The sky narrows to a ribbon as we enter the canyon. We have walked up from the eastern edge of the canyon, out in the Mud Meadows southeast of Soldier Meadows, where we have spent the morning volunteering to restore habitat for the desert dace. The work finished for the day, we leave the group to explore into Fly Canyon. The canyon was created when a natural dam holding back High Rock Lake gave way and unleashed a torrent of water that carved the steep walls and drilled holes, known as "potholes," in the canyon bottom. Read more about this at the Friends of the Black Rock/High Rock geology page.

From the distance, the canyon is unassuming, but as we near it reveals itself, a massive slice through a high ridge. We scramble down and the narrow steep walls envelop us. Twisted rock forms abound while  puffy high desert clouds cross the ribbon of sky. We enter farther and the canyon deepens. We start to have to work our way around potholes, smooth and deep pools of unmoving water. Finally we are turned back by a rickety ladder climbing from one level to another and the lateness of the day.

Taking time to find a spot that has an immense and lonely view of this pale blue dot of ours. Few places in the contiguous U.S. has such opportunities for solitude and remote expanses as the Basin and Range region.

For quite some time I had been yearning, aching really, to camp out in the solitude of the Black Rock Desert on a cold, winter night--preferably on the playa. I love the feeling of a freezing cold desert night and the luxury of climbing into a nice, warm sleeping bag to melt the cold away. Breathing in the crisp, clean, crystalline air.

The weekend of January 20th was time to feed my desire. We headed up to the desert on Saturday afternoon and we just beat the setting sun to our camp spot on the western edge of the playa. The desert was just as I prefer it, not a soul in sight, other than some small birds flitting about in the greasewoods on the margin of our camp.

The playa was mostly dry, cracked in it's usual branching, quilted pattern. It felt so good to be in the presence of this expansive, dry lake bed all alone. The solitude was immense. We pulled out our chairs and just sat, soaking in the vast scenery and the deep silence that surrounded us. As the sun started to sink low in the western sky, we went for a walk along the dunes on the periphery. We then headed toward the center of the playa where we enjoyed and played on the smooth, flat surface which was renewed by last years lake.

The sun soon hit the ridge of the Granite Mountains which begun the evening light show. Starting with the golden evening light on the desert floor. The eastern sky then turned to a deep rich blue, while the western sky shown bright with the flaming colors of the setting sun. The northeastern sky then faded into lavender, wild rose, pink and salmon hues The last of the sunlight creeped up along the hill and mountain sides to our east. creating a violet alpenglow which slowly faded into gray, then night was upon us.

It was supposed to be a stormy night, but the skies opened up and gave us an amazing star show. Stargazing in winter is wonderful due to sky transparency, which is best during the winter months because cold air has less capacity to hold moisture, With less moisture, the air of course is drier, making it much clearer than in summer months when the sky appears hazier due to a higher moisture content--Tips to winter stargazing

We enjoyed the stars, built a fire, savored some hot drinks, then climbed into our cozy, warm sleeping bags and relished the night!

Goodnight!

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I love rabbitbrush (Ericameria spp.) I am always taking photos of them because I love their late blooming bright yellow flowers. I also love the way they look in late fall and winter when their blooms are fading and they are seeding.

I find them most difficult to photograph in spring and early summer, when all the other wildflowers are going crazy. I try to take at least one good photo of rabbitbrush each month of the year, but as you'll see below,  in spring and early summer it's difficult. 

The photos below are thumbnails, if you click on one photo it will open up the gallery and from there you can scroll through the photos at a larger size.

Learn more about rabbitbrush here: ​https://www.basinandrange.org/basin-and-range-blog/rubber-rabbitbrush

3. Kirch State Wildlife Management Area, Nevada
The highlight of these wetlands and reservoirs for us, as bike tourers, was Hot Creek, a warm (not really hot), crystal clear flowing stream. The areas many lakes/reservoirs are also popular with anglers and birdwatchers. We spent a day here on our Eastern Nevada bike tour and then, before heading east into the South Egan Mountains, had one last dip before getting back on our bikes.

4. Cathedral Gorge, Nevada
We stumbled across this little gem of a state park when we were moving all the way across the country. Wandering in among its formations is an ethereal experience. The formations are caused by erosion of soft bentonite clay.

5. King Lear Peak, Nevada
This desert peak is a true landmark, visible from hundreds of square miles around and with a very distinctive pyramidal silhouette. With amazing rock gardens and spring wildflowers, it was an amazing climb from the eastern side. It is possible to climb from both sides, but this is a big desert peak, so do your research before climbing!

6. Soldier Creek, Nevada
In the northern Ruby Mountains, this creek and its headwater lakes are a spectacular and less well known visit in these popular mountains.

7. Warner Mountains, California
From the crest of the Warners looking west one is standing literally on the edge of the Great Basin and the Basin and Range.

8. Cave Lake, Nevada
This state park on a reservoir has great access to the Egan Mountains, the Schell Mountains, Great Basin National Park, and much more. Although a popular destination with locals, our campsite was private and beautiful. And the camp host boomed off a cannon on one of the nights we were there.

9. Dry Diamond Creek, New Mexico
Was not dry when we arrived during our Gila Loop bicycle tour. Some passers by said that it usually was, so we basked in the water and enjoyed a beautiful afternoon watching thunderstorms to the south.

Last week we focused on one of our favorite desert mountains, but it’s such a favorite it warrants another post. Being so remote, we were very surprised to find a “harri mutil” (literally “stone boy” at the top. These rock cairns were built by Basque sheepherders usually to mark range boundaries but also for a variety of other reasons, including just to pass the time. I’m not sure exactly if this rock cairn was a harri mutil, but it sure seemed like it.

While the peak hike was fairly short, about 3 hours total, we have also hiked quite a bit around the base of Elephant Mountain, and once tried for the summit from the much steeper eastern slope, but turned back due to the steepness and the lateness of the day. We had also hiked out to Crowbar Spring that day.

Hiking above the Truckee cliffs on the cliff edge of the Sierra looking at Verdi Peak with the corridor of I-80 between us.

Happy National Public Lands Day and Nevada Public Lands Day!

This past month has been a great way for us to reflect on the ways that we love public lands, the ways we use them, and what they mean to us. We’ve posted these images and some of the meaning behind them, but we’ve really only scratched the surface of the ways we use them. Please take a moment on this day celebrating our land to think of how you use public lands and what they mean to you.

Heading away from the comforts of the city and developed areas while heading to nature, and wild, remote, and untrammeled places, for me, is going home. 

​September 30, 2017 is National Public Lands Day. To celebrate this we are going to share images of public lands from our archives every day in September.

#welovepubliclands #publiclandsproud #publiclandowner #NPLD #basinandrangelandsofseptember

Two examples of harri mutilak (literally "stone boys" in Basque") spread across the west that we visited this year. One overlooks the Black Rock Desert from the summit of Elephant Mountain in northern Nevada and the other the vast lands of the Big Horn Mountains in northeastern Wyoming. Sheep herders made these stone monuments for guideposts, to mark range boundaries, and sometimes just because they were bored or for other reasons. They stand as a tribute to the history of grazing and sheep herding in the West, and as a testament to the uses of public lands in the West.

September 30, 2017 is National Public Lands Day. To celebrate this we are going to share images of public lands from our archives every day in September.

#welovepubliclands #publiclandsproud #publiclandowner #NPLD #basinandrangelandsofseptember