If I Were A Geologist

Linda Burton traveling from Carson City, Nevada to Elko, Nevada on the way to Salt Lake City, Utah – If I were a geologist, I think I’d choose to live in Nevada. Nevada claims to be the “most mountainous” state of the lower 48, yes, ahead of California, Montana, Washington, Colorado. The numbers vary a bit depending on the source, but Nevada has (approximately) 314 named mountain ranges and 172 summits over 2,000 feet. With that many mountains, you wind up with a matching number of valleys of course; just think what a challenging life of ups and downs for a serious-minded geologist! (Technically, that is range and basin geology.) And good news for the traveler, none of these mountain-valley scenarios looks the same. Today, I’m just a traveler.

 I knew the drive from Caron City to Elko would take me across sparsely populated terrain; after all, most of Nevada’s residents are clustered in a few cities. I took Hwy 50 towards Fallon, it’s been called the “loneliest road in America” and that’s what I wanted to experience. At Fallon I moved onto 95 North to connect to I-80 for the most direct route to Salt Lake City. “Wake up cats,” I said after a while, “there’s the biggest litter box you’ll ever see.” An expanse of sand stretched toward the West Humboldt Range, which claims a peak of 6,155 feet, and geologically speaking is Triassic limestone. But I won’t try to get technical; I’ll just stick to what I saw.

 Approaching Lovelock, there’s the Trinity Range and the Tufa Formation; keep going east on I-80; the Seven Troughs to the left, the Humboldt Range to the right with a peak over 9,000 feet; then the East Range as you get into Winnemucca. A stop for lunch, Arby’s on a mountainside; back on the road over Golconda Summit (5,118) and down. I realized then I’d forgotten to gas up and I was under a quarter-tank! How many miles of isolation ahead? A lonely Shell sign was a joyful sight, no price comparison, just STOP. I was at Valmy, according to the map.

 Another hundred miles to go, past the town of Battle Mountain, over Emigrant Pass (6,114); I see the Tuscarora, Cortez, and Independence mountains ; I see green valleys, and dry; sharp peaks and rounded hills; a little snow scattered here and there; blazing sun, some clouds. Variety makes for good traveling, I think, coming into Elko for the night, a million thoughts and images swirling in my head. It makes for good working too. If you’re a traveler, or if you are a geologist.

 Read about geology: http://www.usgs.gov/

Read about traveling in Nevada: http://travelnevada.com/things-to-do/