More Nevada

The year was 1860, and the fear of Indian attacks was at its peak.  Talk of Indian atrocities at Williams Station, a Carson River outpost 30 miles east of Carson City, filtered back to Carson Valley settlers, who demanded immediate protection .....

Fort Churchill was named in honor of Sylvester Churchill, the Inspector General of the US Army.  Adobe buildings were erected on stone foundations in the form of a square, facing a central parade ground. The Civil War made the fort an important supply depot for the Nevada Military District and as a base for troops patrolling the overland routes.

The day I visited, so did about 160 children, ages ranging from 6 to 16.  They are part of a homeschool cooperative and that was the day for their field trip.

Next, I drove to Genoa to see the Genoa Hanging Tree.  In 1897, a drifter that was accused of murder was lynched from a tree in Genoa. Afterward, it is said that those involved with the lynching "suffered injuries, great tragedies in their families, or terrible calamities."  Since it wasn't labeled, I don't know which of the trees was the actual tree, or if it still exists, but I imagine it would look like this one.

One of the disadvantages of traveling during the shoulder season is that some things might not be open.  Such was the case of the other two reasons for visiting Genoa; the Courthouse Museum and The Mormon Station Historic State Monument.  Oh well, something to save for next time.

And then a drive over the summit on Hwy 50 to see Cave Rock.  It is a 75-foot solid rock opening to an extinct volcano.  Tahoe Tessie, the lake's version of the Loch Ness monster, is reputed to live in a cavern below.  Washoe Indians consider this area a sacred burial site.  Lake Tahoe was beautiful.

By far the highlight of my day was a stop at the Nevada State Museum in Carson City, the capital of Nevada.  This is one of the better-done museums I have toured.   The primary building of the Museum is the former Carson City Mint.  There are three floors: the basement is set up to resemble a mine, the main or first floor has the coin press, a mint, etc. and a ghost town, the second floor has Nevada history.  When I arrived I only had about an hour before they closed; not nearly enough time.  A half day would have been better.  It was all, like I said, very well done and interesting.  The mine was spooky; so glad I'm not a miner!  I was thankful for the lights and the many exit signs.

Silver Springs, Nevada and surrounding area

Lots to see in this area, so I'm here for a week to ten days.  I'm camped at the Lahontan SRA.  You can actually park on the beach, but since I'm waiting for the windshield repair people to come to look at my leaking windshield, I thought they could find me easier in a developed campground.

My biggest worry when I replaced my windshield was that it would leak, which I was guaranteed it would not.  Well ... it does.  The first couple times it leaked was from snowmelt, so I think it has something to do with the weight.  Anyway, I'm sure it's a quick fix (famous last words, 😁)

This was some of my views on the drive down NV 95.

 I took a Sunday drive north to Gerlach (I think it was about 275 miles round trip) on the Pyramid Scenic Byway.  One of the things about Nevada Scenic Byways that I have not noticed in other states ... the road is a scenic byway for a few miles, and then it's not, and then it is .... like its only pretty part of the time and don't look at the ugly stepsister part.  I just think it's funny.

Anyway, the lake is beautiful.  It is a deep turquoise color.

  Gerlach is known for it's proximity to the Black Rock Desert and gateway town to the famous Buring Man event.

Empire Mining Co gypsum (it's shipped to companies that make fertilizer and cement).

Sparks, Nevada was a small surprise.  I expected it not to be the "city" it turned out to be, full of new housing communities and shopping.

This was the first time I've ever seen stop signs on the sidewalk, but they were plentiful.

Yesterday I drove into Fallon to do some shopping.  I was talking to the clerk at the used book store and we got on the subject of our reading obsession and our reading into the night because we're poor sleepers.  She had an interesting chicken/egg question I had not considered:  do we read so much because we're poor sleepers, or are we poor sleepers because we read so much?

 I still have the Reno/Carson City/Virginia City areas to see before I move onto Walker Lake, so stay tuned.

Winnemucca to Rye Patch SRA

I stayed three days in a BLM campground, Water Canyon, which is an awesome place to stay.  Unfortunately, because it is a "high use" area, the limit was three days instead of the normal 14 days on BLM land so I had to move on.

Not only did I have the place to myself, but I also had a babbling brook outside my door.  I loved the sound.

The local tourist guides suggested a drive to Paradise Valley.  It's about 40 miles north on US95 and NV 290.  I guess it's kind of a little beauty spot outside of the "city."  Hinkey Summit is a big draw, but it was closed because of snow.  A large creek, Cottonwood Creek, runs throughout the town and local ranches.  Like most of Nevada, this is open range territory and you can see cattle graze everywhere in large fields; they even come into town.

I took these pictures on my drive to Paradise Valley.

Besides the cattle, the other thing I have noticed about my time in Nevada is, if I'm not on the top of a mountain, I'm in a valley surrounded by snow-covered mountains.  I feel like I'm in a bowl.

The other constant in this state is that you can't throw a rock without hitting a ghost town.

Eight miles north of Winnemucca are some sand dunes that are very popular with the ATV crowd.  I drove by just to check them out; they are just sitting beside the road.  I don't know what caused them, but it seems weird for them to just "be there."

It started to rain on my drive back, hence the messed up windshield in the picture.

Because my three days at Water Canyon were up, I moved the coach south to Rye Patch State Recreation Area.  

While here I drove out to Unionville.  Maybe 20 people still live here.  The town was unusual to me because it was built along the main street which winds about 3 miles into Buena Vista Canyon, with no "side streets,"  long and narrow.  The other interesting thing was the economic difference in the houses; some were large range houses while others were actual shacks that didn't look habitable.  You wouldn't think anyone could live in them except for the propane tank, mailbox and satellite dish.

Mark Twain came here to do some prospecting, but only stayed a week or two.






In Lovelock I found a couple markers indicating the start of the California Trail in Nevada, a 40-mile stretch of "waterless Alkali wasteland."  The trail was considered to be "the most dreaded section of the California Emigrant Trail" by travelers.









My last stop in this area was Thunder Mountain Park, created by Frank Van Zant, a Native American Indian chief who made statues, folk art and other unique works and spread it across a five-acre "park of art"  Creations are made from bottles, chicken wire, windshields and other parts of cars, among other items.

Belmont, Nevada

Today's drive was interesting.  On the recommendation of a friend, I drove to Belmont on NV 377.

Belmont began life in 1865 with the discovery of silver nearby.  The town thrived and within two years, the population had swelled to over 4,000 people.  As several of the mines closed, residents and businesses started to leave.  By 1890 most had left town.  In 1905 the county seat was relocated to Tonopah, sealing the town's fate.

Unlike many other old Nevada mining towns, numerous buildings still stand in Belmont, like the historic Belmont Courthouse, which is part of the Belmont Courthouse State Historical Park.

The location is very remote, thus requiring a bit of effort to reach.  The closest town is Tonopah, about 50 miles.  The road from Manhattan on NV 377 is dirt, but because it is at 7700 feet, this time of year it is snow and mud.  The part of the road with snow was actually much easier to navigate than the road without ....that one was pure mud and I had to use 4-wheel drive to keep from sliding and spinning.  People comment that I am "brave" or "adventurous."  My response is there is a thin line between that and stupid and I cross it on a regular basis. 😓

In the morning I am off on another adventure.  I'm heading north to Winnemucca to experience the brothels.  Wish me luck, as snow is again in the forecast.  I have about 2 weeks left in Nevada and still lots to see!

Tonopah, Nevada

We had a thunder/rain storm yesterday that is typical for the desert; at least, it's the only place I have experienced storms so violent.  I was thankful I was in for the night, warm and dry.

Earlier, I drove to Goldfield, about 27 miles straight (and I do mean straight!) south on Highway 95.  In its heyday, Goldfield was one of the most booming towns in Nevada. 

 

The historic Goldfield Hotel has been the site of a number of reported ghost sightings and hauntings and has been featured on The Travel Channel.

And then there was the Main Street

Back in Tonopah, the Central Nevada Museum is an indoor/outdoor museum that tells the stories of the Old West mining boom and pioneer life.  Indoor exhibits feature Native American artifacts, fossils, wildlife, mineral displays, art, mining artifacts and military artifacts of the period.  The admission is by donation only.  Outdoor exhibits include an old west town, a railroad yard and mining equipment.

Tonopah also has a Historic Mining Park and self-guided walking tour if you are interested.

Highway 6 (Ely to Tonopah)

So I drove the 66 miles from Great Basin to Ely, a drop in altitude from 7500 feet to 6400 feet and spent the night.  And again, of course, it's snowing.  I spent the night at a travel center/Chevron in the dirt lot behind and watched the snow fall, not giving any thought to my slides being out or my satellite dish being up.  Not one of my smarter moments.  I'm calling 511 all night for the road conditions and being thankful they were downgraded from chains needed to winter driving conditions, and checking the lot to be sure the snow doesn't get too deep to drive out, but never gave a thought to the snow accumulating on the top of my slides.

In the morning, I can't bring in my slides or lower my dish.  The snow that fell was very wet and heavy and now I have a problem.  What to do?  I can't wait out the weather and hope the snow melts because three more days are forecast and the high is 40 degrees.

After I quit kicking myself, I walked out to the man plowing the parking lot and asked for his help.  He went to get his boss and after we all discussed options, they got a ladder and a snow scraper and cleared my slides so I could bring them in.  They also managed to get enough snow away from the dish so I could lower it most of the way, enough to drive.  Several times in the years I have been full time I have had "angels" come into my life to help me.  This was one of those times.  I have really been very lucky.

Although I haven't seen the rest of Highway 50 yet, I'm thinking maybe Highway 6 should be the Loneliest Highway.  There is nothing!  It is 178 miles from Ely to Tonopah and no services.  You better have a full tank when you head out.  There weren't even other cars traveling either way.

I had to cross two summits, one at 7100 feet and the other at 7700 feet, but when I was past them the weather warmed up to the low 50s, all the snow melted from my vehicles, and the sun was shining.

Although there is a cold wind, with rain predicted for tomorrow, the forecast is for 60 degrees the rest of the week.  I'm staying here for a few days!

The drive from Death Valley National Park to Great Basin National Park

First I have to say .... quite the change in temperature!

My first stop was a few days in Pahrump, Nevada to see my son and daughter-in-law and meet my new Grandpup, Oswald.  Isn't he adorable?

The weather was sunny and warm, the high 70s.  I should have stayed here a few more days, but I'm always anxious to get back on the road, so ....off I go to see Cathedral Gorge State Park.

Volcanoes, earthquakes, water, and erosion created the spires and buff-colored cliffs of Cathedral Gorge.  There are lots of hiking trails and slot canyons, etc. to explore here.  I took these pictures from Miller Point.

There was some construction on the highway and we were led through by a pilot car, so as a result, several vehicles were "bunched" together on the highway for a while.  As we arrived at a turnoff for highway 318, all of the vehicles turned except me.  I was torn between being glad they were turning and wondering if they knew something I didn't. 😏

A stop in Pioche is worthwhile.  Silver was found near here as early as 1863, and after the mines opened in 1869, the settlement boomed.  It gained notoriety as a trigger-happy, lawless town, the toughest in the West.  Local legend has it that not one of the first 70 entrants in its cemetery died of natural causes.

History is all around here, starting with the Million Dollar Courthouse, so named for its costly (some say corrupt) 60-year debt repayment on the initial 1871 construction costs of $26,400.  But when the bond retired in 1936, inflation hit it, and the cost of the courthouse swept up to a massive $1 million.

The Great Basin Highway is a Nevada Scenic Byway and is very pretty.   At Majors Place I turned onto my first leg of Highway 50, the Loneliest Road.  I'll be spending more time on this highway in a couple of weeks.

Between the wind and the grades, I got really bad gas mileage on this drive.  I was hoping my new wheel alignment would give me a little boost in the right direction, but it didn't help.

The Great Basin National Park sits a over 7,000 feet; remember I left Death Valley at below sea level.  This is what I found when I arrived ....

Unfortunately, the entrance to the 12-mile scenic Wheeler Peak drive (13,063 feet) was closed.

And this was my campground. 
When I'm traveling and the campground doesn't accept reservations, I'm always nervous that it will be full.  Not so this time.  I was the only guest.

The Great Basin National Park is home to some of the oldest trees, ancient bristlecone pines, found anywhere.  Also, a unique species of fish, the Bonneville trout, are only found here.  It even has it's own Great Basin rattlesnake!

It's not just one but many basins, separated by mountain ranges roughly parallel, north to south, basin and range alternating in seemingly endless geographic rhythm.  Broad basins hang between craggy ranges from California's Sierra Nevada to Utah's Wasatch Mountains.  Thirteen peaks rise above 11,000 feet.  You can definitely see mountains all around you as you drive into the park.

And below ground are the Lehman Caves (but it's actually only one cave), which extends a quarter mile into the limestone at the base of the Snake Range.  Lehman Caves is famous for rare formations called "shields" which are made up of two circular halves that resemble clam shells.      I got a good picture of the "bacon" formation as well.

The inside of the cave is 50 degrees, year-round, so it was actually warmer in the cave than outside.  It barely got to the low 30s while I was there; and it snowed, of course.                                                                                                        No one else was signed up for the cave tour the morning I reserved, so I got a "personal" tour from two very nice rangers.

I thought Baker would be a little bigger town, so was surprised that it's just a wide spot in the road.

I paid for two nights at the campground, but snow is falling and the weather report says it will continue to do so for three days, so I'm being causous and moving on.