Between Two Skies

I had heard somewhere that the sky is a darker shade of blue at higher elevations. Personal observations from my recent travels have confirmed it. I covered 2,544 miles in five days at various elevations ranging from around 4,000 feet in Wyoming to over 9,000 feet at the summit of Mt. Rose in Nevada. I made it a point to do some sky gazing at both extremes. I really did see a difference. I saw a lot of other things, too. That's what I want to talk about. After connecting onto Interstate 80 in Southeast Wyoming I followed it all the way to Reno and it was quite unremarkable. On my return I dropped down to Highway 50, known as the Loneliest Road in America. 

It was much more interesting. In the 300 mile stretch across Nevada I saw gigantic strip mines carved out of mountainsides, fields of sagebrush as far as the eye could see, a giant sand dune over three miles long and 600 feet high, and small towns stuck in time. It was the towns that held the most interest for me, so I took time to explore several of them...in black and white. 

Inside an abandoned shack in Austin, NV

Looking down from the above shack on the town of Austin

Eureka, NV

Historic Middlegate stage stop near Fallon, NV

Adult entertainment in Ely, NV 

(There are two large copper mines nearby with a total 

of over 1,000 employees. Most of them men). 

One of many abandoned structures along the highway.

Sometimes, though, a photo with rich tones and contrasting textures requires color. Like this one -

I think this old shack was in Austin, but it could have been Eureka. Or Fallon. Or any one of those small towns located between the two skies. 

Roger O'Dea       5/16/2023