Great Basin National Park, NV

I didn't have the best night of sleep here. My campsite was right alongside Lehman Creek, which you think would be nice to hear the water trickling by.

Only problem was that the creek wasn't trickling, it had a pretty strong current.

You'd think a guy who lives in NYC and could sleep through drunks, ambulances and gunshots would be okay with a creek. Not so much.

Great Basin is home to Lehman Caves, so I took a tour Wednesday morning.

In the process, I learned (or was reminded) the difference between a stalactite and a stalagmite from Ranger Sue (no joke). I'm sure I learned this at some point, but at my age you can't retain everything.

For those who need a refresher - a stalaCtite (with a C) comes down from the Ceiling,

while a stalaGmite (with a G) comes up from the Ground.

Way to go Ranger Sue! I bet I'll never forget that.

A couple other things - when a stalactite and stalagmite meet in the middle, it's called a column.

And these things are called "shields". Basically a plate with stalactites growing out of it.

This one is called "Parachute", though I think it looks more like a jellyfish floating on the Jersey Shore.

This one is called "bacon". Probably not a scientific name, but it fits.

Great Basin NP is also the home to the second tallest peak in Nevada - Wheeler Peak at 13,063.

Around noon I took off for Yosemite NP in California (my 14th state on the trip). About 30 miles in I stopped for gas and a bite to eat in Ely, NV. I opted to skip the Golden Arches, since I had my fill of Arches the day before. I grabbed a turkey and cheese sandwich and about ten minutes down the road I took a bite....it was FROZEN! Apparently I was supposed to nuke it first. So, since I was driving through the Nevada desert, I placed it on the dashboard and let the 96 degree heat do it's thing. Forty minutes later...lunch! And it was pretty bad.

Nevada is about as exciting to drive through as Utah was. I left US Hwy 50 for US Hwy 6 heading west. Good thing because after the two roads split, US Hwy 50 became the "Loneliest Road", according to Rand McNally's Road Atlas. Well US 6 was so desolate,

I started to panic about breaking down in the middle of the desert with nobody around. I couldn't image how bad US 50 was.

I finally got to Yosemite around 5:30 and was told there were openings at the Porcupine Flats Campground 30 miles down the road. I had assumed that all of the campgrounds in the park would be full because Yosemite is so popular and that I'd wind up in a campground east of the park. But since I was told there were openings and today was my brother Marc's 40th birthday (his nickname was "Porcupine" when he was younger), I liked my odds. But I found nothing.

I continued heading wast to Yosemite Creek Campground. There was a warning on the sign that it was a long ride to the site - about 5 miles down a steep, single-laned, pothole laden road.

Surely there'd be a site there....who would be crazy enough to drive all the way down there? Well, enough people to fill it! All of the campgrounds were full.

At 8:45 pm, I gave up my quest to stay in Yosemite and continued west towards San Francisco.

By the time I got out of the park, it was dark and I wasn't up for setting up a tent in the dark. So I'd find a "cheap" hotel farther down the road from the park. At 10 pm, I pulled into the Best Western in Oakdale, CA. I may not be camping, but I do have a fireplace in the room!

On to San Francisco next to see Christi, Mike, & their baby Ava. Then on Friday night the Giants and Mets (fireworks too) with Mike. I guess I'm rooting for the Giants!