News: July 1, 2002 (Looking Glass Rock, Utah)

July 1, 2002 (Looking Glass Rock, Utah)

After camping for six days in Lassen National Park, I hit the road and headed east. Instead of taking Interstate 80 across Nevada, I decided to take the much less-traveled two-lane highway, U.S. 50, a road that was dubbed "The Loneliest Highway in America" several years ago. I hadn't driven across Nevada's U.S. 50 in about twenty years, but it was obvious that it was still as lonely as it was back in the the winter of '85.

I call the the west-central Nevada region "Darcy Farrow country," after a beautiful folk song written about this area. Here's John Denver singing Darcy Farrow.

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I spent a few days driving across the basin-and-range country of Nevada. Unless you like wide-open vistas like I do, you probably wouldn't say that Nevada has many scenic highlights. One of the real gems though, no matter what your perspective, is Great Basin National Park near Ely, which contains both the highest peak in Nevada and the incredible Lehman Caves. I'd been to Lehman Caves before, back before this area was a National Park, but I'd never been inside until this trip. Believe me, the spectacular rock formations inside the cave were worth the wait.

After leaving Great Basin National Park, I spent a few days driving through the red sandstone country of southern Utah. Five days after leaving Lassen National Park, I reached Looking Glass Rock, my favorite camping spot in the entire U.S., located about a mile south of La Sal Junction in southeastern Utah.

Here are some photos of my journey.

Nevada's U.S. 50 -- The Loneliest Highway in America

Above left: Downtown Reno, Nevada.

Above center: Heading up to Virginia City, Nevada -- remember "Bonanza"?

Above right: Believe it or not, this guy in Virginia City was directing traffic on Main Street.

Above left: Stopping at the legal Salt Wells brothel, outside of Fallon, Nevada. No, I didn't go inside and pay the ladies a visit.

Above center: On Highway 50, the so-called "Loneliest Highway in America." I think you can see why.

Above right: At 13,000', Wheeler Peak is the highest point in Nevada. It's also the site of Great Basin National Park, a very cool place. Of course, any place 13,000 feet high is "pretty cool."

Above left: Stopping the truck and taking a break for breakfast while crossing the empty Utah desert.

Above right: Beaver, Utah -- boyhood home of Butch Cassidy.

Back to Southern Utah

Above left: Cedar Breaks National Monument, Utah -- a spectacular amphitheatre that's over 9,000 feet high.

Above center: Ranger George (right), a friendly fellow and a former school teacher.

Above right: Utah 95, with Lake Powell and the Colorado River Bridge in the distance.

Above left: Camping on slickrock near Arch Canyon in southern Utah. This was the same place I camped a year ago (see News: June 20, 2001). No one here this night, either.

Above center: My dusty, trusty (but not rusty) truck. Note the yellow kangaroo sticker from Australia.

Above right: Butler Wash ruins near Blanding, Utah. You can find these kinds of ruins all over the Four Corners area, and not just at Mesa Verde National Park.