Nevada

Just across the border into Nevada, we stopped at a few interesting sites. For lunch, we visited an archeological site, the excavation site of a Native American settlement. Then we got some postcards, a free map of Nevada and some directions to local ghost towns from the Visitors' Center of the Great National Basin Park. The Visitors Center has some really nice books for sale about hot springs, the wildlife in the area, star maps, etc. I would have loved to buy some of the coffee table picture books, but we have very limited space & funds. I think that books are some great souvenirs to have. The center also had some pretty realistic fake animals and interactive displays on the land, plants, etc of the park. I swear the fake snake moved! and the taxidermied dog laying under the table made me jump. I can get quite obsessed with fake animals. I always wanted stuffed animals that looked like real animals. And, I loooooved making farm models for school projects. I get totally fascinated with the models in the visitors center. I think it would be such an awesome job to be in charge of creating these scenes.Unfortunately (later in the day) the ghost towns that we had been guided to turned out to be little more than a few deserted mines and fence posts. On the way to the first one we stopped because we smelled some burning. I think some kind of tumbleweed was burning on the engine. The cat ended up jumping out of the open window. But she didn't run away... she just came to see what Mateo was doing climbing under the car.
On the way to the second site we got lost. Then we decided to explore the lunar crater.
Nevada has over a dozen volcanic areas. The best is the Lunar Crater Volcanic Field, a zone of vulcanism covering over 100 square miles at the southern end of the Pancake Range, and comprising cinder cones, outcrops of lava, elongated fissures, ash hills and, most visibly, the 430 foot deep Lunar Crater - an impressive and rather unexpected site in an otherwise isolated, windswept location. The crater is designated a National Natural Landmark, one of six in Nevada, and is situated 75 miles east of Tonopah near the center of the state. It is geologically termed a 'maar', the name given to a shallow, broad crater formed by explosive eruptions close to ground level, usually caused by heating of subterranean water.
The circular crater is large and impressive, surrounded by dark grey-brown rocks topped by layers of black ash in which grow small but brightly colored wildflowers such as the deep red Indian paintbrush. The viewpoint on the east rim is higher than the surroundings, allowing for far reaching views in most directions, of grass-covered buttes, ridges and lava flows.

We turned off of Route 6 onto public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Mangement at the sign for the Lunar Crater. Mateo says this is one of his favorite places on earth. He visited it the last time he did the Route 6 tour. On the way out to the site on the 8 mile dirt road, we came across two dead cows and drove alongside a large dry lake, white with minerals and salts. we pulled off the road to visit "the wall," which was an interesting formation in the side of the small mountain. But, as the sun started to set and the sky darken with rain clouds, we decided to stop or search for the lunar crater. We could get much better pictures in the morning light anyway.
It was really windy and started to rain, so we parked the car near an old cow corral between two walls of rocks.
Along the way we have given away, eaten or shipped some of the boxes and extra bulk in the car; we were able to set up our sleeping arrangements in the car with only having the cooler outside in the elements. We ate a dinner of cheese, apples, chips and mango salsa, then fell asleep to the sound of rain on the car.