Off-Roading in Nevada Desert
There is something about Off-Roading, hopping in the Range Rover and going out into the Nevada desert. I happen to love the desert. Where most see nothing but dirt and sagebrush, I see beauty. There is so much to see, so many hidden treasures. There is life in the desert. I have seen Pronghorn, mustangs, rabbits, reptiles of all sorts, birds, bear, mountain lion, coyote, heck, even the bugs are interesting.
The best thing, though, is to go out where there is a slim chance of seeing another human being. Not that I am someone who is a loner or hates people, but there is a peace and a certain wildness about going where humans have had little effect. There are places in the desert that you can almost believe you are the only person on the face of the earth. You can stand there and feel the heat of the sun, hear the bugs fly by, perhaps a desert bird singing, the rattling of a snake giving warning, perhaps the rustle of a lizard running through the sagebrush. I love it.
There are other places that humans have been. Even these places are interesting. Ghost towns where a mine had been dug and played out, leaving the structures to break down, to be reclaimed by the desert. The houses standing empty, the wood sections long gone, but the stone sections still valiantly standing against the onslaught of the desert. Some of these are unexpected finds. A house found, in the middle of the desert, no mine, no signs of any other houses, just a house. We walk to it inspect it, try to imagine who built it and why here. What made them leave. Mystery. A school bus rotting in the bottom of a canyon. Another mystery. How did it get there? From where did it come? A boat. In the middle of the Desert, Hundreds of miles from water.
The desert holds many secrets and treasures, just waiting discovery. It is also fragile. As we go out Off-Roading, we keep in mind and teach others to tread lightly. Stay on the routes carved out previously whether wide or the two-tracks (road with only two ruts), many of these routes centuries old. If you want to see something closer, park it and walk. Of course, always leave things has you found them, if not better. There should be no evidence of your passing. No evidence of the exploring, the attempt to solve the mysteries of the desert.
