US95: Hi-Desert

After a week of near-100 degree days in the desert, it was a bit of a shock to walk my dog this morning with a temp in the 40s and a biting wind chill factor. Apparently, winter arrived overnight.

As usual, it took almost an hour to clear the immensely sprawling Las Vegas area, but then we were back in the desert. A few years ago, I drove US93 north through the eastern side of the Great Basin. US95 traverses the western edge of the basin, and seemed to offer almost exactly the same geology, scenery and lack of points of interest.



After about 100 miles of driving, the road started steadily rising. Probably as a result, the greenery got even more sparse. It's hard to describe the vast barrenness, and photos don't really help.



We have stopped for the day in Tonopah, NV, another town that seems to have no earthly reason to be here. At just over 6,000 feet of elevation, it is still cold and windy... Stay tuned!