Great Basin National Park
May 1, 2021
Today we headed to the Warhawk Air Museum in Nampa, ID
Take a look at some of the exhibits we saw.
"Parrot Head" squadron of the class of 43K Dothan, Alabama
"The P-40, developed from the P-36, was America's foremost fighter in service when World War II began. P-40s engaged Japanese aircraft during the attack on Pearl Harbor and the invasion of the Philippines in December 1941. They also were flown in China early in 1942 by the famed Flying Tigers and in North Africa in 1943 by the first AAF all-black unit, the 99th Fighter Squadron."
CURTISS P-40E KITTYHAWK "Sneak Attack"
"Painted in the markings of the RAF 112th Shark Squadron operated in North Africa"
WWII Link Trainer - The First Simulator
"Every pilot during WWII learned to "simulate" instrument flight in this equipment."
"The pilot was closed up in the darkness of the Link Trainer and as the instructor manipulated the controls on the desk outside the trainer, the pilot would learn to "fly" the simulator by the
lighted instruments. The "spider" would create a graph based on the pilot's maneuvers so the pilot and instructor could evaluate the day's lesson."
WWII Target Kites
"Target kites were used by the United States and overseas. They were towed behind ships and used as targets for anti-aircraft gunnery training. The design of these kites allowed them to cross from side to side so gunners could practice leading moving aircraft. By the end of WWII, Lt. Garber was promoted to commander and received a commendation for his kite work. The Navy also released the patents for the Target Kites to him. "
Jim chatting with a volunteer docent.
The volunteers here were very familiar with all the museum items and friendly enough to come and say hello and tell you about the items and point out others that might interest us. A nice feature.
The bulk of the museum is on personal stories and the displays are mostly personal items.
I felt like I had access to an attic filled with memories.
Lt Edmond Bogert's logbook from WWI
Note from the column headings, he is not a rule follower.
A foot locker as it would have been filled.
Jack was in Germany in 1944 and 1945 with the 272nd Infantry Regiment.
The most personal item I saw was this clipboard with the notes of Homer Delinger
from his Army Air Corps days in the Pacific. He flew P-39s, P-47s and P-51 fighters.
John "Shady" Lane P-38 ace pilot who fought in New Guinea.
These are some cool looking shades. I wonder if they fold at the bridge?
I have an affinity for patches and airplane paint
Yosemite Sam for the Coast Guard
The US Coast Guard always has a mission in time of war or peace.
A very racy Miss Belle
WASP Kay Gott Chaffey's jacket and patch
". . .when tensions arose in Europe she decided to drop out of school and enter the Civilian Pilot Training Program where she earned her pilot's license. When the war came to America she was selected to be part of the Women's Airforce Service Pilots in 1942. As a WASP, Kay flew 16 different type of military aircraft.
"Chester "Soapy" Walborn flew the L-19 Bird Dog in Vietnam as a forward air controller. During that time Soapy was awarded numerous medals with oak leaf clusters. His commanding general said "It looks like Major Walborn tried to win the Vietnam War all by himself"
"Bill Gornick flew with the 14th Air Force US Army Corps in China as a top-turret gunner in a B-25 Mitchell bomber. He flew with the 491st Bomb Squadron in the China-Burma-India Theatre. He had a long and distinguished career and retired as a crew chief on a SR-71."
"Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 212 was a United States Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornet squadron. Most recently known as the "Lancers", the squadron was last based at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan and fell under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 12 and the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing."
Vietnam Exhibit display
Each pin on this map was placed by a visitor to the museum who had served in Vietnam.
Huey Helicopter Artwork
Jim checking out the Huey helicopter exhibit.
A museum with a personal feel, if you are nearby, you should come see it.
An afternoon rainstorm whipped in this afternoon.
A lot of farmland around here so we could see the storm from a distance as we drove home. We got in the RV just before the rains came full force.
It rolled on eastward giving us back our mountain views that remind me that I am in Idaho.
May 2, 2021
Driving day today, we now have 10,051 miles driven with the trailer.
It's Idaho so lots of mountains to be seen along the way.
Unless of course, the clouds do not want you to see the whole mountain.
This long straight stretch on US 93 was the bulk of the route.
We pulled into Welcome Station RV in Wells, Nevada and had a friendly chat with the campground seasonal host who had just started the season. Jim and he both drive Ram 3500 trucks and pull Grand Design RVs so that was the bulk of the conversation.
The RV campground is off Highway 80 with a snow covered hill just across the way.
On the backside is a valley with a mountain range hiding in the clouds.
A fast but small creek runs along the property.
And a small trout pound in the back corner. The water is clear and while the name is Trout Creek and Trout Pound, I did not see any fish in either.
It is a nice place for an overnight.
It is supposed to be cold tonight so we were going to use the water in the RV but the water pump, which worked last night, did not want to work today.
So Jim went into some tight quarters and checked out the water pump.
He listened to some YouTube ideas on water pumps and tried various things.
After many attempts, it looks like we need a new water pump.
At least we have full hook-ups at the next few places so it won't be an issue currently. Jim has ordered a new pump and it will be sent to our campground for our visit to Capitol Reef.
I am not much good at fixing water pumps so I chose to do some laundry while Jim worked on the water pump.
Here is the inside view of the laundry room here with its mural.
And here is the view out the door of the laundry room.
We just don't have snow covered mountains in Illinois so it is surprising each time I see one.
May 3, 2021
Drove to Whispering Elms RV in Baker, Nevada just outside Great Basin National Park.
Roadside scenery on Highway 93
The Loneliest Highway in America, Highway 50
"U.S. Route 50 is a transcontinental highway in the United States, stretching from West Sacramento, California, in the west to Ocean City, Maryland, on the east coast. The Nevada portion crosses the center of the state and was named "The Loneliest Road in America" by Life magazine in July 1986. "
Dashboard Cam photo
This looked daunting, but the road straight ahead was unpaved, the highway curved left.
While it looks lonely we did see traffic in the opposite direction on Highway 50.
View of the Snake Range from behind the Great Basin Visitor Center.
"The geology of the Snake Range evolved over millions of years and is still changing. 550 million years ago a warm, shallow, inland sea covered the region. The exposed layers of quartzite, shale, and limestone that you can see throughout the park were deposited at that time."
Jeff Davis Peak 12,771 feet
Wheeler Peak at 13,063 feet is the tallest here, it is behind it but can't be seen from the visitor center.
Pyramid Peak 11,926' and False Pyramid Peak 11,456'
You can clearly see how Pyramid Peak got its name.
Original log cabin on the private property behind the campground.
The fence is the property line, it is right here.
Orange hills in the east as the sun sets in the west.
May 4, 2021
First stop today Lehman Visitor Center and their Nature Trail.
"Rhodes Cabin, one of 12 such structures built in the early 1900s. These were places for visitors to stay the night, since in that time it would have taken several days to get here from any other settlement."
"After the cave became a national monument in 1922, this cabin remained as lodging for the family appointed as caretakers for the cave. Imagine your entire family living in such a small space!"
It doesn't have a fireplace, and it gets cold here in Nevada.
Here on the trail Jim has a mountaintop for a hat.
Unfortunately, there are no cave tours while we are here due to CoVid, they resume on 5/23/21.
The cave tour looked like it would have been pretty cool. Maybe next time.
We did see the irrigation channel that Lehman made to water his fruit trees which are still here today.
"In the late 1800's, Absalom discovered Lehman Cave, planted an orchard of fruit trees in the open field below the road in front of you. Some of the original apricot trees are still there, bearing fruit for you to sample in the summer and autumn. The wooden structure and narrow ditch below are pieces of the irrigation ditch Lehman built to bring water to his trees from a spring two miles away."
You are allowed to eat the fruit off his trees, but right now only flowers, no fruit.
After the Nature Trail we headed up on the Scenic Drive to see Mather's Overlook.
From the overlook we get our first good look at Wheeler Peak.
"Wheeler Peak is the tallest mountain in the Snake Range and in White Pine County, in Nevada, United States. The summit elevation of 13,065 feet makes it the second-highest peak in Nevada."
"Wheeler Peak has an impressive headwall above a large glacial cirque, large moraines and an active rock glacier. The top of the mountain is covered by deep snow most of the year."
The scenic road is closed after Mather Overlook (still covered with snow), so we will not be taking the trail to the top of Wheeler Peak. Okay, there is no way I would have done it anyway, but now I have an excuse for not doing it.
While at the Mather Overlook we saw this marmot.
"These herbivores are active during the summer when often found in groups, but are not seen during the winter when they hibernate underground. They are the heaviest members of the squirrel family."
At an elevation of 9,000 feet there is still snow along the side of the road.
We drove to the trailhead for Osceola Ditch.
"In the dry deserts of the West, water is often referred to as "liquid gold" because it is so scarce. In the town of Osceola, water was the key to gold itself. In the 1880s, a bold plan was made to divert water from Lehman Creek to Osceola, nearly 18 miles away. The water would be used to wash the mountainsides, exposing the gold hidden underneath."
Jim heads out on the Osceola Ditch Trail.
The sun has shined enough on this path for this waxy petaled flowers to grow.
Here in this desert environment the waxy petals can hold onto water, a survival technique in a dry environment.
The trail has rocky sections, and at times is on the edge of the hillside.
Wood on the trail from the flume built for the Osceola Ditch.
"The Osceola Ditch was completed on July 4, 1890 at a cost of $108,223, an expensive gamble in a business where profitable yields were not guaranteed."
"Several hundred men using hand tools, wagons, horses and mules labored ten months to complete the ditch. Local sawmills produced lumber for 2.2 miles of wooden flumes, and the support beams for a tunnel 633 feet long blasted through a ridge near Strawberry Creek."
Mill creek.
It is spring this should be flowing strong as ever with the snow melt, my guess is that it is a dry creek come summer.
Burbank Hills as seen from the trail
Jeff Davis Peak as seen from the trail.
Wheeler Peak from the trail.
Pinyon Pine pine cones that caught my attention.
May 5, 2021
Our first stop was Grey Cliffs where this stream caught my eye.
But what captivated me were the Grey Cliffs themselves.
A massive line of cliffs, that looked like rocks fell off yesterday and more could fall off today.
Do you find them as strong and beautiful as I do?
A crack from top to bottom in this section.
Okay this is the last one.
We continued down to the end of the gravel road to the trail head for the Baker Creek Loop Trail.
For an unpaved road it was a pretty smooth ride.
We are going to start our hike at 8,000 feet
So far we have not been too affected by the high elevations.
We get a look at Baker Creek at the beginning of the trail.
Views of the surrounding hills and mountains are to our right and ahead of us.
All by itself in the meadow is this perfect pine tree.
This trail is making us smile.
From the trail we get a good look at Jeff Davis Peak.
Colorful rocks are along the trail, granite, marble, quartz.
Jim liked the orange in this colorful rock.
The trail had us on the edge of the hillside.
We got intermittent peaks at the fast flowing Baker Creek thru the trees.
Lots of sagebrush in the foreground and snow covered peaks beyond.
We get a clear view of Baker Creek at the top of the loop.
We are told by other hikers that it is snowy on the trail ahead. So we put on our Crampons.
Yes parts of the trail are snow covered.
Jim is loving the grip we get with the crampons, hiking on the snow is no problem, except for the soft snow that we sink into.
We reach Baker Meadow, a stark difference from the forest we have been in.
Here is a video so you can see the whole meadow.
Then we pass by a scree pile (fallen rocks and logs).
All in all it was a great trail. We favored the views of the first half of the trail,
but the whole trail was worthwhile.
May 6, 2021
Jim requested a non-hiking day today.
We got up made some biscuits and gravy for Jim, egg on a biscuit for me.
I sat outside and finished a book. It was 10:47 am, I need to hike.
So I convinced Jim to drive us up to Mather Overlook where he could sit and read a book with a beautiful view and I would hike up the closed portion of the scenic drive. Win Win.
The start of my trail today.
The views were everywhere.
An unnamed hill in the Snake Range dappled with trees.
A long look out to the flats.
Sign says I am at 9,500 feet and I am still doing okay with the altitude.
There are not a lot of people living down there.
Peek-a-boo another look at a snow covered hill.
My hiking tracker and this sign tell me its time to head back.
On the two miles I hiked up the road was clear for the most part except for a couple of places that had rocks laying on the road. Not sure what caused them to fall off the hillside, very few animal tracks in the snow. snow only covered part of one lane in a couple of spots, the road will probably open up within a week or two.
The views on the way back are still wonderful.
A little contrast of snow covered mountain and tree covered hills.
The colors on the hillside were set off nicely by the clear blue sky.
This road deserves to be called a scenic drive.
Great Basin has been a quiet place, it is in an unpopulated area, a few visitors currently and plenty of park to disperse the visitors. Too bad we missed a cave tour, but still glad we came.
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