Further into the Basin & Range.

Friday, 18^th May to Monday, 21^st May, 2018; to the Schell Creek Mountains.

C1671

“Desert Rain”

Oil Study on Pannelli Telati fine Cotton Panel

3½” x 9¼”

Click here to make this Your Own

Pigments used in the painting:

Imprimatura: Rublev Ercolano Red;

Drawing: W&N Cobalt & Ultramarine Deep Blues;

Pigments: W&N Cobalt and Ultramarine Deep Blues, Cadmium Orange;

Rublev: Ercolano Red, Purple Ochre, Blue Ridge Yellow Ochre, Italian Burnt Sienna, & Lead White #2.

Just down the hill from Great Basin National Park, a couple of miles north of Baker, is the Baker Archaeological Site.  It is worth a twenty minute visit to stroll to the site of the former dig, reading the guide, provided in the steel box at the beginning of the trail, and to think about and visualize those who have gone before.  At the dig site there are low adobe walls marking the layout of the building that were excavated here, and on the way features in the landscape and plants have been brought to your attention that have a bearing on the Fremont Culture whose community this was.  The Fremont Culture was contemporaneous with the Anisazi peoples (otherwise known as the Ancestral Puebloans), of Hovenweep, Mesa Verde & Chaco Canyon, but occupied the territories north and west from them.  They have been considered as the country hicks of era, but the excavations done here were instrumental in changing that perspective.  It appears that they were more sophisticated than previously thought, and that they were victims of the less long-lasting materials they had at their disposal (adobe, wood, etc.), compared to the stone buildings of the Ancestral Puebloans. 

From here I moved on to Ely, Nevada, on US Hwy 50, billed as the loneliest road in America (the Extra-terrestrial Highway further south is lonelier, as far as I am concerned).  For the past couple of days I had been studying the map and mulling over where I might look for campsite to continue charging my AGM deep-cycle battery, for a day or two, after I filled up my petrol tank, and got some dry ice to delay the melting of the remaining normal ice I had left in my cooler.  I had spotted a road marked the Success Scenic Loop, northeast of Ely, and on the west side of the Schell Creek Mountains, but the high pass on the route was marked “closed in Winter.”  After checking with the Ranger Station in Ely, I drove north on Hwy 63, for 18 miles, turning right onto County Road 486 for 8 miles, or so, and then left 5 miles to Berry Creek where there were a few campsites, and free, as far as I could see.

Sunlit mountains in the middle distance
are the Duck Creek Mountains,
with the Schell Creek Mountains beyond.

Snow ...
still on the Schell Creek Mountains …
Berry Creek Canyon right of center
where I will set up camp

I settled in at the first site just after crossing the Ford at the creek, and that provided enough open space to keep the Solar array clear for much of the day, considering the canyon here is only about a hundred yards wide at this point.  This seems to be a transition zone between the Junipers and Pinyons, and the Firs, Pines and Aspens of the higher altitudes; there is also a grove of those Mountain-Mahoganies on the opposite slope from my camp.  I hadn't intended to camp this high, but found myself at 8100'; I had thought I would be camping at about  6000’ – 6500’, and thus at warmer temperature, but it's a nice camp, so we'll see how the battery charging goes.  A crescent New Moon and Venus, graced the evening sky that evening.

In the morning … a butterfly.

Frost on the vegetation in the morning!  Several mid-ninety degree days last week at Zion, and now frosty mornings, but I am 3800' higher, so I shouldn't be surprised.  The vault toilet, across the way, is a mixed blessing.  Upon opening the door there were scored of black flies dropping off the door jamb and walls and milling about on the floor, too cold to fly.  After ascertaining there was no toilet paper (the camp is not yet officially open), I went back to the truck to get my own.  Since there is really no real place to dig a convenient hole in this narrow valley, the vault toilet was the place, so I girder my loins to wreak slaughter on the dozy flies.  I crushed dozens underfoot, leaving those few left on the walls to deal with the next day,  and then went and scraped the soles of my boots across the grave, in the shallows of the nearby stream, to clean them of the un-illustrious dead.

The ford as seen from my camp …
the blue skies belie the cloud
and showers to come.

The battery charging went better than expected, considering that it clouded over by mid-day.  I have discovered that the Solar array works even through an overcast, although slowly.  And then it rained for a couple of hours.  I recalled that when researching the Solar array, it was safe to leave it out if it rained, since the controller is on the underside of the panels which are set at an angle, when set up, and thus protected from the falling rain.  This was the first time I had ever tested this, and it turned out to be true.  I did unplug it from the battery, however, just in case.  After the rainfall, I plugged it back in, and everything was fine … good to know, but even so I won't make a habit of it.  This evening as I write, the cloud is clearing away, and the stars are appearing.

Water Violets.

A second day was spent at Berry Creek, recharging the AGM battery further, throughout another series of cloud and showers, and an Oil Sketch completed.  No stars that night. 

A walk among the Aspens.

The last of the flies were slain at the vault toilet, on the Monday, although there were a few that managed to warm up enough to fly off during the time I was at this camp.  Packed and ready to leave, I strolled up the creek towards another campsite, about three hundred yards from my own.  Another camper had come in on the Saturday, and I thought to ask him a question or two, if he knew the area.  He was just driving down as I started up his road.  His name was Pete, from California, and this was his first time in the area.  We chatted for awhile, and parted ways, as we both were heading out that morning.  I had wanted to know about the road south, but he had come in from the north, just as I had.

Aspen grove.

Nevertheless, south I went on the gravel road, with the Schell Creek Mountains to the east and the Duck Creek Mountains to the west, climbing to 9000' before the descent towards Cave Lake State Park, where I refilled my water bottles.  It was a beautiful drive, especially through groves of Aspens before the summit of the pass.  After watering up, I completed the scenic loop back to Ely, with desert rains sweeping across the Steptoe Valley to the south.

Dropping down the pass …

… to the valley floor.

Desert Rain.

Great Basin National Park, Nevada

Wednesday, 16^th May 2018 to Friday, 18^th May; Great Basin National Park, Nevada.

C1670

“Forest Waters”

(Great Basin National Park, Nevada)

Oil Study on Pannelli Telati fine Cotton Panel

5” x 7”

SOLD

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To refresh your memory … the campground at Baker Creek, Great Basin NP is down there in amongst the Spring Aspens.

Except for my three weeks down in the Tonto National Forest in Arizona, and the couple of days spent in the Sedona area, my Winter and Spring was spent on the Colorado Plateau.  This geographical province, roughly centered on the four corners region, has been rising for some millions of years as a unit, and has generally maintained its layers of strata in the horizontal sequence in which they were laid down.  From the west of this area all the way across the remaining part of Utah, and all of Nevada, to the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California, lies the Basin & Range geographical province, which I am crossing to reach Oregon, and in which lies the Great Basin National Park, just inside the Nevada border from Utah.  The Earth's crust within the Basin & Range is being stretched and thus thinned, causing north/south faults, which in turn cause the land in between these faults (fault blocks), to be either tilted and uplifted, in the form of “horsts” and mountain ranges, or to subside in the form of “grabens” and valleys between the mountain ranges; there are some three hundred north/south mountain ranges and their flanking valleys within the Basin & Range, making Nevada the most mountainous State in the Union.  I will let you look up on the Internet the terms “graben” and “horst.”  The sediments eroding down from all these mountain ranges have filled the original deep valleys, changing them into broad flat plains, or basins of alluvial soil.

View of Mt. Wheeler
from the Baker Creek Trailhead,
a mile up the road from the campground
… we are at 8000’ here.

Oregon Grape in blossom …
the leaves resemble Holly,
and the berry clusters will be reminiscent
of blue berries in colour and size,
and the clusters like grapes.

Orange-yellow flowers.

The Great Basin National Park has several peaks over 11,000’, with the highest, Mount Wheeler, at just over 13,000'.  Thus as I approached the Snake Range, which these mountains are a part of, they loomed six to eight thousand feet above he roughly mile high valley I was travelling down.  Once you leave the town of Baker, Nevada, within the valley, and climb up to the Visitors Center, you ascend about 1800’ during those intervening six miles; Baker Creek Campground, where I have my campsite is at about 7700’.

In the morning I proceeded to the trailhead at the end of the road above the campground, and after consulting the signs there, decided on a short walk; or so I thought.  I had been thinking of a mile at the most, kind of stroll, and then on to another part of the Park, but it turned out to be 3.2 miles, ascending from 8000' to just under 9000'.  It was worth it in the end, even though I spent four hours doing it, what with all my photo-stops and Nature observations.  At the high point there was a lovely alpine meadow, with a small creek running through the grass.  After time spent taking photos from various spots, I spotted movement on the far side, which I at first took to be a Porcupine, but which turned out to be a Turkey, once I trained my binoculars on it.  Later, on the descending part of the loop trail, I spotted three more, and further observations and photos ensued.

Spring Aspens, near the beginning of the trail.

Manzanita blossoms.

Butterfly absorbing some mineral
or other.

Down at my campsite, a thousand feet below, I had noticed the Aspen leaves were a lovely Spring green, and pretty much full size.  At the trailhead, they were a bit less further along, but still of goodly size and shape.  As I had worked my way up the trail, I had noticed they were less and less developed, until they were just small leaflets breaking out of their buds, and finally at the altitude of the alpine meadow, they were just buds awaiting the right temperature before risking opening themselves to the World; all in a thousand feet.  Interesting to think that these higher altitude Aspens will also be turning colour in the Autumn before their brethren lower down, so their growing season is more compressed.

Spring Aspens further up the trail,
with less advanced leaves.

Now … patches of snow.

On the descent there was a grove of deciduous trees that was not aware of ever having seen before.  They reminded me, superficially, of the Hackberry trees I had first seen at Hovenweep in January.  The bark was a dark charcoal grey, deeply furrowed on the more mature specimens, and a lighter blue grey, and smoother on the young trees.  The leaves were about an inch and a half long, and lanceolate in shape.  The older trees were about twenty feet tall with decent sized boles, and beneath them old fallen leaves were red and yellow.  Later at the Visitors Center, a Ranger and I worked out that it was Curl-leafed Mountain-Mahogany that I had seen; not a true Mahogany, which is a tropical tree; always nice to learn a new tree.

In a grove of Curl Leafed Mountain Mahogany.

Curl leafed Mountain Mahogany.

Mountain Meadow.

Stream in the meadow.

Turkey through the Aspens.

Hmmmmm.

Blue Flowers.

Indian Paintbrush.

After the hike and spending time at the Visitors Center, it was really too late to take the drive up to the Mather Overlook, so I left that for the morning, where I had breakfast.  There at the Overlook you have just crossed the 9000’ mark and have a view across the valley to Jeff Davis Peak (12,771'), and Wheeler Peak (13,063'), the patterns highest in the Park.  Beyond this point the road is closed, being expected to open by Memorial Day, at month's end.  It goes for another five miles and gains another thousand feet to just over ten thousand, to the Wheeler Peak Trailhead.  There you can walk to groves of Bristlecone Pines, a couple of which I saw at Bryce Canyon.  These ancient trees are in eminent danger through Global Warming, for where can they go from their various mountaintops?  Animals and birds and even many plants can migrate north, but you're kind of stuck on the top of a mountain, if that is your only habitat.  I should have liked to go see the better specimens here; perhaps in a future Autumn, when the Aspens are glowing gold, and before the return of the Winter snows.

From Mather Viewpoint …
Jeff Davis Peak on the left, Wheeler Peak on the Right.

Note the barren Aspens down below,
at this 9000’ altitude.

Closer.

They call this the Thumb, so I’m told …
looks like a finger to me.

An hour later.

At the Overlook I met Tom from North Carolina, who was doing an extensive circular driving tour of Nevada.  He had been in parts of Nevada in the past, and was enjoying the chance to see more of it.  We talked about lonely roads and myriad mountain ranges, desert valleys and the fact that the majority of people, sadly, think of Las Vegas & Reno and gambling when Nevada is mentioned.  He had left his disabled brother at a cathouse near Pahrump, for the duration of his travels, which was the reason for his opportunity to visit Nevada again … his brother needed help to travel to Nevada brothel; bucket list I guess.  I hope he doesn't return to find his brother has suffered a heart attack from all the excitement, when he picks him up in a few days’ time!

Jeff Davis Peak on the right,
from the lower Visitors’ Center in Baker.

Great Basin NP as seen from the
700 year old Baker Archaeological Site,
a mile from town.

Pigments used in the painting:

Imprimatura: Rublev  Ercolano Red;

Drawing: Rublev Cyprus Dark Umber, and W&N Ultra Deep Blue;

Pigments: W&N Cerulean, Cobalt and Ultramarine Deep Blues, Cadmiums Orange & Yellow Pale;

Rublev: Ercolano Red, Purple Ochre, Blue Ridge Yellow Ochre, Italian Burnt Sienna, Cyrus Dark Umber, Orange Molybdate (just a tad) & Lead White #2.