Desert View

From the Painted Hills about 20 miles north of Reno, Nevada, looking southeasterly. The far end of this broad valley is called Mullen Pass, where Nevada State Route 445 is running between Sparks, NV (part of the greater Reno area, off the photo to the right about 15 miles) and Pyramid Lake (peeking out from behind the low range in the middle distance). Pyramid Lake is landlocked, its level being set by a balance between inflow (mostly from the Truckee River draining out of the Sierra Nevada in California) and evaporation. Its level has dropped greatly since the arrival of Euro-Americans due to upstream diversions. The lake is completely contained within the eponymous Paiute Reservation, and recreational activities (fishing, boating, etc.) require a permit from the tribe.
The scruffy pale gray-green shrubs in the immediate foreground are sagebrush (Artemisia spp., probably A. tridentata). The scrubby trees are juniper, probably Utah juniper (Juniperus osteosperma).