G.A.S.P.

(Great Adventures to Scenic Places)

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October 7, 1999

I awoke (10-7) to clear skies and what appeared to be a mild breeze. The tire that I had pumped up the night before had lost some of its air, so I changed the tube after breakfast. I headed for Great Basin National Park about 10:30. My route alternated between southeast and northeast all day as I went over a couple of mountain passes. The first twenty miles (heading southeast) were great with a nice wind at my back. I was convinced at this point that the wind god had been appeased by my offering of a pump and tube left by the trashcan outside my room. Smugly, I pressed on. However, after clearing the first pass, I had to turn to the northeast and I hit the full force of the wind for the next ten miles (I think the wind god figured out that the pump was broken and the tube had a hole in it).

Click on thumbnail to see full photograph.

The view from the top of the first pass was really nice – Wheeler Peak, the centerpiece of Great Basin National Park, with a fresh coat of snow on its upper reaches.

I don’t think I’ve explained what is meant by the term Great Basin. It’s the portion of the interior of the country, consisting of almost all of Nevada, half of Utah and parts of California, Oregon and Idaho, which defies the convention of "Continental Divide." You probably learned in school that all water west of the Continental Divide flows to the Pacific and all water east of the Divide flows to the

Atlantic. The Great Basin is the exception. Its water (rainwater and snowmelt) doesn’t flow anywhere except to a few lakes (Great Salt Lake, Mono Lake, etc.) which become saline (salty) because they have no outlet, or into the desert to evaporate. There are no outlets from the Great Basin to the Pacific even though this land lies west of the Continental Divide.

My intention was to stay two nights at a campground in Great Basin NP, but as I approached Baker, Nevada, the "gateway" town, it occurred to me that it might be better to stay in Baker instead. First there was the issue of climbing another seven miles (2000’ elevation) to the NPS campground, and second there was the issue of no showers once I got there. Plan A therefore became a search for a suitable campground in Baker. Luck was with me – the first building in town proclaimed (in large letters on its side) the presence of a campground complete with showers and laundry. Sold – for $10 per night, which is probably a couple of bucks cheaper than the NPS campground. I got my hot shower, and have now spent a couple of hours in the (warm) laundry room entering journal text to the computer. Life is good.