Las Vegas to Ely, NV 9-30-09

Approaching Alamo, NV. OOOPs- the brown wasteland has turned into the Great Basin!! Apparently the Steptoe River runs all along Route 93/318/93, making the left side of the road a beautiful (if narrow) green valley, lots of farms/ranches along the way. The right side is brown, barren, desert. A real visual lesson on the value of water. New word for everyone-riparian- what you call the ecosystem that surrounds a river surrounded by arid areas.