Why go to Utah?

November 4, 2011


Welcome to the latest blog.  I headed out to see the wonders of Utahs three great national parks: Zion, Bryce and Capitol Reel on Thursday November 3, 2011.  As of yet, although nothing extraordinarily bad has happened, little has gone right.  For instance, tonight I had to stop driving  early, 1 1/2 hours earlier than I had hoped, due to extreme weather storms of the snow variety.  I am in a motel, room 13.
 I got out of town late, hit massive traffic, rain storms and my brilliant idea of traveling over the Sierra's to Lee Vining, my first stop, through Yosemite and over Tioga Pass was off by 20 minutes.  A massive winter storm hit the pass and 20 minutes before I got there they closed the pass, and left me with over 100 miles of winding mountain road late at night in a blizzard.  I arrived in Placerville and after stopping at several motels finally got a room at 1:30 a.m.
So my first day was a wash.  But oh what a second day.
Some pictures to share.  The first will have some meaning to my kids only.  They all toboganed this little hill as some time in their young lives. 

Junction Hwys 89 and 88 past East Carson River Bridge

Next stop after dropping down to the eastern side of the Sierra's was outside the small town of Lee Vining to Mono Lake.  Those of you who are Californians will remember the battle cry of SAVE MONO LAKE.  Well it has been saved and it is thriving in its pristine Saline solution, breeding brine shrimp and covering the Tufa's.  Tufa's are strange saline crystalline structures that are now all but buried under water, although a few still poke up out of the water.  They look afar and up close like regular rock but are really salt pillars.

 Me standing on a Tufa out cropping

Tufas rising from the lake.
David  B.  It was like walking in the footsteps of Huell Howser.
Onward from Mono easterly into Nevada.  This too was an homage to the kids.  For all x-file officianado's...for the Art Bell, Linda Moulton-Howe, Dreamland and Area 51 devotees

So this is Rachel Nevada.  In the Groom Lake (Dry) basin of Southern Nevada.  Not far from the infamous Area 51, top secret military base, rumored to house UFO's and other alien items.  It is also rumored to be a testing ground for military aircraft and an area used by the air force from Nellis Air Base near Vegas.  Let's just say that all that is out there is this dump of a restaurant with a booming gift shop. 
It is amazing how much of Nevada is owned by the govt.  Most all desert land is BLM land leased at ridiculously low rates for cattle grazing.
Well I wound up tonight in Caliente, Nevada and will make the push into Zion Park tomorrow.  Finally, something amazing to see, if the snow stops!