Where was I? Where did I leave off? What did we do?? Those are questions that I ask myself when I wait too long to write a blog post (like now.). I will start a little backwards- we are home, and have been in Havasu for a little over a month. More on that later (probably much later).
So. Number 46, for us. Great Basin is the 46th national park that Paul and I have visited. Every time we wanted to come, it was the wrong time of year- Wheeler Peak sits at 13,000 feet, and usually sees snow by October.
We spent a week in Baker NV, exploring this area. Since most people will never get to Great Basin, allow me to be your tour guide.
Great Basin was designated a national park in 1986. It gets its name because it is located ……in the Great Basin.
It also preserves Lehman Cave, and is a designated Dark Sky community.
With the weather forecast being perfect for hiking, we made our way up the scenic drive to the Alpines Lake trail.
Along the way, it became obvious that winter is on its way.
The Alpine Lakes trail is only about 3 miles long, but it starts at about 10,000 ft and I wasn’t sure how my lungs would handle it. Neither of us had any issues, and we enjoyed the lakes that were along our path.
One of the other things this park is known for is the Bristlecone Pine.
These trees thrive in extremely harsh conditions, and because of that, grow very slowly. Because of the slow growth, the wood is very dense, and resistant to decay and erosion.
An interpretive trail tells their stories. This particular tree was “born” in 100 BC and “died” in 1400 AD.
We were happy to hear that there would be a star party during our stay in Baker. We arrived at the visitor center in plenty of time, and were treated to a short, informative talk by an astrophysicist while we waited for dark.
Unfortunately, there was a bright “flashlight” in the sky, called the moon, and it was hard to see much of anything. Add to that, there were only two telescopes, and about 80 people, so it wasn’t worth staying.
That’s ok though, we have been to some pretty good star parties in the past.
Apparently I was a little late doing my research for this park, and almost didn’t realize in time that the tour of Lehman Cave required reservations, which were limited by Covid protocols. By checking the web regularly, I was able to snag two spots, when someone canceled.
The cave was discovered in the late 1880s, and by 1922, it was a national monument. Unfortunately a lot of damage was done during that time period, but there are still some really cool formations.
These are called shields, and there are about 500 of them in the cave. It’s not really clear how they were formed, although there are several theories.
Our final hike in the park was a 5 mile hike with 937 ft of gain, to the only glacier in Nevada. The trail was pretty rocky (maybe that’s why they call it Rock Glacier).
Actually, a rock glacier is just a glacier that is covered with debris and rock. The trail ended at about 11,000 feet and although tiring, was well worth it.
We didn’t want to leave the area without exploring a little outside the park, so we took a day to head up to Ely, NV, home to the Nevada Northern Railway Museum.
Over 100 years old, this is still a working rail yard, and as such, very dirty and noisy. In fact, it’s home to a cat named Dirt.
With all the tools and machinery, Paul had a great time exploring and checking things out.
Since September was starting to wane, we figured it was time to head home. Baker NV is less than 500 miles from our house, just a bit too long to make in one day. Besides, there was somewhere we wanted to stop along the way- Cathedral Gorge State Park.
This park has incredible rock formations- like nothing we have ever seen before.
It reminded me of a Disneyworld playground.
The formations are made of silt, clay, and volcanic ash. They are solid and fun to climb, although you do have to watch your step- there are also lots of holes to fall into.
And finally, we went home.
