Great Basin

Great Basin National Park in Nevada is worth seeing on 3 counts: Lehman Caves, Mt. Wheeler, and the ancient Bristlecone Pine trees. It's a vigorous 1 1/2 mile hike to the trees at 10,000 feet elevation, but well worth the effort to see and touch a living thing that's over 3000 years old. Gives perspective to our own fleeting lives.

Here's one of the ancients. Note the distinctive bottlebrush arrangement of its needles.




Another unusual thing about these trees--- After they die, their trunks persist for another thousand years.

Randy was delighted to engage these two unusual characters. Note the horns and the kilt. Naturally, they talked philosophy.

On the way down the mountain, there was a terrific exhibit explaining the ranching lifestyle.


A nearby artist contributed the exquisite silhouettes.

Once again, we made camp in a gravel pit. Our friend, Tom Phipps, found this one and put it in Days End.