Our Worst Nightmare!

Being stuck on a deserted road with minimal traffic; you have vehicle problems and there is no cell coverage!  Yup, that is what happened to us yesterday.  We chose to go due west across Nevada to Yosemite in Eastern California.  This is barren country, folks!  6500 ft mountain passes with long flat roads between; one of which was the Extraterrestrial Highway.  Too many unexplained happenings along here at times!

Long and Straight

Strange Things Happened Along Here

Scenic at Times

Two days of driving and only two small towns along the way.  Half way into the second day the power steering belt broke, which in turn broke the water pump/alternator belt; the engine overheated and blew a short piece of the cooling tubing.  Mike had a spare belt but no piece of tubing.  Of course we would be in an area that had no cell coverage so I sat on a stool up on a hillock and when a vehicle came along I stood up and waved.  To our good fortune one of the first few vehicles that went past returned, and a Good Samaritan from Santa Barbara came to our rescue.  He actually had a satellite phone which worked in this area and I got through to AAA to explain our predicament.  (That phone call is a story in and of itself), and after a 20 minute call they gave us assurance that help would be here soon.  Our saviour wouldn’t take any money for the call and went on his way, with our thanks.  Help arrived after 40 minutes and Dave towed us the 20 miles into Tonopah, a leftover 1900’s mining town, that had turned into a forgotten desert crossroads, but with a few services. 

Our Poor Westie

Of course with it being a Saturday no work would normally be done until Monday so we took a room in a motel that was facing the parked van in the automotive lot.  Seedy!  A flea-bag motel but there was not much other choice.  We did get the mechanic, Dave, to come in on Sunday (at  a premium) and he and Mike repaired and replaced the pieces and we were on our way by 10AM.  No power steering though but at least we were able to continue on our way.

A California Rollercoaster

We thankfully got to Mono Lake, east of Yosemite, in time to take a look at the unusually shaped Tufa’s, which are created by calcium deposits building up from the lake floor.  These had all been underwater but 73 years ago when Los Angeles, in their need for water,  diverted 4 rivers that fed this lake, the water level dropped and when evaporation occurred, the tufa’s appeared.  Through a lot of work by concerned citizens and various organizations it has now been agreed to minimize the theft of these rivers and the water level in the lake should begin to rise, that is unless there is drought like in the past 3 years.  

How The Tufa's Grow

Outstanding in the Water

Are My Exposures Right?

Coarse Texture

Note the Cinder Cones in the Distance