The Wonder and Awe

After spending the morning cleaning and organizing, I packed my gear into my SUV and headed out for southeastern Nevada. From where I live to where I was going, it would be about a 4 1/2 hour drive. If you are up for it, I would like to give you a tour of my state as I drive from Reno to Tonopah, NV.

I hit the freeway leaving Reno with poor visibility and air quality behind. In winter, the temperature inversions can cause the smog, fog and everything else to be trapped in the valley. Some days, it can get so bad that you can not see the mountains just a few miles away. Today wasn't that bad, but it wasn't that good either.

I traveled east down the Truckee River corridor to a little town called Fernley. The Truckee River is one of the few unique rivers of the world. The snow from high in the Sierra Nevada Mountains drains into Lake Tahoe. The water is clean and clear and beautiful. It leaves Lake Tahoe, flowing through the little town of Truckee, down the canyon into Reno, through Reno eastward where it drains into Pyramid Lake. There the water stays until it evaporates. Some say there is an underground river, but the evidence is minimal.

I got off the freeway at Fernley and followed US 95 another 30 miles to Fallon. As I drove I noticed again the massive geothermal plants in our quest for clean energy. The closer you get to Fallon, farms and ranches spring up. Fallon is in the "banana belt' of Nevada.

In Fallon, I turned toward the south, following US 95. About 10 miles south of Fallon, I ascended a pass through a range of low lying mountains on to the Walker River Paiute Reservation, then down into the small town of Schurz. There are several active Native American reservations in Nevada. The Walker River Paiutes are very active in Nevada politics preserving not only the reservation but the entire area for their children. I may not always agree with their politics, but I do appreciate their love for Nevada.

Continuing south, I leave the reservation and enter the Walker Lake area. Walker Lake is one of several desert lakes in Nevada. At one time there are lots of fish in the lakes but increasing salinity due to droughts has caused most fish to die. As a result, the migratory birds that used to winter over in Walker Lake have moved on. But the surrounding mountains, particularly those on the west side of the lake are beautiful, and home to Rocky Mountain Sheep populations. In fact, as I was driving through, I spotted several. But even with my 200 mm lens, they would still be too small for a good shot.

I passed through the town of Hawthorne and turned toward the east. The town of Hawthorne sits in the valley with mountains on all four sides - typical of the basin and range which covers almost all of Nevada.

By this time, it is about 3pm, and the light is becoming softer and more lovely. I notice shadows on the surrounding mountain ranges. Going through Luning, I stopped to take shots of the surrounding ranges, some snow capped and other just laced with a light sprinkling of snow.

I stopped in Mina to take this shot of the mountain range to the south of town. As I continued on as the shadows lengthened and the surrounding mountains became more mysterious and beautiful. I made several stops along the way to capture the shifting shadows. As I made each turn in the road, I was awed by the beauty of the light and shadows on the mountains. And as the sun set to the west, the sky lit up with beautiful shades of red and coral to purple. And, when I got to Tonopah, I turned into the hotel parking lot and noticed the full moon sitting over a mining headframe.

My drive today filled with wonder and awe of the beauty around me. What a privilege to experience this amazing place! And I also thought about this Christmas season. Do we still experience the wonder and awe of Christmas like we used to? I was struck by how much I take things and people for granted.

May you be struck again with the wonder and awe this holiday season!