After our surprising visit to The Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park we braved civilization and went to Moab for one night. We figured even if it was over-crowded we were up for the challenge of humanity for one day. Last year, when we visited Moab, it was in late August. There were wildfires around the area and the skies were hazy. It was over 100 degrees too! This year the skies were clear and blue and the temperatures were in the 80's. Blue skies and moderate temperatures were reason enough to give Moab a second chance. We are so glad we did!
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| Canyonlands is vast and amazing! |
Last year, we also tried to see sunrise in Arches National Park. Unfortunately, sunrise was hugely disappointing, especially for a person who does not count sunrise as a part of the day to be awake. This year, as we tried to fit two huge parks into one day, we thought sunset in Arches would be less crowded and possibly beautiful. By the way, fitting two huge parks into one day is not fair to either park. We spent more time in Canyonlands since we pretty much drove through last year, got out of the car maybe twice, sought refuge in our air conditioned car and headed to our hotel. It just wasn't worth exploring in the heat with no visibility. We "did" Arches last year so did not need to give it as much attention. Our plan worked out perfectly. I always knew I was more of a sunset person than a sunrise one!
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Sunrise in Arches 2020 | | The Windows at the golden hour... 2021 |
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| Ahhh... sunset! Best time of day! 2021 |
In order to get to the middle of nowhere, you must first drive along Highway 50, also known as the "loneliest road in America". This highway goes all the way across the United States, from Maryland to California! The part of it that goes through western Utah and all of Nevada is definitely the loneliest road in America. We drove about 100 miles of it and on that drive there was absolutely nothing other than desert, mountains and a long, lonely road. Signs that said, "No services for the next 100 miles" taunted us as we started down the lonely road. I figure if someone were to get dropped off in the middle of that great basin with nothing for over 50 miles in any direction, they would die. It was about 70 miles down that road that I decided we really were, "In the middle of nowhere.". A person better make sure they have a worthy automobile, plenty of gas and water before they start down this road. Was it beautiful? Yes, at times. Was it boring? Definitely! Was it a little spooky? Yes! Did we have to drive it coming and going to and from Great Basin National Park? Yes. This gives Great Basin National Park my coveted (not) award of being...in the middle of nowhere!
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Nothing for as far as they eye can see!
The loneliest road in America! |
I will say, in a weird way, I liked the loneliest road in America. Maybe it was the clear blue skies, maybe it was the mountains in the distance, maybe it was just the fact that for miles as far as the eye could see there was absolutely no civilization. There were no houses, no farms, no gas stations, no shops, no cell signals, and there were very few cars which also lead me to wonder if there really was anything to see ahead of us. I had watched a documentary on this road and found it very interesting. While for most of the road, there really is nothing, there are a few hidden (well hidden) gems to find along the way. We were lucky enough to find three of those gems!
The first gem was Great Basin National Park. In that far off distance that never seemed to get closer until we were finally upon it are some green mountains, and on those mountains grow some very old trees. Over 3000 year old trees to be "exact"! At about 9,500 ft. above sea level the bristlecone pines can be found in Great Basin National Park. TJ and I figured we drove all the way out here, we best hike the steep, rocky trail up to see the bristlecone pines! It was a very nice hike and those trees have a lot of stamina! I am still mad at the chipmunk who nibbled on my crackers as I turned my back to take pictures at the top...I was tired and hungry! Great Basin is a lovely park...in the middle of nowhere!
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| I hope I look this good when I am 3000 years old! |
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| Don't let our smiling faces fool you, we are tired and hungry! |
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| It was worth the hike for this view! |
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Just a walk in the park.
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| Guess who is older? 😂 |
After our hike to see "the trees" we drove down the mountain to the "town" of Baker, NV....population 58! Our Anniversary Friends were waiting patiently (maybe) for us at our dinner destination. No one would expect to find a first class restaurant in a town with a population of 58 would they? Surprisingly, we found one and it was worth the drive. We dined at Kerouk's and you should too! Dinner was such a treat and I never would have expected to find such a place in such a place! They are to be commended and thanked profusely for providing an oasis in the desert!
After dinner we continued our theme of the day by driving down a 7 mile dirt road to our accommodations for the night. The Hidden Canyon Retreat was definitely hidden and definitely in a canyon. As if driving down the loneliest highway for over 100 miles was not enough, driving down a dusty dirt road for 7 more miles was icing on the cake. The resort was nice and it was where we ended our "anniversary" trip with our friends. To celebrate being in the middle of nowhere, we waited for dark and sat out and enjoyed the starry night in a certified dark sky location. There were billions and billions of stars in the sky. Turns out, the middle of nowhere is a pretty cool place to visit!
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| A good night to all and to all a good night! |
