Just thought I'd throw this out there as I'm thinking about it.
Far-eastern Nevada -- especially Great Basin National Park -- is one of my favorite, "special" places, but I haven't been there since the end of my May 2011 Utah trip. And I got as far east as Eureka, NV, in my January 2012 Central Nevada trip, which was a good trip but not the same place.
Many times over the years -- over at least 25 years, maybe more -- I've visited Great Basin National Park (GBNP) in the week between Christmas and New Years. Not every year or even every-second-year, but lots of times. There's only one campground open in winter in GBNP, "Lower Lehman", and it's been really cool to be the only person camped there, which has happened many times during that winter holiday week. There's usually some snow...not a lot, some times enough to X-country ski in, some times just enough to snowshoe in, some times with enough bare ground or crust that it's walkable in just boots.
Here's a photo from a mid-winter camping trip to GBNP, in the mid-'90s, I think:
Pre-camper, obviously, and it shows a major reason why I decided I wanted a camper.
And here's a photo from the FWC-camper era, camped in the very same site (good old #11) as I camped in that earlier much-new-snow-with-tent visit.
I like this site (#11) because it's out in the open, and so, has a big view of Wheeler/Jeff Davis Peaks looming to the west as well as the view east across the near-lunar landscape of far-western Utah.
Anyway, it feels like time to make another trip out there...probably between Xmas and New Years...possibly the week after New Years (as I did last year, in order to join a group of friends for an Alvord Desert New Years). Now that I'm retired, having the week "off" between those two holidays isn't relevant anymore, but I'm thinking I'll do it then anyway.
Far-eastern Nevada -- especially Great Basin National Park -- is one of my favorite, "special" places, but I haven't been there since the end of my May 2011 Utah trip. And I got as far east as Eureka, NV, in my January 2012 Central Nevada trip, which was a good trip but not the same place.
Many times over the years -- over at least 25 years, maybe more -- I've visited Great Basin National Park (GBNP) in the week between Christmas and New Years. Not every year or even every-second-year, but lots of times. There's only one campground open in winter in GBNP, "Lower Lehman", and it's been really cool to be the only person camped there, which has happened many times during that winter holiday week. There's usually some snow...not a lot, some times enough to X-country ski in, some times just enough to snowshoe in, some times with enough bare ground or crust that it's walkable in just boots.
Here's a photo from a mid-winter camping trip to GBNP, in the mid-'90s, I think:
Pre-camper, obviously, and it shows a major reason why I decided I wanted a camper.
And here's a photo from the FWC-camper era, camped in the very same site (good old #11) as I camped in that earlier much-new-snow-with-tent visit.
I like this site (#11) because it's out in the open, and so, has a big view of Wheeler/Jeff Davis Peaks looming to the west as well as the view east across the near-lunar landscape of far-western Utah.
Anyway, it feels like time to make another trip out there...probably between Xmas and New Years...possibly the week after New Years (as I did last year, in order to join a group of friends for an Alvord Desert New Years). Now that I'm retired, having the week "off" between those two holidays isn't relevant anymore, but I'm thinking I'll do it then anyway.