Into the high life.

Steering towards the Great Basin National Park, we turned south off of Highway 50 to encounter our longest stretch, 80 some miles, without the services of a town. We decided not to make the 1,000+ foot climb to the campgrounds inside Great Basin, and instead camp just up the hill from the small town of Baker, in Snake Valley. Being aptly named, it was here where we encountered our first rattlesnake of the trip, guarding the dirt road leading to our improvised BLM camp. After spotting camp, we took a short hike uphill to accidentally find ourselves walking into the park through the back entrance, not a bad place to borrow some free land.

The next day, we began our push south and into our fourth state of the trip, Utah. As a representation of the geology ahead, the Utah asphalt transitioned into a tint of red. The stretch of road on Utah's highway 21 from Garrison to Milford may not have the reputation for loneliness, but for this same reason, it is lonelier.

The nearly two weeks we spent crossing northern Nevada to Zion National Park in southern Utah has left us a bit exhausted and ready for some stationary time over the Memorial holiday weekend. Our bikes are also ready for new chains and other drivetrain accessories, which we'll replace between hikes and naps.

Having never visited the southwest, I'm surprised to see how internationally famous a place like Zion National Park is. On the trails and around the visitor center, there are mutterings of foreign languages floating about, mostly European. For me, this is a reminder that people from around the world consider the USA an interesting travel destination. Furthermore; although this country may have a slight reputation of international greed, control, and may not be the most popular promoter of peace; I take comfort in thinking those who come from afar to walk among the commoners will see that our lifestyles are more similar than different. They can realize that we are all human beings, who naturally promote the health of our family first; then community; then region; then country. Wrong or right, it's a survival instinct.