August 13, 2013 Day –thirty-five

Great Basin National Park

We woke up still so happy at the Meteor Watching last night…and we glad to find out that we should be able to see them again tonight (without the party).  We were so pleased with our decision to spend two nights here at this really lovely park.
 

We took a short drive out of the park to the little town nearby.  On the way we stopped at a Ranching Exhibit.  It had a great panorama sculpture of various ranching scenes.  It was  very well done.  Behind the exhibit was an old rusty Ford truck.  When you got closer you could see it was being driven by a horse skull.  There was a sign next to it saying it was the horse with no name, with name crossed out and mane put in;-)  I guess desert humor.  But the Drive was ahead. The views were great. The trees wonderful.   Things were lovely close up and far away.

After our errands, we headed up the mountain for a great scenic drive where we got up above 10,000 feet. At the heart of the park is Mt Wheeler, over 13,000 feet.  As we climbed we kept getting new views of the tallest mountains and then a view over the surrounding desert.  We could easily see why  the refer to these mountains as sky islands.  They are separated from other mountain ranges by hot, dry deserts so the plants and animals are isolated, as if they were on islands in the ocean.

We found a lovely campsite at the end of the campground.  Behind the site was a short ridge which provided a great view of the mountains.  The air was so clear and the breeze invigorating.  As we drove away from the site we saw a mule deer doe just a short distance away.  We thought this was a very good sign for us.s

We decided to take a three mile hike up to see some ancient Bristlecone Pine.  These are the oldest living things on Earth.  Some of them have been known to live 6-7,000 years.  They are very hearty, and often seem to be dead, but have parts that are still alive.  They are amazing, and slightly grotesque, but you just keep wanting to look at them.  The hike was lovely, but 10,000 is really high elevation, and we had to stop to let our hearts and breathing catch up at times.  It was a hike well worth doing.  Always the folks you meet when hiking are part of the experience.  We were amazed at how many Europeans knew about this remote Park that most Americans don’t know about.  They do their travel homework, for sure.

Back from the hike, we set up our van and took at glorious hour and half afternoon nap.  What luxury!  Then a great dinner, time for photos and blogging and getting ready for the sky show again.  We took a few moments to watch the shifting sunlight on the mountains as they turned golden before the light faded. We were so glad that we gave ourselves this easier reentry time.  We are both beginning to think about home and work, but not quite yet.

One more sleep, a night in Vegas and then home.

“Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.” – Seneca