Days 13 - 16

Thursday day 16

Following is a recap of our last four days.  We had no cell phone or internet service the three days we camped in Great Basin National Park.  I documented briefly our activities each day on the computer and am posting them below now that we are now connected.

However, to start out with today, Thursday, we drove 360 miles from Great Basin to Truckee, CA.  It took about 8.5 hours due to 10 mountain passes we had to cross.  Started out at 7:30am and arrived at 5:00pm.

Tomorrow I will post all pictures from Great Basin to bring us up to date.  For now, it's been a long day and it's too late to edit and post pics.  Please check back tomorrow.

Monday day 13
Left Dead Horse Point State Park, hot, but not happy to go.

We really love the place and the whole area.  So much to do and so little time.  Great place to plan on 2 or more weeks to explore it all – especially if fortunate enough to have a 4WD vehicle.

The drive to Great Basin National Park was uneventful.  It was long (7 hours) and somewhat  scenic,  but when we got close to Great Basin and the 13,000 foot mountain it was new territory for us which always makes for a good trip.

The immediate best thing about Great Basin was the cooler weather.  We finally got (had to) put on jeans, boots, and sweatshirts – and build a campfire that we actually needed to stay warm outside at night.  Left Moab in the mid 90’s to arrive here in the low 70’s.

Isabelle is in heaven with the cooler temps.  She does not tolerate heat very well (nor does Ellen).

There is nothing out here in the way of civilization and for the first time in my life I find it impossible to get a cell phone signal, an internet connection, or a liquor store (I’m out of Crown Royal) – all at the same time.  Oh well!  Our $6.00 per night campsite here at Great Basin is right on fast moving Lehman Creek with the sights, smells, and sounds of the mountains to go with it.  So who’s complaining?

I’m writing the “verbage”  for  the blog now but will not be able to post it, or pictures, until we find an internet connection.

Plus, Ellen is the road food Queen!  She keeps coming up with one fantastic meal after another.  She won’t cook like this at home every night, but out on the road – it’s constant.  It’s like a challenge for her.  Thanks for the Food Network!

Tuesday day 14

Last night was a cool and wonderful experience after all the heat extremes we have been through.  Got down to 56 by morning and we broke out the heavy blankets during the night.

Big breakfast and then we headed out for one of the trail heads near the top of Wheeler Peak.  Wheeler is 13,063 feet, second only to Boundary Peak at 13,143 in Nevada.

The trail head was at 9,800 and we did a 3 mile, 600 foot gain hike to two alpine lakes.  Not too big a feat, but we needed to get acclimated at this elevation before going longer and higher tomorrow. We  are planning on going back to the trailhead and going up 1,200 in elevation on a 6 mile hike to the only glacier remaining in Nevada.

There are caves here – Lehman Caves – and we may try to squeeze in a tour as well if time permits.

Wednesday day 15

We did the hike up to the glacier and beyond.  Got to over  11,000 feet in elevation before we reached the end of marked trail.  Some have climbed higher but we decided the end of the trail should be the “end of the trail” and headed back down.  About a 6 mile hike today and a very good workout for us at that elevation.

No cave tour today.

This National Park is a real Jewel.  If it were not for our unchangeable reservations in Yosemite we would most likely stay here longer.