We got off to a late start this morning and drove North, crossing into Idaho and stopping in Twin Falls for diesel and groceries. Thanks to a post on Technomadia, we decided to overnight at Magic Reservoir. I can’t say we’re disappointed with the location:
Not only do we have lakefront parking, but the weather here is blessedly cooler than what we’ve experienced since arriving in Las Vegas three weeks ago. The forecast calls for lows in the high 40s, and highs in the high 70s tomorrow. And this looks like an ideal PPG location to boot! Maybe on Sunday….
Good Shabbos from Magic Reservoir, Idaho! See the trip map for today’s drive and our current location.
The Salt Flats are submerged beneath an inch of water over the winter. In the summer this water evaporates and leaves a smooth surface which is perfect for setting land speed records. The flats are over 46 square miles in size:
‘We got the truck up to 75MPH, which felt plenty fast. Hard to believe vehicles have been driven here in excess of 600MPH.
We also verified that the truck’s “ESC off” mode works, though it does take a bit of doing to do a doughnut in a one-ton truck.
We also took the kids for a slow ride in the bed of the pickup:
Lightning was moving in, so we got off the flats and back to the RV:
From the flats, we continued West and North to overnight behind a casino in Wells, Nevada. See the trip map for driving details.
UPDATE: The kids produced a podcast for today’s adventure:
Today the kids did some cookie decorating in the RV:
Trish made mini apple pies:
Meanwhile, I decided to ride to the summit of the road up Wheeler Peak. The ride starts in town at 5,318 feet and ends 15.6 miles later at 10,163 feet, a vertical gain of 4,845 feet. Outside Magazine listed this ride as one of the five best North American hill climbs. The climb is longer and as steep as the Tour de France’s Hors Categorie climb of Col d’Izoard.
I left at 11am, and the first half of the climb was really hot. Eventually, I climbed past 8,000 feet, and the temperature dropped considerably. Up here, it’s already Autumn:
Looking at the switchbacks in the foreground and the start point, the town of Baker, in the background:
The higher I went, the deeper into Autumn I travelled:
At last I reached the summit, nearly one vertical mile above my start point. The climb had more vertical than Whitney Portal but less than Horseshoe Meadows:
Wheeler Peak in the background:
I suffered two flats on the way down, but it was still a great ride!
Back at the visitor center, the kids received their Junior Ranger badges:
We watched the Park’s excellent video in the modern visitor center:
It was a little late to drive on to a new location, so we settled into a great dispersed camping spot I found on BLM land:
As I write this I can hear the swiftly flowing stream a few feet from the RV as well as a host of crickets. Good night from Great Basin National Park!
UPDATE: The kids produced a podcast for today’s adventure:
It’s pretty hot here, so we’re moving on this morning, but first we went for a short hike:
Continuing North, we arrived at Cathedral Gorge State Park. I first visited this park as a junior high school student while on an OMSI summer trip. I’ve wanted to come back ever since to revisit the amazing slot canyons here:
The formation is eroded volcanic ash. Rains wear down the ash into spires:
In some places, surface water has eroded slot canyons into the formation:
The slot walls are about 50 feet high:
It does get narrow in spots:
Looking up:
The slot canyon walls have a variety of textures, depending on how much water flows over them during rain storms:
M found a tunnel:
I crawled through first:
The tunnel opened up into another slot canyon:
There was a rope that could be used to climb up to a hanging cave above:
Working my way back out of the tunnel. It was a tight fit!
We managed to get on top of the formation, but we had to be careful to avoid falling into slot canyons below:
We all really enjoyed exploring the slot canyons here!
Continuing North, we arrived after dark at Great Basin National Park and overnighted on adjacent BLM land. We had trouble finding a spot in the dark that would work, but it should do for just one night.
Today we said goodbye to my parents and drove North out of Las Vegas. Here we are at sunset along the road:
We are overnighting in Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge. There are dispersed campsites along the shore of one of the lakes in the refuge. We arrived after dark, so I can’t say it’s pretty here, but I have my suspicions…
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