Entry into the Park

We approached the park up a winding drive that led past the visitors center and a couple of exhibit areas, and led to a two-tiered parking lot in front of the Lehman Caves Visitor Center. We didn't actually make it into the caves, because the few tours were already filled when we arrived. (We didn't mind, as our interest was in the park itself.) The Visitor Center itself was a very nice attraction, housing many of the offices of the park and a lot of the park rangers (great for asking questions).

My favorite part was the front porch, where you got an incredible view looking out over the Great Basin. However, if you didn't elevate your viewpoint, you got the below picture instead! Still, it was a nice place to people watch--and bird watch, as quite a few swallows seemed to call the porch area their home.

The road leading to the parking lot split before you arrived there. The secondary road was the route UP through the mountains to the high elevation camping grounds and hiking trails.

I think this view was one of Tom's favorites on the entire trip. I remember him planning to build a cabin in that green patch near the right, with a dog and cat and mule or donkey and a few other critters.