My Date with Eastern Nevada

I have been in Nevada for nearly a year, and most of my little scattered adventures have been limited to Las Vegas and its surrounding area.  I figured it was time to branch and get to know my new state of residency.  I had heard that Great Basin National Park was suppose to be one of the best places to see the stars.  So conveniently after looking at a calendar of the phases of the moon I decided to make a quick trip up to see if it lived up to the hype.  This was a trip that had very little planning and very few objectives other than see the stars, do a little hiking and taken in a bit of Nevada along the way.  It was one of the first times on road trip I gave myself permission to not be in a hurry.  Since I'm not the best with explanations, here are a few photos to help describe my date with eastern Nevada.

I almost breezed through Caliente, but decided to make a quick stop to take a picture of the train station.  It caught my eye, and I love it.  I may stopped again on my way home. Also a couple of years ago, I was kindly informed that this little town Caliente is not pronounced with the Spanish pronunciation.  Every time I see it, I have to read it probably three times trying not to say caliente.

 Not too far outside of Caliente, there was a turnoff for Cathedral State Park.  The name caught my attention, so I thought why not.  There was not a soul in sight, in the park, on the road. Nowhere.  I enjoyed the quiet walk taking in what looked like a martian wasteland, or that of a Star Wars film.

 After making it up to Great Basin, I was grateful to find an open campsite seeing as it was a lot busier than I had expected.

 The weather was perfect for relaxing in my hammock and enjoying the sound of the creek that flowed just a few feet away.

 The park did an excellent presentation on light pollution and the importance of protecting the sky.  They also discussed many of the night creatures, most of which were predatory and stealthy.  That discussion did not help later on as I tried to fall asleep.  While camping alone was very freeing, it was also very terrifying.  Back to the sky, the rangers also had telescopes set up so that visitors could see Saturn, M-81 (another galaxy), and star cluster. The sky was incredible.  It has been a while since I've seen that many stars, and since I have been able to see the Milky Way.  Staring at the stars, as with most things in nature provides a overwhelming sense of perspective.
I wanted to get some better pictures, but to be completely honest I got a little too creeped out being completely alone in the dark with a fierce wind whistling through the trees.

 In the morning I took a tour of Lehman Caves, and it was fantastic.  The formations were stunning, and the guide was very informative.  Trying to wrap my head around the time it took for the formations to form and how they formed was all together fascinating.  It is a strange yet intriguing sort of beauty down there.

 After the cave, I hiked the alpine loop around Stella and Theresa lakes.  The view of Wheeler's peak was impressive, and that will have to be a hike in the future.

 Leaving Baker, this is quite possibly the loneliest functioning gas station that I have ever seen.

 On the way home I made a detour on the scenic route through Pioche.  These little Nevada mining towns are fascinating to me.  They have this ghostlike quality that makes me wonder what they were like during their heyday.

 On the north side of Cathedral State Park there was a pulloff for Miller Point.  This actually provided a more interesting view that from within the park itself.  At another time, I'd like to go back on wander around more.

Even though it was a quick trip, it was a great little escape to breath some fresh air.  Now I just have to plan another trip to get to know western Nevada. Carson City, Reno, Tahoe... so many options.