Caves and peaks: Great Basin National Park

It rained a little overnight, which resulted in turning the layer of dust on my car to mud. Normally, that would bother me...well, it bothers me a little...but, I'm road tripping! There are more important things to think about, like my plan for the day...visiting Great Basin National Park. I purchased a ticket for the morning Grand Palace Tour at Lehman Caves, located at the park. The one and a half hour tour was nice, but nothing that I haven't already seen at other caves. One thing that was different was the "graffiti" left by early cave explorers who used their candle soot to write on the cave ceiling.

Afterward, I decided to drive the 12 mile Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive that takes you all the way up to 10,000 foot elevation. I noted the traffic sign said No Passing for the length of the road, but there was no slow vehicles ahead of me. What I DID encounter was a slow ANIMAL. At first, I wasn't sure what it was...I was thinking a marmot. I slowed almost to a crawl and just followed the animal as it waddled ahead of me. Then, it turned to look at me and I realized it was a badger! I've never seen a wild badger before! I tried snapping a photo, but this was the best I could manage before it finally left the road.

The episode reminded me of something that happened yesterday after I left Cathedral Gorge State Park. I was driving on a straight part of the highway when I saw an animal slowly crossing the road ahead of me. I slowed down and it was off the road by the time I got to it. As I passed it, I found myself looking...and it looking back...at a gray fox! Too bad I didn't get a pic of that!

Anyway, I stopped at the Mather and Wheeler Peak Overlooks and got some really nice photos of the scenery. Like the other parks I've visited on the trip, the fall colors were in full swing.

When I left the park enroute for my pit stop for the night, I traveled along US Hwy 50. On one stretch of the road, I was amazed by how long and straight it went across the Great Basin of Nevada. I just happened to look at my car's digital map, and at the bottom of the screen it said, "Loneliest Road in America."

Hmm...I had never heard that before. So, I Googled the highway, and sure enough, it's true! That one stretch of road did kind of make me feel lonely! Well, that pretty much ends my park visits on this road trip. I'll be relaxing in the city tomorrow looking at animals...the less wild type.