Ward Mountain – Ely, NV

The road to get to this campground was a long, lonely experience.  We could count the number of vehicles we passed, which were not many.  As we passed the Lake Tahoe area, we could see and smell the smoke from the fires burning our beautiful forests.  Our sympathies go out to those who have to live in a smoky environment daily.  Haze covered the mountain views we would have seen, and eye irritation occurred even though the windows were closed.

Our campsite is in a remote area on top of a mountain far from the fires of California.  There aren’t many people, and occasionally we welcome the opportunity to enjoy the week with no expressed agenda.  We are fully self-sustained as there is no water, electricity, or sewer.  We decided to do a four-mile hike on one of the trails.  A little way into it, I realized this would be a mundane hike, only to allow us to surpass our 10,000 steps for the day.  The terrain is dry (1% humidity), and unlike our other hikes.  There were no flowers, running brooks, waterfalls, or even wildlife.  I stand corrected. We spotted one chipmunk.  There were no photo moments to capture on this trek.  However, halfway through the hike, my creative, crafty persona was now in overdrive.  Suddenly, the dried-out wood, stones, and pinecones were a treasure cove to me. How many crafts could I make out of nature’s bounty?  Thankfully, Mitch indulged me as he agreed to carry a portion of a dead tree branch perfect for a votive centerpiece.  Pictured above.

One advantage of staying in a remote environment is the lack of city lights providing an abundance of nighttime stars.  The black night sky highlighted the stars so clearly the milky way was easy to see.  On nights like this, we wait to see shooting stars, but none made an appearance.  Perhaps when we visit the desert in Arizona, we will be able to catch the elusive shooting star.