After leaving Colorado, we traveled west on US Highway 50, which cuts though the high desert of the Great Basin that encompasses the majority of Utah and Nevada.  Utah is dotted with huge, otherworldly rocks that seem to pop up at random throughout the landscape.  These rock formations eventually give way to wide, flat valleys interspersed with frequent small mountain ranges.  There is little vegetation, save for low-growing bushes, like sage brush and small pine trees.  I have to say, this is the most barren and desolate road I have ever traveled.  One could be easily forgiven for thinking you were traveling on another planet.  The land looks dry and dusty, even in the mountains.  There is little traffic, no rest stops, and very few towns along the way.  There were small herds of cattle, but not many.

Interestingly, the cell phone service was pretty good across both states.  Gives one a bit of comfort that if there is trouble, help is just a phone call away.  Across Utah, the communication towers are fairly visible in the higher elevations.  However, in Nevada there were no apparent towers, which fueled an obsession to see if I could find them.  The things we resort to for entertainment when traveling.  I eventually spied one – it was the typical round, white cell transmitter set on a tripod about 5 or 6 feet tall with its own solar power source and surrounded by a fence.  I did not find another obvious device all across the state, so I suppose they are carefully hidden in the mountains.  Well played, Nevada, well played.

Jean