Heading East
After visiting Swami and Nikki it was time to start heading back east. As mentioned in a previous post, fire season was in full swing in California and as we went back through the Central Valley and further east, the air always had haze of smoke from numerous fires. We were never close enough to one to be in danger or even see a fire but we knew they were there.
We crossed back over the Sierra Nevadas and into Nevada itself again. It was HOT. We spent one night in a town called Battle Mountain along I-80 and it was over 100 degrees. We were starting to get tired of the heat.
The landscape in Nevada along I-80 is not really inspiring but we did take a few shots to give you all an idea of what it looks like. Notice the haze - from wildfires. At the right of the picture are the ribbons of the highway in the distance.
We crossed into Utah at the Bonneville Salt Flats.
After the Salt Flats we came to the Great Salt Lake just west of Salt Lake City. We stopped to take a look.
It is impressively large but, we learned, not very deep. The average depth is only 7 feet and the deepest (at this point in time) is only 35 feet. The lake today is just a remnant of a much larger lake called Bonneville. Tens of thousands of years ago it was over 1000 feet deep and covered many thousands of square miles.
On the east side of Salt Lake City we started climbing again which was a relief because it gave us respite from the heat. We spent a couple of nights near Park City. Just east of Park City we saw, once again, the red rocks of Utah.
Thence on to Wyoming. We passed through the town of Green River, where Powell began his Colorado River expeditions. but now seems to be mostly a railroad town. Further east along I-80 we went through an area mostly known for mining. It was pretty bleak and very hot.
Eastern Wyoming near the Snowy Range was a bit easier on the eyes. Notice the massive wind farm on the horizon in the right side of this picture below.
Eastern Wyoming along I-80 was quite high in elevation, over 7000 feet. But once we reached this crest, we steadily lost elevation as we progressed into Nebraska. The desert environment gave way to more fertile plains.
It was still hot but only in the lower 90s and the green was easier on the eyes.
We crossed back over the Sierra Nevadas and into Nevada itself again. It was HOT. We spent one night in a town called Battle Mountain along I-80 and it was over 100 degrees. We were starting to get tired of the heat.
The landscape in Nevada along I-80 is not really inspiring but we did take a few shots to give you all an idea of what it looks like. Notice the haze - from wildfires. At the right of the picture are the ribbons of the highway in the distance.
We crossed into Utah at the Bonneville Salt Flats.
After the Salt Flats we came to the Great Salt Lake just west of Salt Lake City. We stopped to take a look.
It is impressively large but, we learned, not very deep. The average depth is only 7 feet and the deepest (at this point in time) is only 35 feet. The lake today is just a remnant of a much larger lake called Bonneville. Tens of thousands of years ago it was over 1000 feet deep and covered many thousands of square miles.
On the east side of Salt Lake City we started climbing again which was a relief because it gave us respite from the heat. We spent a couple of nights near Park City. Just east of Park City we saw, once again, the red rocks of Utah.
Thence on to Wyoming. We passed through the town of Green River, where Powell began his Colorado River expeditions. but now seems to be mostly a railroad town. Further east along I-80 we went through an area mostly known for mining. It was pretty bleak and very hot.
Eastern Wyoming near the Snowy Range was a bit easier on the eyes. Notice the massive wind farm on the horizon in the right side of this picture below.
Eastern Wyoming along I-80 was quite high in elevation, over 7000 feet. But once we reached this crest, we steadily lost elevation as we progressed into Nebraska. The desert environment gave way to more fertile plains.
It was still hot but only in the lower 90s and the green was easier on the eyes.
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