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Big Pine Chevrolet S-10 Sony Mavica Trona Mono Lake Nevada Hawthorne Fallon Stillwater Carson Sink Unionville Winnemucca Midas Paradise Valley Spring City Santa Rosa Hinkey Summit Buckskin National McDermitt Jordan Silver Grand View Idaho Oregon Mountain Aura Pattsville Rio Tinto Cornucopia Jacks Creek Tuscaurora Elko Wells Metropolis Jarbidge Eureka Tonopah
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RECONNOITERING*
IN THE EASTERN SIERRA NEVADA & GREAT BASIN |
Reconnoitering
Trips
Trip
2001
Northern Nevada,
Southwestern Idaho
(and a Blip of Southeastern Oregon Thrown in
for Good Measure)
June
19 - 28, 2001
Between June 19 and 27, 2001, I undertook a trip throughout northern Nevada, southeastern Oregon and southwestern Idaho in search of ghost towns, adventure and to enjoy the wide open spaces that the Great Basin is known for. Beside myself, there was Alan Patera, of Lake Oswego, Oregon; Graham C., of Campbell, California and Gil S., of Mentone, California. Since we were coming from different points on the map, we elected Midas, Nevada - located in the far western side of Elko County northeast of Winnemucca, as a meeting point. Graham C. and I chose to meet at Hawthorne, Nevada or at Mono Lake, depending on the circumstances of our first morning travels.
My 4x4 rig at the time was my 1996 Chevrolet S-10. It was bone stock, with standard suspension. It was powered by the 4.3 liter V6 with the higher power option; a 5-speed manual transmission; standard, lever activated 4x4 transfer case. The interior sported the LS option package, which included upgraded interior materials. Other options were bucket seats and console. The truck had nearly 100,000 miles on it when we started. It turned over the century mark during this trip, on a dirt road in the wide open spaces of northern Elko County.
Graham C. drives a 1990 Chevrolet ¾-ton 4x4 pickup with a low profile, pop-up camper. The truck is scarcely optioned, running a 350 cubic inch V8 and a 5-speed manual transmission. Graham has equipped the truck over the years for expedition and is well equipped to tackle everything (except frozen smog pumps between Jarbidge and Elko!).
Alan Patera drove his bone stock 1997 Ford Explorer. It's the most stripped Explorer I've seen, virtually no options. It's well used off road and the lack of fluff has suited this rig well.
Gill S. tagged along in his 1990 Pontiac Grand Prix. He slept in it, ate in it and drove it over miles of dirt roads. The car would have escaped unscathed, if not for his hitting a deer on the dirt road between Tuscaurora and Midas after he split from our group on the last day we all were together. He continued to drive his wrecked car for a couple more days, until he stopped to visit friends in Reno.
My camera at the time was one of the original Sony Mavica digital cameras, with a resolution of 640x480. For storage of photos, it used standard floppy disks. The Mavica was in its dying stages at the time. It started acting up on the second day of the trip; completely quit, inexplicably began working again, then died completely on the last day of this adventure. I took a 35mm Pentax camera along as a backup, but used old film. None of the photos I took with the Pentax came out, I had shot one roll. When processing the many disks of digital photos, I found that about ten or eleven disks were corrupted by the camera, so that I was not able to extract the images, loosing around 200 images. Some of the lost images were of ghost towns, such as in the case of National, Nevada; so that I have no images whatsoever of that location.
Due to the tremendous amount of photos that I have taken while on this trip (more than 700), I will include only a few here on this page. To view my photos of ghost towns and historic locations, hyperlinked text will take your browser to other Web pages that display my photos taken on this trip, as well as photos taken by others; these pages will also have historic information. Simply click on those town or location names that are in blue and underlined and your browser will open these sites in a separate window.
This account is in a paraphrased format, but includes all travel and most experiences. Map below outlines the entire route.
Click
to Enlarge
Note: To enhance this page, I added numerous photos from each day at the end of the section for that respective day, including maps. The additional photos are thumbnailed, so click on any image to open full size in its own window. In addition, I've added notations I made into my microcassette recorder, which I always carry, and transcribe my verbal notes into text later.
Part 1: June 19-20, 2001 - Trona to Big Pine to Midas to Lye Creek Campground (Santa Rosa Range)
Tuesday, June 19, 2001
Left work in Trona three hours early. Drive home to Big Pine. Smoke coming over the Sierra Nevada from forest fire west of the crest. Pack up the truck (everything already prepared to put in). Gas up @ Big Pine Texaco - $1.95 per gallon. Mow lawn. Hit the sack at 9:30pm.
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Wednesday, June 20, 2001 Get up @ 4:00am. Make coffee. Shower. Leave Big Pine @ 5:20am. 48º in Big Pine. A Honda Accord spun out and off road at Bishop Country Club. Noted new Chevrolet Avalanche pickup truck on lot at Perry Motors (Bishop). Rearranged truck to make it handle better, had water container at rear. Meet Graham C. on CA167 (the "Hawthorne Road") north of Mono Lake (we had been in contact on our FRS two-way radios briefly when I was atop Deadman Summit, constantly since I hit Lee Vining). Photo stop at Bodie Railroad. Air temperature warming significantly as we approach Hawthorne, NV. Eat breakfast at the El Capitan Casino. Drive to Fallon, NV on US95, arrive at 10:03am. Get gas - Texaco, $1.74 per gallon. About 90º in Fallon.
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Stop at WalMart, my Sony microcassette recorder acting up and won't record as it keeps stopping; buy new microcassette recorder - $29.95. Drive east on US50 a short distance, turn off to semi-ghost of Stillwater (old business buildings amid newer homes). Photograph and video Stillwater. Drive north on dirt road through Carson Sink, about 50 miles of dirt road. Stop at ghost town of White Cloud City (Coppereid) (Smelter ruins, ruins of two large stone structures a hundred yards south of flowing creek). Drive north on dirt roads to Unionville. Tour Unionville (occupied homes, a few historic structures, very nice, luxurious homes). Woman stops me to ask me what we're doing, seems suspicious of our stopping every few feet to photograph the town. |
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I explain and ask her if she recalled Alan Patera in town several times doing photography and research for his Humboldt Range issue of WESTERN PLACES on a hunch that she might have met him. She does, says to tell Alan hello from the her and her husband. Drive north on paved road to I-80 at Mill City. Drive I-80 to Winnemucca. Stop and gas up - Chevron @ $1.64 per gallon. Find that I have a low tire. Drive up to WalMart. Tire center open, no customers. Tire fixed - apparent stone puncture. Cost only $6.50 to fix leak. Winnemmucca a great place to get a flat. Buy a second ice chest (no room for food + beer w/ice), it cost me $14.95. Drive to Golconda on I-80. Turn off to drive over 45 miles of dirt road to Midas, NV. Best dirt road I've ever driven on - better than many paved highways I've traveled. |
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Meet Mrs. B., who directs us to our camping site at school building. About 90º at Midas. I drive up to mine above town, strip and shower. Drive back down to school. Back of my truck buried in flour like dust from 150 miles of dirt road driving - I had the camper windows closed, which caused vacuum inside shell, pulling in dust. Wash out back of truck with hose at school. Set up camp. Alan Patera arrives after dark. Pull out 12-volt compressor to blow up air mattress, find that compressor is broken. Graham and I pull apart compressor to find that electric motor pulled out of compressor crankshaft. Repair, blow up mattress. Go to bed. |
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Additional
Images June 20, 2001: Click on Any Image Below to Open Full
Size
Note:
All
images below were chosen to enlarge upon this page and are in the
same sequence as taken throughout the day; they all have details of
location or subject in text within image.
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UPDATE: Sadly, on a trip to Midas in April, 2008, I found that the school house has burned down and is totally destroyed with much of the rubble removed. At this writing, I do not know the cause. |
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Miscellaneous Verbal Notes From the Day as Recorded on Microcassette Recorder. |
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Thursday, June 21, 2001
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Awake at dawn. About 55º. Break down camp. Try to wake up Graham, unsuccessful. Alan snoring away. Continue cleaning up camp. Graham wakes up. Walk over to saloon at Midas for breakfast. Have breakfast with Les, an opinionated, super-salty sea dog of a man whose vocabulary is liberally salted with four letter words, but seems to have a heart of gold - if you can mine it. We talk about life at Midas, life in the West, liberals, conservatives, eco-Nazis, Timothy McVeigh, more Midas. Great breakfast - three choices only - sausage, ham or bacon - with two eggs and white toast, take it or leave it. Sausage was huge Polish type sausage, each link nearly a foot long. Nearly couldn't eat it all. Spent 1½ hours eating and discussing and arguing above subjects. Mr. Salty wasn't such a bad guy after all. I pay for both breakfasts - $17.00. Go back to camp. Alan just waking up. |
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Go to Mrs. B's. Meet Dana B., Mrs. B's youngest daughter. She talks to Alan about reprinting her book on Midas. She has three copies left, which are snapped up by Alan, Graham and myself. Autographed. Graham only has $20 bills, so he buys my copy. We hop in Mrs. B's 4x4 Suburban for tour of Midas (a few old structures, many mobile homes, newer homes, modular homes; picturesque canyon setting). Up canyon, photogenic mine. My digital camera (Sony Mavica FD5) starts acting up - won't eject disk. I spend 45 minutes trying to coax camera to spit out disk. Tour cemetery. Back to the B's. Camera suddenly without warning ejects disk as if nothing happened. Have refreshments with B's. While there, a Schwan's truck and UPS truck come by. Graham buys box of drumstick ice cream from Schwan's guy and shares with all. B's buy lots of frozen food for July 4th celebration coming up. Look at the B. workshop with old blacksmith tools. Mine tunnel goes back into mountain inside shop. Wagon used in 1911 massacre of Indians, used to haul bodies away for burial, is in B's yard by shop. Videotape Graham and Dana in tunnel. Graham whacks his head inside tunnel, finds out why miners wore hardhats. |
Videotape Dana narrating use of wagon while standing in front of it. Stand and talk out in yard. B's dog scares up a big bull snake (pine gopher). Graham goes after snake - Graham is English by birth and raised from infancy in the Australian outback and is facinated by snakes. Go back to schoolhouse. I go up to top of hill by cemetery for photographs lost when camera was acting up and to watch for Gil S. who is to arrive at noon. Top of hill is known in Midas as only place a cell phone works, so make a call home. Gil seen driving up canyon at 12:10pm in his blue early '90s Pontiac Grand Prix. All meet at schoolhouse. After Gil gets tour, we leave Midas. Gil uses my spare FRS radio, everyone else has own. Drive back out dirt road for I-80 at Golconda. Rock flies off Graham's back tires and chips my windshield – the first of several to come. Drive to Winnemucca. Get gas.
Drive north on US95 to NV290. Drive to Paradise Valley. Photograph old abandoned buildings in old business district. Beautiful valley with high, snow capped mountains on west. Try to find road leading to Spring City and Queen City ghost towns. Get lost - once, twice, three times. Graham and Gil had enough and decide to drive north over Hinkey Summit to Lye Creek Campground high in the Santa Rosa Range. Alan and I drive our separate vehicles to Spring City. Axle deep flour dust in the valley floor, narrow and cliff hugging road in mountains. Find Spring City - several stone walls, mill ruins, milling and mining machinery. Walk up into superb bowl with cottonwood trees and super campsite. Drive back to Paradise Valley.
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My
digital camera suddenly acts up again, refusing to recognize the
floppy disks. Loose opportunity to photograph the most wonderful
sunset colors on the Santa Rosa Range. Used my Pentax 35mm camera to
shoot scenes along the way (used old film so none came out), but also
trying to keep Alan in sight as he raced up the range. Chase Alan up
into and over Hinkey Summit (dirt roads). Wonderful road
switchbacking up under and over dramatic basaltic cliffs 1,000 feet
high. Aspens and meadows all along. Get to Lye Creek campground at
dusk. Set up camp in thick aspen grove. Cook supper. Eat and drink.
Toast of beer all around (except Gil, who had coffee) to celebrate
all of us finally getting the trip started. Set up bed in truck, fall
asleep. Gil sleeps in his car (which he does each night of the trip).
Additional
Images June 21, 2001: Click on Any Image Below to Open Full
Size
Note:
All
images are in sequence throughout the day, and have details of
location or subject in text within image.
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Miscellaneous Verbal Notes From the Day as Recorded on Microcassette Recorder. |
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"Well, the Mavica [digital camera] is now broken. Can’t eject the disk. ... We’re only the second day into this trip and things are breaking right and left!" |
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"Dan has a mine across from his house. They call it the 'Varicose Vein,' or the 'Baby Poop.'” |
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Ah! I can’t believe it! The disk finally released! ... That makes me very happy that the disk finally ejected and the Mavica decided to cooperate. I hope that doesn’t do that again. It was rather stressing." |
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“Behind one of the headstones, I believe it says “Our Son” on it, I don’t remember the name. Big badger hole. I thought that was what it was when I first saw it. A good size hole, more than a foot across. So I asked Mrs. B..., sure enough, it was a badger hole. She says the badgers are pretty thick in here. And mean as hell. Which badgers usually are. That’s why you don’t badger them.” |
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"Graham was in the bathroom, you could tell, because it was echoing like mad. And I asked him how come he has the echo, in a joking voice. And he said that he was in the can!" |
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"Graham kicked up a rock and put a chip in my windshield. [Graham on radio: 'Yeah this road is in very good shape. What can you say, you know?'] Pretty good sized one." |
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"Went through a uh … dust devil there. There was a woman traveling kind of slow in an old Ford Escort, window down. It hit her hard. A tumbleweed went in there and got stuck in her hair. There’s some big dust devils here. I’m going through an area of sand dunes." |
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"Well, I’ll be damned. All of that flour dust. Not a bit of it got into the truck. Not even around the opening. I’ll be happy about that tonight." |
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"I sure had my share of equipment failures on this trip. Oh, I’ll tell you! Flat tire. A uh … the compressor went down. Mavica jammed up this morning and now it’s dead, apparently. And I don’t even want to ask what’s next. And it’s only the second day of the trip only!" |
Part 2: June 22 - 23, 2001 – Lye Creek Campground to Buckskin to National to Delamar to Silver City to Rio Tinto to Pattsville to Aura
Friday, June 22, 2001
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Coffee and breakfast at Lye Creek Campground. Check digital camera. Working normally as if nothing happened. Break camp. Drive down mountain into interesting badlands country. Good dirt roads. Drive back up into northern Santa Rosa Range to high summit of Windy Gap (definitely lives up to name). |
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Park Gil's car and Graham's truck at Windy Gap. Graham hops in with me, Gil with Alan. Drive to top of 9,000 foot high Buckskin Mountain. Find superb little ranch with houses, fixtures and furnishings (buildings locked, but peek through windows allows look back into time). Views into Oregon, Idaho and across northern Nevada. Drive to top of mountain to mine. Ruins, machinery, superb views. Drive down to Buckskin ghost town site. Log buildings, collapsed frame buildings, milling machinery, superb views. Drive back to Windy Gap. Drive down most thrilling, switchbacking drive from 9,000 feet to 5,000 feet in very short distance. |
Drive to US95. Drive north a short distance. Park Gil's car and Graham's truck on highway. Drive back into to canyon in Santa Rosas to ghost town of National over flour fine dusty, bumpy path for seven miles [note: no photos available - my camera, which was acting up, corrupted this disk as well as others, so I could not retrieve the photo files]. Dropped hard into creek bottom, bent front fender out, cut part of the tread on front-passenger side tire. Hot in National. Nothing except sage, cows and little else - boards, metal, cans and tailings piles. Drive to McDermit, NV/OR - small, 2-block town w/one block in Oregon and one in Nevada. Eat lunch in casino on Nevada side. I have patty melt, bowl of clam chowder. Drive north along US95 over featureless terrain for 100 miles across SE Oregon to Jordan Valley. Passed into Mountain Standard Time Zone along the way - my bored mind contemplates if whether it was near sunset on the Pacific Standard Time Zone on one side of the sign, if it would be dark on the other... Very warm outside - 100º most of the time. I note along the way that my air conditioner fan is blowing but no air coming from vents - gets hot inside truck. Jordan Valley is a nice town at foot of mountains. Gas up, get ice and water - Texaco @ $1.74 per gallon, and you get full service (against the law in OR to fill your own tank). Leave Jordan Valley. My air conditioner working normal again. I figure a vacuum flap directing air under the dash froze up. A mile after leaving US95 at Jordan Valley, we cross into Idaho and road turns to very good dirt. Drive to Delamar ghost town. Neat buildings (appear to be occasionally occupied, one for sale), huge mill ruins. Delamar founded by same Captain DeLamar who founded DeLamar, Nevada and had large interest in Keane Wonder Mine in Death Valley.
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Drive to Silver City over rough dirt road with lots of water on it. Set up camp along stream just out of town. Walk back into town. Talk to locals. Graham has pie and ice cream at saloon. Good pie and ice cream, but served in paper fish & chips box, coffee served in Styrofoam cup. Graham didn't care for such ambiance. I simply have a beer. Locals get rowdy in the saloon – a bit of a nuisance since we're all tired – but likely fitting with Western history. Probably a minor thing in historic Silver City. Graham finds Rubber Boa snake. Docile. Walk back to camp, shower and crawl in. Read newspaper purchased at Jordan Valley. Read about death of Carol O'Connor and blues musician John Lee Hooker. Lights out (we're on Mountain Standard Time, so go to bed after midnight local time, 11pm the time our bodies are used to - mini jet lag). Sleep.
Additional
Images June 22, 2001: Click on Any Image Below to Open Full
Size
Note:
All
images below were chosen to enlarge upon this page and are in the
same sequence as taken throughout the day; they all have details of
location or subject in text within image.
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Miscellaneous Verbal Notes From the Day as Recorded on Microcassette Recorder. |
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Saturday, June 23, 2001
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Awake before sunrise. Graham and I walk all over town for a couple of hours photographing and videotaping picturesque homes and businesses. Walk back to camp. Have coffee. Break camp. Drive around northern part of town. Look for great photo spot for overall town view. Find one on northwest side of town on big mine dump up on hillside.
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A female deer lies under tree and allows us to walk within a few feet of her, then slowly ambles away. Leave Silver City at noon. Drive north out over pass and down mountain. Fairly heavy weekend traffic, near misses with speeding pickup trucks, ATVs. Graham had gone down a bit before rest of us do. Find Graham at foot of mountain putting air in his tires (he lowered the air pressure to give better ride on dirt roads). I stop behind Graham, Alan behind me. Gil, who was running between Alan and myself kept going. He drove short distance to junction of Silver City Road and highway and stopped. All of us figured he was going to stay put until we came. After Graham airs up tires, we resume. |
Gil nowhere to be found. We drive six miles east toward Grand View, ID when we stop and wonder where Gil went to. I decide to drive to Murphy, ID, west of junction on hunch he went there, as the town was spoken of a bit earlier that day between us. I get within a mile of Murphy when I hear Gil on radio calling. Gil went to Murphy, back to Silver City road, then back to Murphy. Batteries went dead on his radio, so bought a set at Murphy. Gil followed me back to Grand View, where we found Graham in saloon/cafe having a bite to eat and coffee. Alan went into town (a mile off the highway) for ice and fruit. I decide to have a bite myself and ordered cheese fries. $2. Expecting to have a small amount of fries smothered in Velveeta. Pleasantly surprised to find huge plate filled to top with fries, smothered in grated Mozzarella and cheddar cheese. Gil has same. Alan doesn't eat.
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Drive over featureless roads to near Nevada border, then enter scenic Duck Valley and cross state line. Drive through Owyhee to tiny Mountain City. Gas up at one pump Chevron station (unleaded and diesel only), taking 45 minutes to get our vehicles through the line and taking turns with other vehicles, including Indian Reservation Police car, at pump. Gas $1.89 per gallon. Ice and soda for me and others. Drive to Rio Tinto ghost town. Remains of orderly company town of the Anaconda Copper Co. era of the 1920s - 1940s. Site is now Superfund site - water down Rio Tinto Creek runs orange. Drive to Patsville ghost town. We find filthy hippie sitting Indian fashion inside a tent he set up inside old store building. Mosquitoes eating him alive and they also ambush us. |
We leave post haste. I scratch and itch like crazy, worrying if same mosquitoes who bit me had also bitten the hippie, and what diseases he might have had. Turn off on dirt road leading through beautiful meadows, aspen groves into snow covered Bull Run Mountains. Drive over Maggie Summit. Drive to Aura ghost town (large stone ruin of saloon - more of townsite within private property), then double back to unnamed summit just south of Maggie. Set up camp on mountain top amid thick aspens with superb view of snow capped peaks. I find huge trash dump from previous campers a few dozen yards behind camp back in thick aspen grove. Make supper, drink beer, watch sunset. Alan, Graham and myself take two mile walk to another overlook. Go to sleep.
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Additional
Images June 23, 2001: Click on Any Image Below to Open Full
Size
Note:
All
images below were chosen to enlarge upon this page and are in the
same sequence as taken throughout the day; they all have details of
location or subject in text within image.
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Part 3: June 24-25, 2001 – Bull Run Mts. to Cornucopia to Tuscaurora to Jack's Creek to Wells to Metropolis to Jarbidge
Sunday, June 24, 2001
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Wake up to wonderful view. Break camp. Alan and Gill leave. Graham and I go and clean up trash dump left by so-called "campers." Beer cans, Ripple bottles, shotgun shells, .22 caliber shells, ripped tent. Rake dirt, left no trace. Drive down dirt road through cattle ranches and creek fed meadows to Deep Creek and junction with paved road. Continue on dirt road to south end of Bull Run Mountain. Park Gil's car and Graham's truck. |
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Drive along dim route eight miles along Deep Creek to Cornucopia ghost town. Along way we encounter a man on a motorcycle, with a rifle strapped to his chest and a Wild Turkey in his napsack (the kind comes in a bottle and you don't have to pluck). Wood and stone buildings, mines and ore cart tracks, machinery, boilers. Graham and I venture into mine tunnel and find two swallow's nests. One occupied by two tiny swallow chicks. Leave Cornucopia. |
Back to vehicles. Drive northeast around to west side of Bull Run Mountains. Try to find Edgemont and White Rock ghost towns. We can see Edgemont on mountainside, but fences and no trespassing signs keep us away. One structure can be seen about a mile off road, mine dumps amid thick coniferous forests. No sign of White Rock. Signs suggest inquiring at office at Petan Ranch, so we drive south to Petan and find office closed. Woman drives up in battered 4x4 truck to use only phone (set up in an outhouse-like building) and suggests taking to man in one of the houses. Alan seeks permission. Permission denied due to man not having authority to authorize entry to Edgemont and White Rock. Drive back to Deep Creek and Graham and Gil's vehicles. Upon start-up, Graham's smog pump making bad noise, but not vibrating or anything else ominous. Stop for refreshments. Man and son in nice 4x4 truck drive up, both dressed like city people. Asking incessantly about deer and where we might have seen them. I am suspicious and weary of his incessant questions and drive off.
Drive south on paved road to dirt road to Tuscaurora semi-ghost town. Walk all over town, taking photos (occupied homes, abandoned homes, brick smelter stack, air of general decay and junky - due to weather and my mood, the town was a bit disappointing). Wind picks up, bringing in a bad pall of dust that turns the clear air to murky gray – not a good mood builder. Leave town and tour large cemetery. Drive back north on paved road to Jack's Creek. Alan stops in bar to have ice tea. Graham, Gil and I drive up canyon to Jack's Creek campground. Set up camp in cottonwoods and willows along creek. Make dinner. Graham and Alan take long walk up on hillside. Find large rubber boa snake. Shower and retire. Graham puts snake in sock and returns to his camper.
Additional
Images June 24, 2001: Click on Any Image Below to Open Full
Size
Note:
All
images below were chosen to enlarge upon this page and are in the
same sequence as taken throughout the day; they all have details of
location or subject in text within image.
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Miscellaneous Verbal Notes From the Day as Recorded on Microcassette Recorder. |
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Monday, June 25, 2001
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Breakfast, break camp. Graham brings my attention to yellow bird that is admiring himself in his truck mirrors. Bird flys in front of mirror and attempts to hover. At one point bird brings bug offering to prospective "mate." Bird poop all over mirrors and windows, telltale sign that bird spent a lot of time wooing his new "mate." Graham comes out with rubber boa wrapped around his wrist. Video and photos of snake. Graham says he slept with snake on his chest, feared that he might roll over and crush it. Graham released snake, snake reluctant to go away, loosing nice warm spot. I note that my truck will turn over 100,000 miles somewhere on this date. Plan to videotape the milestone. Leave Jack's Creek. Drive south over paved roads to Elko, NV, passing through historic Dinner Station. Gil and I go to WalMart for batteries for radios. Graham goes to Chevrolet dealer to have smog pump checked. Alan goes for gas. I go for gas after getting batteries, Texaco - $1.59 per gallon. We meet at same gas station as Alan. Graham has no luck at Chevy dealer. Woman blows him off, telling him there are no smog pumps in Nevada and refuses to allow a mechanic look and listen to his truck. Graham doesn't want to chance the run east with us to Wells and Metropolis ghost town, so decides to venture north to Jarbidge and wait for rest of us to come in later. |
Alan, Gil and myself run east to Wells. Top off gas tanks and eat at Burger King. Weirdo guy hangs around us and Burger King, giving all of us willies. He leaves later. Drive over to old downtown Wells along railroad tracks. Photos and video. Some buildings occupied with business, others vacant. Each structure has a plaque with history and historic photo of building. (Note: A large magnitude earthquake in early 2008 heavily damaged this section of Wells.) Drive out to Metropolis ghost town (ruins of Lincoln School and hotel, other foundations). As we drive up, two couples in VW van drive up. We ignore them for a while until all of us met at school building. In conversation, Bodie came up, older man a California State Park Ranger near San Francisco, but spent many years at Bodie. His son, who was there, is BLM ranger at Elko. Drive back out south road to Wells. I nearly roll my truck as I came over a hill on dirt road at 50mph, road took off camber left. I managed to keep off my brakes and gas the truck in 4x4 around corner completely sideways, skirting the edge of road. Took out sagebrush along edge of road, it's a wonder that the heavy brush didn't cause me to roll. Adrenaline rush continues for hour after that stunt. Go back west on I-80 to Deeth ghost town. Drive north on dirt road out of Deeth 50 miles to ghost town of Charleston (log structures, wood frame structures. Occupied two-story home appears to be very old). Road is a she-devil - lulls you into a bit of speed, then throws heavy blows of flour dust that hide two foot deep holes; cows, off camber curves on blind corners, big rocks. First 20 miles over featureless badlands, then gets more interesting with aspens, meadows. Lots of cowboys and cows in road. Lots of cow poop on tires and truck bodies. Remembered that my truck will turn over 100,000 miles this date, find that it now has 100,057 miles and am disappointed that I didn't catch it to videotape the landmark.
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Drove into Jarbidge Mountains over dirt roads (over 100 miles total of dirt roads since leaving I-80 @ Deeth). Up and over 8,500 foot Coon Creek Summit through tall conifers, aspens, abundant wildflowers, meadows, jagged and spectacular cliffs. Big snow fields on mountains, lakes below road. Scenery and road reminiscent of Rocky Mountains, not stereotypical Nevada. Cross over 8,500 foot Bear Creek Summit. Drive down super steep and switchbacking grade down to Jarbidge River. At canyon bottom drive up to Pine Creek Campground, arriving at dusk. Graham had gotten there some hours before and had walked into Jarbidge, four miles below, and back. Set up camp. Gil makes campfire. Talk around campfire. Crawl in truck, read USA Today newspaper (purchased in Elko) for a bit, then hit the sack. Jarbidge is on Mountain Time, so go to bed late. |
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Miscellaneous Verbal Notes From the Day as Recorded on Microcassette Recorder. |
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Part 4: June 26-28, 2001 – Jarbidge, Old Cars of Jarbidge, Exit Jarbidge, Remote Breakdown, Nasty Motel Characteristics, Hasty Return to Big Pine
Tuesday, June 26, 2001
I wake up late - 7:30 Pacific time (it was actually 8:30 - Mountain time). Cloudy, looks like it could rain. Very cool - Alan's thermometer reading 33º. Gil had left camp before dawn (Graham heard him leave at 5:30am) without saying good-bye (he told us night before he was leaving in morning to head for friend's in Reno, but we all figured he'd leave after everyone was up). Leisurely breakfast, reading while Alan and Graham hoof it up switchbacking mining road on mountain above camp. At noon, Graham and I take my truck up narrow, switchbacking road high up the mountain to point where road caved in. Graham tries to guide me over very narrow section, where I had to put my passenger side wheels up on side of cliff, while driver side wheels skirted edge of cave in. Have to drive over big rocks. Wheels spitting rocks up under truck, while I'm face down looking out window into abyss below. Truck tries to slide sideways over cliff, so abort forward momentum and back up to switchback curve and park truck.
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Graham and I walk up, finding mines, log cabin ruins, mining machinery. Graham climbs high up mountain, with magnificent views of snow capped mountains, dense forests of heavy conifer trees and aspens. Like Colorado, not Nevada. We go to high point with tramway towers extending far down canyon to millsite down near campground, down at least 3,000 feet below us. We celebrate our victory with hand slaps and photos. Back to camp. Alan is in Jarbidge, so we meet at cafe in town. I have patty melt lunch, Graham his usual pie and ice cream. Alan was finishing up a hamburger. Since I came in late, Alan and Graham walked down through town while I finished my lunch. I find them on porch of resident Don Mathias, author of books on Jarbidge. |
We talk for a couple of hours, Alan and Don talk publishing the revision of his books by Alan. Alan buys ten copies for resale, Graham and I get Don to autograph copies for ourselves. Alan leaves for home. Graham and I return up to main part of Jarbidge. We find four antique trucks and cars on main street - an original and rusty 1929 Ford Model A pickup truck, a 1929 Dodge phaeton with a star on it, a rusty and original 1930 Ford AA 1-ton flatbed truck and a restored 1931 Ford Model A sedan with "Jarbidge Taxi" on the side. Photos. The Ford AA flatbed pulls out, I pull in my truck in between other antiques and photograph. Go back to campground. I find three men camped next to me who came in during day. Introduce myself. One older gent from Reno, other two from Portland, OR (one was Nevada native). The Nevada native stepson of older man, other man friend. They serve Graham and I wonderful "Hangover Stew," and peach cobbler he made in Dutch oven heated on charcoal in fire ring. Great stuff. The old cars of Jarbidge descend upon the campground. All drinking beer, in party mood. Four men - one in 40s and the others 70+, one woman in 40s. Lots of talking and photos of cars. 1929 Dodge with star was former Elko County Sheriff car. Siren works, driver wailing siren for all to hear and videotape. Ford AA flatbed truck just started this day after sitting for over 60 years. Ford Model A pickup just started this day after sitting since 1970. At dark, all take off back to Jarbidge, for only two cars have working headlights. Talk with campground neighbors until well after dark. Sponge bath in dark. Crawl in bed.
Note: For a detailed look at Jarbidge, including hundreds of photos taken on this trip and other trips, along with photos and descriptions on access routes to Jarbidge, see my Jarbidge 4x4 Trails page. For a real firecracker of a 2007 trip to Jarbidge, see my A Long Hot Summer: From the Frying Pan into the Fires – Escape From the Flames of July 2007 page.
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Miscellaneous Verbal Notes From the Day as Recorded on Microcassette Recorder. |
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"I’m cooking my breakfast and cottonwood cotton is flying all over the place here and landing in my food as I’m cooking." |
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Wednesday, June 27, 2001
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Graham and I break camp and go back to Jarbidge. Spend several hours walking town, photographing and video. Old homes, new homes, mobile homes and travel trailers with either snow roofs or built into larger structures. Visit inside of Jarbidge Jail. Graham and I take turns being the "prisoner" for photos, video. Coffee and short stack of wonderful, fluffy pancakes at cafe. Graham goes to post office (open only Monday, Wednesday and Friday) and sends post card to his mother in England. Our destination was to be the Ruby Mountains and Lamoille Canyon southeast of Elko that afternoon. Drive up slowly and enjoy superb mountain scenery to Bear Creek and Coon Creek Summits. I find a knoll at Bear Creek Summit and make 360º panorama photos. |
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Find Graham a short distance south of Coon Creek Summit at wonderful viewpoint. He makes tea for us both and we sit in chairs watching beavers through binoculars working in the lake below us. Drive slowly down dirt roads to bottom of Jarbidge Mountains. Find old resort/restaurant/bar alongside creek that is abandoned and explore intact insides. 1960s modern style set alongside creek in overgrown sagebrush. Thunder, sprinkles. We drive to Charleston, then west for NV225 for Elko. Rain off and on as we drive 25 miles to pavement. Graham stops at junction of dirt road and NV225 to air up his tires. Junction is 60 miles north of Elko in wide open range. Upon starting his truck, his serpentine belt squeals. Inspection shows his smog pump red hot and seized. We try to break pump free by wrenches and cold water. No luck. We decide to go to Elko and find AAA. |
We arrive at Checkers (affiliated with Kragen). Graham finds smog pump and purchases. He decides to call AAA to bring his truck into town just in case replacement doesn't go well. We hoped that the truck would be dispatched a bit later so we could sample the well known grub of a noteworthy Basque restaurant in town, but the AAA truck arrives within a few minutes. We make arrangements to meet in the morning. Graham makes arrangements to have the driver drop off the truck at Checkers, where Graham would spend the night in his camper and attempt to replace the smog pump in the morning. Graham rides with AAA flatbed truck north to retrieve his truck. I drive into Elko and take up a room at the Super 8 motel on the east side of town. I wanted a real shower - BAD!! I take my room, throw my suitcase on the table, then go across the street to Burger King for dinner. Returning to my room, I take in a couple of beers and take a shower. Disappointment. Shower head throws water in a broad circle around one's body, not touching the body at all. Only standing with my nose crammed into the front of the shower, or with my butt crammed against the back wall results in a light sprinkle of stingy streams of water. To top it off, loud and obnoxious grinding of plastic on plastic wails each time I shift my weight from one foot to the other, or move front to back, making me wonder what the heck the neighbors must think. And then the towels were filthy. I drink my beer and watch TV until 9:30 and then hit the sack.
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Miscellaneous Verbal Notes From the Day as Recorded on Microcassette Recorder. |
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Thursday,
June 28, 2001
I get up at 6:00. Make in room coffee. Shower and grimace at noise and poor shower characteristics. Put stuff together. Graham calls me on cell phone, says he couldn't get the pump off and wants to take truck to shop recommended by AAA driver. Shop very near my motel. I gas up across street from motel (another Texaco again - $1.59 per gallon), drive across town to pick up Graham, take him to shop, where he makes arrangements to have truck repaired. We drive back to Checkers. Put serpentine belt back on truck (Graham had found that the pump would alternate between spinning and seize up momentarily, so he could limp truck over to shop). Graham drives truck to shop. We go to nearby restaurant (also recommended by driver) around corner from shop. Very good food. We go over to Northeastern Nevada Museum and spend 2½ hours browsing. I buy two books (Shawn Hall's book on Elko County ghost towns and a book on Nevada period post cards) and a historical quarterly on Metropolis. Pretty lady makes me a copy of another out of print quarterly on Metropolis. I drive Graham over to Forest Service Ranger Station across town so he could buy map of Rubies. We go back to his truck. I say good-bye - Graham wants to have a last tea stop before I leave, but I insist on leaving. Long trip ahead and I want to get it over with. Stop at mini mart for water, hitting the road at 12:30pm. Drive I-80 west to Carlin. South on NV278 to Eureka, all the while within sight of the grade of the Eureka & Palisade Railroad. Stop in Eureka for gas and a few photos (Chevron - $1.69 per gallon). Drive west on US50 to near Austin. Turn south on NV378 through the Big Smoky Valley to US6 east of Tonopah. Gas up (Texaco - $1.79 per gallon) and eat dinner at McDonald's in Tonopah. Drive to Big Pine, arriving at 8:30pm.
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Miscellaneous Verbal Notes From the Day as Recorded on Microcassette Recorder. |
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Epilogue:
On the last morning of the trip, as I attempted to photograph the motel in Elko, my digital camera started acting up again in the same manner that it did trying to photograph the Hinkey Summit area north of Paradise Valley. I tried in vain to take photos of the last day on this trip. In the days after returning home, I began processing the floppy disks with photos of the trip. I find that several of the disks were corrupted by my digital camera. The last photo I was able to open was that of Graham C. and myself near the top of Coon Creek Summit; I lost all photos of the return to Elko and a couple taken at the motel, even though I had reviewed them in the camera LCD screen. I tried everything I could think of to restore the camera to working order, but in vain. Later, last October of 2001, I traded the dead camera, plus an old flatbed scanner, to a buddy who likes to tinker with electronics; getting in return an old but working Toshiba T-4600 laptop computer, running Windows 95.
So that was my big trip for 2001. Hope you enjoyed the ride-along!
©2002,
2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 D.A. Wright
All Rights
Reserved
Revised:
