Visitors 9
Modified 9-Dec-24
Created 7-Oct-24
29 photos
We cross the Great Basin in two days, sleeping in Elko and in Reno Nevada. Straight roads, plains of scrub, sand, even salt crust. Water-starved region with no outlet to the sea. Resting on the side of the road: Pronghorns, the fastest land mammal in the Americas, reaching 55 mph over rough terrain. (Africa’s Cheetah can reach 64 mph. The fast predator that drove evolution of the Pronghorn is no longer around – Jaguar?) Pronghorns are not antelope: their closest living relatives are Giraffe and Okapi in Africa. Sorry, no photos, we drove by quickly.
An unexpected treat. At breakfast in Elko, a fellow diner tells us about Lamoille Canyon in the Ruby Mountains nearby. Classic U-shaped glacial valley, psychedelic fall colors. Jameson, Shasta, and I take a short walk up to 9000 feet past Road’s End. On the way back out, another hiker offers to give us a dog, similar to Shasta, not cared for by its current owner. No thanks.
Driving the old highway across Donner Pass, heading for home, we watch a helicopter maneuvering amongst the granite, practicing dropping and retrieving rescue workers.
An unexpected treat. At breakfast in Elko, a fellow diner tells us about Lamoille Canyon in the Ruby Mountains nearby. Classic U-shaped glacial valley, psychedelic fall colors. Jameson, Shasta, and I take a short walk up to 9000 feet past Road’s End. On the way back out, another hiker offers to give us a dog, similar to Shasta, not cared for by its current owner. No thanks.
Driving the old highway across Donner Pass, heading for home, we watch a helicopter maneuvering amongst the granite, practicing dropping and retrieving rescue workers.
Dan Quinn