Traveling
west out of Utah on “Scenic” Route 50 the clouds were so low at first that they
touched the ground. However, as we began to climb the first pass of the day
through the Confusion Mountain Range (love that name) snow covered mountains
began to peak through the cloud cover.
This
mountain range was mainly layers of black basalt which were accentuated by the white
snow pack. Seeing the dark jagged mountains was a change from the colored
sedimentary mountains through which we have been traveling recently. Much more
reminiscent of home in the northwest.
The
next few mountain ranges that we crossed to reach our destination outside of
Eureka, Nevada, were back to the colorful sedimentary layers. However, that
didn’t make them any lower in elevation. They too were covered with white mantles.
There
are numerous different mountain ranges in eastern Nevada which surprised us. A
few that we crossed through were the Snake Range, Schell Creek Range, Eagan
Range, and Pancake Range. Most of the passes had elevations above 7,500 feet,
so mounds of snow under sagebrush was common.
Wide
valleys covered in dusky-green sagebrush and darker green juniper trees connected the mountain ranges. Most of the
wide expanses were dotted with cattle. In a couple locations we saw cowboys
rounding up herds. In addition to horses, they also use ATV’s nowadays to bring
in the cows.
Eventually
we reached our destination the Miller Bison Ranch, where we would be staying
the night as a Harvest Host guest. With a backdrop of the snow-covered Diamond
Mountains this was the most picturesque stay we’ve had yet. The host was very
welcoming and helpful.
What
started in 2013 as a hobby, at the request of friends and acquaintances, has
developed into business. They now have over 100 bison in their herd and sell a
wide variety of bison products. We gladly bought a few steaks and some bison
burger to take home with us. They do ship their products. You can checkout their
products and learn about their regenerative farming practices at www.millerbisonmeat.com
Although
a bit nippy in the low 50’s, we spent a relaxing afternoon watching puffy
clouds drift across the Diamond Mountains, sipping an Irish Coffee, and
discussing our next destination.
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