June 24 2009 Ely - Baker

The best day (and last day) in the state of Nevada! We made an 80 mile ride today through the mountains to Baker, Nevada. We scaled 2 mountain passes over 1000 vertical feet on our way into Baker. The challenge of the day was the fluctuating temperature. The morning started out around 40 degrees and slowly warmed to a scorching 100 degrees by the end of the ride. While it didn’t seem to be an issue at first, as the temperature slowly rose and the amount of water and clothing needed to be constantly adjusted to fit the weather.

As we crested over the 2nd pass, we had an absolutely breathtaking view of the Great Basin National Forest. While our 2nd peak was around 7200 feet, there were snow-capped mountains which exceeded 13,000 feet very nearby.

Once we arrived in the town of Baker, we set up our lodging for the evening and got ready for a world class tour of the Lehman Caves. While I have had the opportunity to visit Mammoth Caves before, Lehman Caves were absolutely breathtaking. There were numerous types of rock formations and caverns within the underground area.

After we returned from the Caves, we were hosted by the local community for dinner. It was amazing to talk to two locals and find out that they are from Put-in-Bay, Ohio and Mount Lebanon, Pennsylvania. It was ironic because Mount Lebanon is 5 minutes from my home and Put-in-Bay is where I spent many summers on Lake Erie.
The last hours of the evening were then spent catching up with my blog and pictures so that everyone could enjoy my Journey! Tomorrow will be our first day into the state of Utah!