Sandwiched between the Sierra Nevada and Wasatch ranges of the Rocky Mountains on the west and east and the Snake River and Colorado River on the north and south, the 890-mile-long and 570-mile-wide Great Basin is a collection of some 160 mountain ranges and 90 basins, none of which drain to the ocean.

On my bicycle, I will be traveling through several of these ranges and basins before reaching the eastern edge of the Great Basin somewhere beyond Price and then plunging toward Colorado.

Riding down into the basins, I'm looking forward to. Riding up into the ranges, not so much.

I'm not quite sure what to expect along the way. This isn't exactly the road most traveled. Most voyages don't begin in Border.

If all goes well, in a week or so I will wash up on the shores of Colorado about 400 miles from here in a place called Dinosaur, three miles across the Utah line and just around the corner from Dinosaur National Monument.

The population of Dinosaur is 319, a regular metropolis compared to Border, and they probably don't have video poker or a casino. In a week or so, I guess I'll know for sure.

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Lee Benson's column runs Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Please send e-mail to benson@desnews.com and faxes to 801-237-2527.