation, but it's close enough! The other cool thing is that it is a "singing dune". We didn't experience this phenomena, but evidently when the wind blows, the sand "sings" as it blows across the dune.
This is where the Loneliest Road comes in to play. Driving east on 50, we saw…lots of nothing. Amazing mountains and valleys, and not a lot of people. We pulled off the road whenever there was a historical marker, and we went down random roads in search of adventure. One of these adventures was in search of the Fairview Fault Lines. I know, who seeks out a fault line? This took us on to Naval Air Station land, across a very washed out road. I ended up driving for a large portion of this stretch. You know, driving, instead of yakking… We didn't actually get far enough to get up to Fairview Peak to see the fault, but this was high adventure -- 4 wheel drive, cows, weird military stuff… The stuff that Spring Breaks are made of!
In Austin, we stopped at the International Hotel. It was the "free bathroom" sign that caught my attention. I had by-passed an outhouse earlier in the trek. You know, because I have an irrational fear of something jumping out of those things. Not kidding. The International Hotel was actually built in Virginia City in 1859 and moved to Austin a few years later. It isn't a hotel anymore, but has the best bathroom for about 100 miles, and a lovely lady who bakes a mean cookie.
After Austin there was…wildlife? I mean there was almost nothing. The land changed over and over. We went through 9 mountain passes, made elevation changes totaling about 3,000 feet and saw a lot of animals that we didn't expect to! Lots of cows, donkeys, lizards, jackrabbits, deer, and 3 extremely large elk that were too close to the road for us! What we didn't see a lot of was…water. Nine mountain passes, means there were quite a few valleys, but no rivers or lakes. Even driving through River Valley ( BSHSW -- we are not making that up!), there was not a river in sight.
It took the entire day, but we finally rolled in to Ely. We are filthy, and exhausted, and loving every second of this really weird vacation we're on!!
Love the adventure gene you two share! Pat
ReplyDeletea.) The Young Riders was my favorite tv show as a kid/young adult--love all the Pony Express stuff.
ReplyDeleteb.)That dune looks amazing and I wish I could hear it sing.
c.) Things could technically jump out of toilets as well.
d.) Being pregnant AND having a 3 year old during Ezra's baseball season last year meant I spent a lot of time in out houses. The wheel chair accessible ones are the best--lots of room for a pregnant belly and said 3 year old : )
e.) Keep the adventures rolling, ladies!
Did we get a picture of anything that says, "River Valley"... Great pic of the car -- the other pics don't give you a sense of the "dusty road" you cowgirls are riding.
ReplyDelete