Lonely

Leaving Utah, we crossed into Nevada on Highway 50, the "Lonliest Road in America." 

We made a detour to cross Great Basin National Park off of our life list.  We had neither the time nor the motivation for spelunking  or wilderness camping, so it didn't take long.

There are some people living out there . . . 

 "Doesn't look like much", you say.  That's because we don't yet have smell-o-vision.  We were stopped here for a bit due to road construction.  What you don't know is that it smelled like honey.  Sweet, golden, delicious, sage honey.  If only it could have been bottled to bring back.

Salt flats . . . 

All-in-all it was a great trip and we didn't kill each other.  We are already yearning to just get back on the road and keep on rolling.  The time will come, and it won't be all that long.

Bryce

 How fitting that we were there on a "Wordless Wednesday".  Here are just a few of the hundreds of pictures. ©2012 Tom Cannon.  

Cannonville again, from above.

Fairy tale castles.

An overly-friendly raven entertained tourists.  No zoom was needed for this picture.

Ups and Downs

Sometimes on your travels you just fall into something.  Although in this case "fall into" is the opposite of the truth.  Somehow we missed that the road between Capitol Reef National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park went through Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.  And when we did notice it on the map, we had no idea of what was there.

First, the road climbs.  Up and up you go.  Then it runs along the top of a narrow ridge, with a steep drop off on both sides.  Incredible vistas.

  

Then you drop down into the river canyon.

Then up once again.

The Escalante (#15) would hardly be called a river by PNW standard, except for the landscape it has wrought.

My attempt to get a picture for identification.  These purple-flowering bushes were common in the area.  Anyone?

Tom: we live here, ok?

Cannonville is a town right outside of Bryce Canyon.

Arial view from Wiki

There were several unusually large houses in the area . . .  but I have no prejudices against people-with-large-houses.

 What a beautiful area. . .