2014 – 08 – 23: Day 32 – Road Trip Across the USA - route 6 east - From California to Nevada

From Red Rock State Park

To Tonopah Nevada

Distance: 261miles  (route 14, 395 to Bishop then route 6 to Tonopah)

I woke up in the cool of early morning.  As hot as it is during the day, it is cool at night.  I had packed my electric fan thinking I would need it a lot but so far up most nights have been just fine without.  

Cliff in the early morning light 

The first thing I saw as I opened my eyes was the view of the cliffs reflecting the morning light. 

I skipped breakfast and did a quick packing to get on the road early to make up for time lost yesterday when I decided to stop at Red Rock.  

almost empty roads and vast spaces of emptiness 

I was on the road while the morning shadows were stretching long fingers across the road.  Driving along route 14 at this early hour was peaceful; mostly I was on the road all by myself.

come see the Ghost Town 

I spotted the sign for the “ghost town” and pulled in.  Someone has gone to a lot of trouble to collect a bunch of memorabilia together for this display.  I pocked around and had some fun in the “jail house” by posing as a criminal behind bars.

Then I spotted Little Lake and the first natural body of water I have seen since leaving Echo Park.  It is such a relief for the eyes to see the cool blue.   

muted desert colours and the road goes ever on 

Here in this desert the colours are all muted greys and pinks and beige.  

When I spotted the sign for Fossil Falls I was glad I made the call to not try to reach here last night.  In the dark it could easily have been missed!   Driving into the park itself was an experience.  The cinder road was very rough and even at 10 mph it was bone jarringly annoying.   The picnic area facilities were very clean and inviting, a perfect breakfast spot.  After eating I went for a hike to see the “falls”

cinder rocks ground smooth
by eons of waters rushing over them 

Of course the river is no longer there but you can see the smooth polished cinder rocks and where the water used to flow over the cliff.   The area was formed by a long ago extinct volcano and then shaped by the winds and water over the thousands of years since then.

I am still quite anxious when hiking in the desert.   It is so much harder to memorize landmarks for me when I don’t have trees with blazes on them to rely on.   The little rock mounds just don’t have the same secure feeling for me.  I

Pink dome of the extinct volcano 

made sure to keep the big landmarks memorized….like the red dome shaped mound of the extinct volcano to the north and the range of cliffs to the west.  When I got to the site where the falls had polished the rocks it was like stepping into another planet.   Black rocks all around, jagged edges and steep cliffs.  I have never seen anything like this before….truly a first for me.

Info on Fossil Falls http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/ridgecrest/fossil.html

I continued driving along the cinder trail for a while because of the sign indicating that there was an overlook to Little Lake.  However the sign did not say how far.   At a snail’s pace because of the roughness of the road, I drove for about 15 minutes.  There was another sign (so I knew I was on the right road) but again it did not say how far.   I made a decision to return to the main road.  This was just not a fun road to drive on without a clear indication as to how far.

a cluster of building in a lonely landscape 

Continuing north I reached the junction of 14 and 395 where I continued north on 395.  Miles and miles of desert and mountain dotted with the occasional ruin or homestead.  A lonely landscape, that is so far away from anything familiar. 

Manzanar 

After hours of driving I finally arrived and Manzanar Museum, one of the highlighted destinations on this stretch of the road.  I spent a long time in the museum reflecting on the past and role of prejudice in peoples actions and how those prejudices influence how others are treated. In this case it was the Japanese during WW2.   However in others places and other times the same story has been repeated over and over again, always as a result of fear of anything / anyone “different”.

  

Link for the museum:   http://www.nps.gov/museum/exhibits/manz/

Leaving the museum there was more driving across desert framed my mountain range after mountain range.  In Bishop I refueled and then headed toward Benton Springs where I wanted to stay at the camp ground with the hot spring fed tubs.  As luck would have it there was a wedding party there this weekend and every single camp site was booked for the wedding guests.   I was so looking forward to this camp site and the inviting idea of a hot tub soak. 

My choices were either return to Bishop or push through to another 82 miles to Tonopah, the next place with accommodations.  I decided to push through.

More isolated desert views 

More desert and more mountains, through Montgomery pass toward the Junction with route 360. I think I was the only one on the road traveling east.  I saw a couple of vehicles going the other direction but it was a lonely stretch of road.   There was a lot of time to contemplate the enormous size of the desert and how fragile and small a single human is within such a hostile environment.   How did people explore this region in the times gone by?   How did they find those precious water sources in all this area of desert?   The knowledge that I was all alone in this vastness pressed down on me.  I was relieved to reach the junction with 360 where at least there were other drivers on the road with me. 

a welcome splash of colour 

I arrived in Tonopah just as the sun was starting its final descent into evening.  I stayed at the colourful and unique Clown Motel.  It was one of those evenings when I was very grateful for a safe haven.  The huge vastness of the desert is making me feel very small and insignificant.

As night closed in I caught up on my correspondence.  I admit I have given up on catching up on my blogs while traveling. Tired after a long days drive it is frustrating when dealing with slow internet connections.  I do manage to type up my notes and I did manage to edit some photos.

Renate Dundys Marrello 

2014 – 08 – 23

Photo Link:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10154708447535341.1073741934.709160340&type=1&l=9aac65c13e