Great Basin

 

It was good to get out of Utah. I had only spent one night there in the holy city of provo, but that was more than enough.

Being a former Tahoe resident  crossing the border into Nevada felt like coming home. Even though it looked the same as Utah.

Now I didn’t travel very far into Nevada for this first night because I wanted to stay in Great Basin National Park. I even stopped at the park's visitor center to check to see if the campgrounds were open.

The Lower Lehman camp was indeed open, the road and sites had been cleared of snow, but some snow was still hanging on, I was told. The tours of the caves were still closed for the season, and that was all right with me.

Nothing That A Gingham Table Cloth Couldn't Handle

To get to the paved road that goes up to the accessible part of Great Basin Park you have to go through the town of Baker.

Lot Of Area To Cover When The Road Is Open

Now one of the reasons I wanted to stay in the park was because I thought I had never been here but looking around I had previously been in Baker on a motorbike road trip I think around 2018.

Baker Street Art

We never went into the park on that trip but did stay in a  dated cabin in the towns RV park.

RV Park Cabins My Traveling Compadre Really Liked The Gravel Driveway

Going into the park and spending the night would still be a first so up the road I went to Lower Lehman.

The camp only has 15 or so dry sites, the water wasn’t on yet, and the sites were not level but for $10.00 the fresh smells of the pinion and juniper pines just budding out, the sound of a clear stream, and a night sky if it hadn’t gotten cloudy, made it all worth it.

High  Country Great Basin 

The park road extends all the way to the high country, but the road to the summit wasn’t open yet. Perhaps another visit to this park is required

Not far from Great Basin national park is the town of Ely Nevada, home to the northern Nevada Railroad Museum.

Some Of The Trains At The Museum 

This had been a previous stop too, but as long as I am in the neighborhood, the museum is worth a visit.

The museum has all the regular trains, shops, old buildings, that you can wander around, and look at their collection. The trains also move around, and they offer rides but not today.

Perhaps the most famous thing about the museum was it’s cat Dirt

I met dirt on my last visit, but he only lived until 2023. His sidekick Dirt Junior or DJ has assumed the role of Top Cat. I looked for him but didn’t see him. Perhaps he was out murdering songbirds.

Dirt's Grave

Ely is not a very big place, and food options are limited, but when I found Racks that advertises itself as “Non-Smoking” I figured that was the place to go.

The food was good, the air was clear, the people nice and I remembered eating here on my prior trip.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blindly Following The Path Of The Beam

 

Not Lost Yet

Being all spiffy clean I was anxious to get back on the road. I left Rock Springs before daylight, found a gas station, filled up the van with a name and was off down Wyoming highway  191.

Now I only made it just past the local prison because right there on the side of the road was a large sign that said, “Road Closed When Lights Are Flashing.” I thought 191 was the main road. 

Let Those Lights Shine

It was dark, there was no excuse for not seeing the flashing lights. I pulled off the road and remembered the not very nice lady eastbound, at the KOA in Pocatello Idaho who asked me “ Don’t you use 511”?

What a great time to try out 511. So, I did and sure enough 191 was closed. Shuttered for winter, or another regressive state that scraped socialist  snowplows.

 The alternative was to go to Green River and take highway 530 through the Flaming Gorge

Highway 530 is maintained all winter.  (winter in Wyoming lol)  (( its over)) 

Now highway 530 I rode both north and south on state of the art “Electra Glides” in blazing triple digit heat. 

Stuck in one  of the van with a name  USB ports, is a memory drive,   with music from one of those bikes.  I wiggled it, music came on. I touched the rolled-up window. It was cold. I turned the music up and danced best as I could from the helm of the van with a name. I danced better on this road on a bike!

My FLHTC From Years Ago

The goal was to get through Utah, but Utah is pretty wide, so I would have to stay somewhere.

I was hoping for a roadside camp, but once again everything was shuttered, because of  “Winter.”

Chupacabra's Along The Path Of The Beam

Leaving the Gorge the scenery was pretty nice, but soon turned to mountain passes and a lot of snow, leaving nothing to do but to carry on.

These Rock Formations Do Look Good With Some Snow Dust On Them

I checked my map, and Google to  look for options in Provo Utah and came up with a state park on the shores of Utah lake, which is a is more of a inland sea than  a huge lake. It was open, and it had camping according to the state web site.

I locked the GPS  to the park and blindly followed the beam. Soon I was in town, and in traffic, still following the path of the beam.

Had there not been so many churches, temples, sacred stones,  sacrificial sites, and pyres of burning witches, I might have been able to look to my right and see the giant lake, but I couldn’t, and soon the beam led me to a city park in a residential neighborhood.

One Creepy Neighborhood 

With the GPS now programed to the actual lake I drove back on the same road past all the religious foolery and was thinking that there are more buildings to religious nonsense on this one street than there are Dollar General stores in Kansas.

Just Floor It And Go By If You See One Of These!

At the actual State park on the lake the Ranger  told me that the campground was closed, and I said I could see that as there was a Closed signed attached to the closed gate.

Fortunately, just back up the road was a commercial RV park that looked expensive and was. The lady checking me in did everything but ask for a DNA sample, and maybe she got that off my credit card as she hung onto it for quite a while.

A Secure Oil Company Sign Forest At The RV Park

 

I Voted

Last time I needed to vote via e mail I was in Australia, and I had phone data. I called the Anchorage Municipal Clerk, explained my unique situation of being in Sydney on top of the bridge, and within hours the municipal ballot was in my e mail inbox.

Sydney Harbor Bridge Climb It If You Ever Visit

It was then a simple matter of asking the front desk at the hotel if they could print a document for me. They did. I voted, and e mailed  my ballot back to Anchorage. The MOA clerk even called me (long distance) because the ballot form was the size of legal paper, and the desk clerk had printed it on regular ol paper. This caused a issue because the page size cut off an entire proposition, and the MOA clerk wanted to know how I would like to vote on it.

This municipal election in April is a serious chance to replace the most sexist, racist, homophobic, incompetent, fascist mayor we have ever had. This guy bronson  he makes other horrible mayors we have had, seem like the golden age of enlighten,

Backwards Is The Way Of bronson

And I’m not missing an opportunity to vote against him.

Since I was nearing the town named for a friendly ghost, Casper I googled first a RV park, and came up with Fort Casper RV Park. I called them and a nice lady answered the phone. I said they must be open if she answered the phone. She said they were on “Stand-By” what ever that meant but to come in and pull into spot 35 B under the huge cottonweed trees that would crush the van with a name if branches break off and come in  to the office on Monday morning at 8  a.m. and  pay.

Big Foots Cowboy Boots

I stayed in 35 B plugged into their electric. No branches crushed me, and in the morning, I pulled up to the office a little before the 8:00 am opening and stared at  a very large cat that was in the office, that was staring at me.

Just before 8 a lady pulled up in a big  black F350 pickup truck and went into the office. I waited just a bit then I went into the office and explained that I was there to pay after calling on Sunday and talking to her coworker.

She knew all about me and started to fuss with the computer. We continued talking and then the very large cat jumped up on the counter and looked at me. I pet it, called it pretty kitty. It purred like a lion. The lady said the cat was not a nice cat, but it continued to purr  as I pet it. She continued to fuss with the computer. Now maybe she was computer illiterate. Maybe I was the first person the cat ever liked (and I was hoping I wouldn’t have to take it with me) but she finally said camping was free, for me. I thanked her and got out of there before the cat knew what was happening.

Before Casper I had called the municipal clerk and they had sent me the application for e mail ballot. Now the van with a name does not have a printer. I looked. I came up with a sewer hose I didn’t know I had, but no printer. After I googled RV parks in Casper, I googled IBEW near me, and sure enough local 322 was right there in Casper, and I knew, that even if I had to work a day, they would print my form just to get rid of me.

The nice lady at the hall was happy to print my form and soon I was on my way.  I waited till I was out of town a ways, filled out my application, and sent it to Anchorage.

Phone Data Only At This Cabin

I pulled into the same KOA at Rock Springs that  I stayed at east bound. This is not my favorite place to stay but it is convenient, and the showers are clean. The view leaves something to be desired.

A Great View At The Rock Springs KOA & It Blocks The Highway Noise

After my shower I checked my e mail, and sure enough there was my ballot, and the highly official voter Declaration that needed to be witnessed. Still not having a printer I went up to the ‘camp office’ and asked the nice lady if she could print a document for me. She said sure, and as soon as she gave me the e mail address with the @ in it, she had the printer rolling. I wasn’t going to push my luck with her on the  Declaration. I figured I could find another hall or do plan B.

The nearest union hall was in Salt Lake City, and without Maya as a guide I didn’t want to go there. I opted for plan B that involved finding my bank with a notary and have the form officially done, only at the bank branch the notary said she couldn’t put her name on the form which I thought was odd, and so the did the county clerk that I went to next and she got the job done…

Your Name Is On Your Notary Seal

So long bronson.

 

 

  

Hidden In Plain Sight

 

Well, the cranes were spectacular but a person can only take so much sandhill squawking, so I pointed the van with a name north, and west and cruised the Sandhills Journey scenic highway.

The highway traverses through the Sandhills, and really doesn’t have much to do with cranes, and everything to do with the hills that were once just sandhills, and thought to be a foreboding wasteland,  but now support grasslands and some huge ranching operations.

One Spiffy Cow

Surprising enough Nebraska has some excellent State Recreation Areas, usually with electric at your site, and since its “Winter” and there is no water, the campsites are ½ off the regular $35.00 a night fee and a nonresident fee of $14.00. I have stayed at several of these over the past few days and I usually am the only camper around.

 Since the weather was cool, never getting over 60 on most days I thought I would run up to Hot Springs South Dakota, and see about having a soak, and that was a great idea except that Hot Springs is seasonal, and right now isn’t the season, and most everything was shuttered.

No worries, Wind Cave National park is nearby so I motored up there to discover  that the cave tours were shuttered and same with the campgrounds. Okay Custer State Park is just up the road, and an easy pleasant drive, but it to was shuttered.

Finally  at Custer City, after being hung up on by one RV park proprietor,  I was able to secure a spot at a RV camp for the night with or without hookups, and I opted for the dry site for only $21.00. it was supposed to be $25.00 but 21 was all the cash I had. Should have said I only had $10.00 cash. It was a peaceful night and it was fun to walk along the main street.

The van with a name was ready for a oil change and a place like Rapid City should be able to handle that chore rapidly and the guys at the local “Super Lube” did just that, and with a minimum of up sale. I did let them put in a can of injector snake oil. It didn’t cost much and made everyone happy.

Snake Oil Always Good For A Automotive Up Sale

South Dakota is home to some of our thermonuclear Minuteman Missiles and what a great place to put them. You couldn't find them if you looked. 

No Missiles Here Just Buffalo

You can even tour the one that is located just east of the most famous thing in south Dakota Wall Drug.

Motoring out to the visitor center you could see why this was a excellent place for thermonuclear  missiles.

The visitor center has all the usual informative displays that focus on the cold war, and the peace kept by the minuteman missiles. They also quite frankly stated that if it was your decision to actually push the button and fire a missile could you do it knowing that life on earth would be over.

The actual tours of the de armed missile were on hold because the elevator was out of service, and that probably is just as well as the description of the tour said it involved scaling down ladders mounted to the wall. That wouldn’t be a problem, but the elevator ride 30 feet down with 5 strangers who probably stink of scented fabric softener would have been excruciating.

A google search will turn up that there are 400 live minuteman III missiles scattered around Wyoming, Montana, and North Dakota, and we have in Alaska way out next to nowhere Anti-Ballistic Missiles.

Makes you wonder with warmongers like putin threating to use nuclear weapons. If his still work. I bet ours do.