Itinerary - Day 10

Today is the big day. By big, I mean the drive. We leave Zion National Park this morning to travel to Yosemite National Park. It's a 574 mile drive, that is expected to take approximately 10 hours and 30 minutes to complete. For most of the trip, we'll be driving through the middle of the Nevada desert.

Along the way, we'll be passing through or near several towns of interest.

The first, is Virgin, Utah. The interesting thing about Virgin, Utah, according to Wikipedia, is that in May 2000, a law was passed requiring every homeowner to keep and maintain a firearm. I'll tell Josh to keep is head down as we drive through!!!

Welcome Americans!

Next, is La Verkin, Utah. According to Wikipedia, in 2001, the City Council of La Verkin passed an ordinance declaring La Verkin  a "United Nations-free zone".

At this point, I'm thinking that I probably shouldn't look into any more of these towns ... I'm starting to get a little scared!

About an hour after we leave Zion National Park, we should reach the city of Cedar City, Utah, where we will leave the interstate and head due West towards the Nevada border, which will be about another hour away.

No Fun Town!

After crossing into Nevada, the first town of interest that we will pass through is Panaca, Nevada. The interesting thing about Panaca is that it was originally founded as a Mormon colony and is the only "dry" community in Nevada, and the only community other than Boulder City, Nevada that prohibits gambling. No drinking and no gambling ... we won't be staying long!!!

The town of Caliente, Nevada will be our next major town, and a gasoline fill-up spot!!! The Union Pacific Railroad passes through Caliente, and the town's Hot Springs Hotel was the site of several forced marriages of under-age girls to members of the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints Church (FLDS), which was run by former FBI fugitive Warren Jeffs.

The next town of interest will be a ghost town by the name of Crystal Springs, Nevada. At this point, we will turn onto Nevada Highway 375, also known as the "Extra-Terrestrial Highway".

The highway passes very close to the U.S. government's famed "Area 51", and UFO sightings are common here. I'll tell Josh to keep his eyes open!!!

Shortly after passing Area 51, the road continues into the small town of Rachel, Nevada!!! The town is well known for two things. The first is The Little A'Le'Inn, a small alien themed motel, restaurant, bar and gift shop. The second, was a giant KFC company logo, made of tiles placed on the desert floor, which the company claimed was the first logo visible from space. The logo was created in 2006 and was later removed in 2007, however, it is still visible on images from Google Earth and Google Maps!

Giant KFC Logo in Rachel, Nevada

After passing through Rachel, the road continues to the ghost town of Warm Springs, Nevada, the Western end of the Extra-Terrestrial Highway, and the approximate mid-point of today's drive.

The road continues through the Nevada desert for quite some time, passing through the unremarkable town of Tonopah, Nevada and several more ghost towns before crossing the California state line.

The distance from the town of Rachel to the state line is approximately  183 miles, or about 2 and a half hours of driving, at 75 mph.

The first significant town we'll encounter in California is the town of Benton. It's not much, but there will be gas stations and other services which we'll be ready for! Benton is known for its hot springs, but I don't imagine we'll have time for a dip.

The next town we'll come to will be Lee Vining. Shortly after passing through Lee Vining, we will come to the East entrance to Yosemite National Park. Only about another hour and a half to go until we reach our campground!

Once we arrive, we'll get things set up, make dinner and then relax after a long day in the car.

Tomorrow, we begin our tour of Yosemite National Park and the surrounding area.