August 27 - Beauty in Nevada and Oregon’s High Desert

What a wonderful ride! Today I headed east and north from Sacramento up to Boise, Idaho to visit my sister and her husband. I had been wanting to spend time with them in their new home and decided to go through Idaho on my way from California to Oregon. After all, it’s always a good idea to take the long way home. Also, many of the alternative routes would have taken me through wildfires. The route east on Interstate 80 and north on highway 95 was both restful and scenic.

Heading east on Interstate 80, I was excited to see several natural salt pans just east of Reno, areas where the water has evaporated, leaving a film of white alkali on the ground. I had passed many of these salt beds in Nevada last year when I was heading west from Salt Lake City but was busy reflecting about what I had learned over the summer and did not take the time to get a photo. It was wonderful to have the opportunity to do so this year.

As I continued north on highway 95 through Nevada and the high desert of Oregon, I noticed that the desert surrounding me was surprisingly colorful. Near the road there were often strips of greener grass or sagebrush on each side of the pavement. Beyond this swath of green, there was a vast expanse of yellow grass followed by gently sloping hills. The hills were softly rounded with several layers of mounds, almost appearing like a pile of caramel pudding.

I had expected it to be searing hot, much like Sacramento yesterday. However, temperatures were mild, and I was comfortable in my tank top without my cooling vest. Traffic was minimal and the speed limits were high, so I was able to bomb around curves and up and down hills just enjoying the desert scenery and thinking about how lucky I am to be on the road.