From Delta, UT to SLC, UT

     Today we left Delta, having seen the area as much as we could.  The fire is east of us about 10  miles around Oak City.  They were evacuated for a few days, but I believe they were back home; but the BLM land is still smoldering, and smokey.
     Last week, we took a ride through Oak City, and up to the campsite on BLM land.  This is where the fire started a few days later.  The wind has definitely been a factor with it spreading.  We would have high winds starting about 10 am, and throughout the day.
     Before we left yesterday, we went to the Cosmic Array Center.  This is an international collaboration of universities and research institutes, including Russia, Korea, Japan, hosted by the University of Utah.  They are studying ultra high energy cosmic rays.  There is something in space, launching incredibly small particles with astounding levels of energy.  These ultra high energy rays are essentially single protons, each one packing the punch of a world series fastball.  They have not located the source, and that is the mystery….more information at www.telescopearray.org
     Thanks to Day’s End, we found a great RV repair place in SLC, Bestway Camper and RV trailer repair.  We needed a patch on our gray water, so tomorrow we will be off, good as new….

Delta, UT Topaz Internment Camp

We have spent this week, and will spend next week in our home park.  Delta is about 100 hundred miles south of Salt Lake City.  It is a farming and mining community of very friendly people.  Rollie is overlooking their town square which has lots of flowers, and some running water with a picnic area on the grounds. 

     Nearby is an interment camp from WWII for Japanese people who the government suspected of war crimes.  There were over 110,000 Japanese removed from their homes, and placed in these camps until the war was over.  Amazing that this happened in our country!!

     The historical society is now restoring the site of this camp, and will restore some of the buildings that were here.

      Along the way, we have also been geocaching.  We have more than 85 finds, and have also found some travel bugs.  This hobby is taking us to place we would never have travelled….lol….

     So here is Rollie on top of a mountain…just to find that cache we couldn’t live without……

Great Basin National Park; Lehman Caves

     Today we had a great day. We had tickets to have a guided tour of Lehman Caves. It is known for its parachute formation in one of its rooms.

     The tour was 90 minutes, and easily done. Outside was 90 degrees, but inside the caves, it was about 50 degrees. And somewhat humid, which was great since it is very dry in this high desert.

     Apsolom Lehman discovered the caves in the mid 1800's, and it was made a National site in the early 1900's. During prohibition, people would come here for some moonshine. It was also a shelter for a nuclear disaster in the 1950's We saw all kinds of formations.

       Here are some pictures of them.  

   
      After our great tour, we did the scenic drive up to about 9000 feet to Mather's Overlook.
     We were going to camp here, but the sites were pretty small, so we opted to stay at the Border Inn RV park, which is 100 feet from Utahborder and Escapees friendly.  We are 100 feet from the Utah border and Mountain time where we will head to next.

Ely, Nevada: Nevada Northern Railway

     Yesterday we found another train to ride.  The Nevada Northern Railway is an historic site, but it is still a working rail yard.  It is America’s best preserved short line and complete rail facility.  The complex includes a full service rail yard, encompassing 56 acres, and 63 buildings.

     The museum collection consists of three steam engines, two of them working, and six diesel locomotives with three of them working.  The museum is unique in that it not only preserves the artifacts of the railroad, but it is recording and teaching the lost skills necessary to preserve the history of this technology for future generations. 

     Here you can come and spend a week working as an engineer, and be part of the actual railroad, or just take a ride as we did.

www.nnry.com

     If you want more information, try their website.  Tomorrow is off to the caverns in the Grand Basin NP.

Nevada: The Loneliest Highway in America

     Well we did it!  We drove from Fernley to Ely yesterday.  It is about 287 miles on a great road with some elevations as high as 8400 feet.  There was very little traffic, some nice vistas, and only two towns to drive through, Eureka and Austin.  We had a picnic in Austin at a rest area, and decided there was not much there to see.

     It was a great alternative than driving I-80.  We are going to stay in Ely, NV for a few days.  We are going to find the Northern Railroad, and the copper mine.

Eagle Lake, CA

     We are on the move again.  We are heading east to eventually end up in Delta, Utah in a week.   In the meantime we found a great place to stop, and enjoy the view at Eagle Lake, just east of Lassen NP.  It is the largest fresh water lake in California.  Here is a picture from our RV site 158. 
     It was very blue and calm, and is known for it’s great fishing.  They have a species of Eagle lake trout, known only to this lake. 

We stayed in Merrill CG, and even managed to geocache a little.  Today we are off to Fernley, and to the Loneliest Highway in the U.S....stay tune.

Redding, CA Lassen National Park

     We have spent the last few days here in Redding.  A few days ago the temperature had turned hot, like over 100 in the afternoons.  So off we went to the National Park.
     LNP is about 40 miles from Redding and about 5000 feet in elevation.  The temperature dropped in the 50’s while we were there….nice!   Lassen Volcano is one of four different kinds of volcanoes in this area.  This one is over 10,000 feet, and is considered an active volcano with the last eruption in 1917.  It has steam spouts, and is oozing hot lava at its base.   We first arrived at the northwest visitor center, and were informed that the park road is now open.  It is a 30 mile drive to the south entrance.  We were as high as 8500 feet at its peak.

  Lassen Volcano  is still snow covered, and impressive.  We also saw people getting ready to cross country ski and sled.  Someone told us it could still be snowing in August.  Most of the RV parks don’t open until late June, and some even in July.  We were fortunate to have great weather today, and beautiful scenery.
    It was fun to see all the snow too.  Along the side of the road, it was as high as 6 feet. 
     As we drove up there, we also looked for geocaches.  It takes us to places where we would not have gone.  It is fun when we find our “cache”; and disappointing when it is not there.