The Road not Taken

I'm not getting philosophical or anything, today was really about the road not taken. It wasn't that we chose not to take a road, it chose for us not to take it! ;) This morning we packed our cooler, and headed out for the Spring Valley Scenic Drive where we were going to catch a series of ghost towns. The first two ghost "towns", Cleveland and Yelland, were actually ruins on working ranches, so we slowed but didn't stop. The third, Piermont, promised many ruins and was "just" off the road. "Just" turns out to be quite a subjective descriptor. We went as far as we could before turning around. Okay, perhaps we went a smidge further than we should have, but we stopped before the car got completely high centered! We did have to switch drivers because one of us was FREAKING out. Any guesses on who that was? ;) LOL. 

Having our adventure thwarted on our last day was a let down. Plus, it was 107 degrees, so any sort of hiking was out. We decided to drive east away from Baker and see what was just down the "other" road. Turns out that's Utah, and another secret entrance to the park. 

The road was MUCH better here, and took us through an ever changing landscape. 

There was remnants of a significant wildfire, washed out roads, and abandoned ranching. We saw lots of interesting birds, a few jackrabbits, and a ring-tailed cat that was stalking me. I ran faster than you think I can in Crocs at 107 degrees. But alas, or fortunately?, it was totally a log that looked like it had a face. And ears. And a tail.  Something that my BFF apparently knew the whole time. 😂

We did run this road all the way to the end, and enjoyed another car picnic, watching birds and plants, and enjoying the absolute stillness. 

This was a GREAT day, and one that wouldn't have happened without the initial disappointment and pivot of the morning. Some of the best adventures are the spontaneous ones!

We ended the day with a nice breeze, tolerable heat, and a delicious meal on our deck. 

This has been an amazing trip, and one that we wouldn't have taken had we not been in a pandemic. We chose Baker for the National Park, and it's total lack of people; we have seen less people than a normal day at Fresh Foods, and have had more adventures than we even planned! We have been inspired by the adaptivity of life, and the resilience of the human spirit. This has been a hard season for all, and this little trip to the desert was just what we needed. 

Tomorrow, homeward bound!