This was a long day, Boise to Stovepipe Wells (in Death Valley), via small highways across Nevada, for just over 12 hours on the road. I wanted to see some areas I haven't traveled before, so took a slightly longer route. It was another gorgeous day, with incredible landscapes. The drive through southern Idaho on Hwy 51 was remarkable, and the route through northern Nevada on Hwy 225 led me along the Owyhee River for a stretch, ending at the Wild Horse Reservoir. I had not realized the Owyhee was dammed until I saw it. Gorgeous area. At Elko I jogged west on I-80 to pick up Hwy 278 south to Eureka, then west on 50 to 376 south through a stunning valley, the Big Smoky Valley. From the map I had guessed this area would be interesting, it shows three long fingers of mountains running parallel to each other. Hwy 50 takes you across the north end of the three ridges, with views down each valley. It was well worth the extra time. In Tonopah I stopped for gas, which was an interesting experience. There was plenty of traffic through town, but this gas station had no other customers. I went inside for the bathroom, and found the place deserted. No staff. It was distinctly surreal. Leaving Tonopah I took Hwy 95 south to Beatty, then west on 374 towards Death Valley. The sun was getting low, and though it was my goal to avoid setting up camp in the dark, I stopped at Rhyolite, an old ghost town, for some sunset photos. The 45 minute drive into Death Valley, to Stovepipe Wells, took me through twilight and into full dark. As I crossed the Amargosa range and dropped down into the Valley, the temperatures soared. Beatty had been sitting right around 73 degrees in the late afternoon, Rhyolite a touch cooler. By the time I was at Stovepipe Wells it was 91 degrees, in the pitch dark. I managed to find a site and set up camp, though was wondering what it would look like by day. My memory from previous stays here was that there were clear areas that were less than desirable, and a headlamp can only get you so far. Sunset is so early this time of year, that I was set up by around 7 or 8 and decided to head across the highway to the lodge's saloon to use their wifi. It turns out this area now has cell service as well, which was a real surprise. Death Valley has always been void of any access to the outside world, something I rather enjoyed. But, it was nice to be able to check in with my family. Back at my tent for sleep, the night sky was just fantastic. Even so close to the lights of the lodge area, it was so dark, the milky way was intensely bright, and the heat rising from the valley floor made the stars twinkle vividly. I left the door of my rain fly open so I could look out and watch the sky through the night.

Driving through northern Nevada.

The Owyhee River.

The Owyhee River, just below the dam.

Wild Horse Dam.

Wild Horse Reservoir.

Nevada.

I pulled over here for a break and to take the previous photo, then noticed these stripes of road paint on the gravel. Looks like the paint crew had an odd accident, or attempted to reroute the highway.

The beauty of the open road.

Endless open roads today, and very few other vehicles.

The view down Big Smoky Valley.

A wider view of Big Smoky Valley.

More of Big Smoky Valley.

The view south of Big Smoky Valley.

North of Beatty.

The ruins of Rhyolite.

The Amargosa Range and the moon.

Crossing the Amargosa Range into Death Valley.

Today began my travel to Joshua Tree National Park to be their Artist-in-Residence. I drove from Coeur d'Alene to Boise via Hwy 95 and 55, which is amazingly beautiful. Driving across the palouse, along the Clearwater River, across the camas prairie, along the Salmon River, and down into Boise. The first third of the day was remarkably windy, the remainder was off and on rain, but nothing too heavy. I arrived right around 6pm, enough time for a hike around castle rock and pizza dinner with a friend.