Moab via Nevada
Hiking in Great Basin National Park
Emptiness for miles
We decided to spend the Labor Day holiday traveling through a less crowded state... aka Nevada. We thought it would take us two days to drive through NV but instead decided to trust our GMC transmission and drive straight to Ely (mid eastern corner of NV). Climbing the hills from California to this to this town inspired the name for our truck which we now call"Ely."
The town was simple and quiet (minus the "ghost train" still running in the evening). We arrived just before dark and checked in at The Prospector Hotel and Gambling Hall with just enough time for our complimentary margs redeemable only at the casino bar. After losing $20 (in about 10 minutes) we called it a night. The next day we took a trip to Great Basin National Park known for their ancient bristlecone pine groves and darkest skies in the U.S.
Hiking in Great Basin National Park
Our five mile hike this day climbed about 1,000' to one of the southernmost glaciers. Sounds easy right... so easy that Dylan decided to hike in his BIKE SHOES/he forgot his shoes at our campsite about an hour from the NP! Being the great sport he is, Dylan took out the clip ins and made it to the top! If we had more time, Wheeler Peak trail seemed to offer spectacular views on a rewarding nine mile hike.
Hiking in Great Basin National Park
From Ely, we traveled on Loneliest Road (Highway 50) into Utah and stayed the night at Butch Cassidy RV Park in The Fishlake National Forest. The RV camp was in the small town of Salina, UT (like reallay reallay small). We decided to eat "out" so searched on yelp and found a great local pizza shop. Their address on yelp advertised they were on Main Street but after walking both sides of Main twice we called them... no answer so we called again and a young girl (maybe 16) picked up the phone... "Hi, what is your address," Dylan asked. She responded, "I don't know but we are right next to the car wash." :) Dinner was good and followed by ice cream at The Hot Spot (highly recommended).