64 F/ 18 C

There were summits to 
mount and desert to cross when
driving to Ely

~carliewired

Last evening as we were settling down to bed in Beattly, Nevada,  we heard a mournful noise that we did not recognize. The sound came closer and closer - then we realized it was the braying of a donkey. Suddenly, the clomping of hooves echoed in the parking lot outside our room as the donkey zoomed by. We had to laugh as we would not expect to ever experience that again. 

This morning we were out on Hwy 95 N heading to Ely, Nevada. Not far outside Beatty I spotted a lone donkey standing at the side of the road. The highway has an extensive fence running on both sides. It is meant to keep livestock and wild donkeys from getting onto the highway. It seemed to be working. A mile or so along the highway we met a little herd of donkeys - all identical and walking along the fence line as if looking for a way through the fence. 

The drive today was a lot of desert and empty road. As we made the turn onto Highway 6 the scenery began to change. We were coming into the Humboldt National Forest with pinyon pine and juniper trees in evidence. 
As we came off the Murry Summit (7,928 ft.) we could see across to the Egan Range which still held snow along its crest. There were patches of snow beside the highway by the summit but the road was bare and dry. 

We're just here for one night, then back on the highway tomorrow. Just as well as Ely, has some snow in the forecast for the weekend. I can be spared.