Leslie and David's Wanderings: August 2021

Sunday, August 29, 2021

25 August 2021 Basin and Range NM

We planned our route so we could visit the last National Monument on our list in southern Nevada on our way back to Las Vegas. Basin and Range NM is run by the BLM. There are no facilities, only a couple of poorly marked trails, and very little information available from the BLM office in Caliente. We discovered in our research that there are no signs on the highway to point you to the NM. There are several well maintained dirt roads (old mining roads) that crisscross the NM that are accessible from NV318 if you can figure out where to turn. So we headed south on US6 out of Ely to NV318 and south on NV318. A bit south of the small (and we do mean small) town of Sunnyside we picked a dirt road heading southwest into the general direction of the NM. We then checked our All Trails app and fortunately, it showed all the roads into and out of the park, we had chosen well. We went into the park on Timber Mountain road all the way to Water Gap. This took us across the northern part of Coal Valley. The road was in excellent shape and we found ourselves going 35-55MPH on the dirt and gravel road. We saw on Prong Horn Antelope on that road and three more on the next road. We stopped in Water Gap to take in the views of Garden Valley (and the mountain ranges to the west) and eat lunch. Surprisingly, we saw several vehicles come through the Water Gap, presuming they were on their way to Adaven or Cherry Creek (little towns just outside the west side of the park). After lunch we head back to the southeast on Seaman Wash Road to NV318. Again, the road was in excellent shape and we were cruising quickly across the southern portion of Coal Valley. Back on NV318, we backtracked north to the White River Narrows and hunted around until we found the petroglyphs we had read about. Being a BLM NM, nothing is well marked including the petroglyph panels, but we were able to find them and enjoy the 2-4000 year old art. The largest collection of petroglyphs in southern Nevada are in the narrows. With the Behemoth covered in dust and dirt, we headed back to the Wanderer. After three very busy weeks of travel, we were happy to be home with nowhere to go for a while.

Coal Valley from Timber Mountain pass

The Water Gap

Entrance Sign

Petroglyphs in White River Narrows

24 August 2021 Bristlecone Pines

Leslie’s knee was feeling better this morning so we decided to do the Bristlecone Cove hike in Great Basin. We drove to the park and up to the end of Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive. We started out around 1pm. The trail was only supposed to be 2.8 miles round trip, but turned out to be 3.5 miles round trip (577 ft of elevation gain and 2,722 calories burned). We took our time so Leslie could be careful with her knee. She did magnificently. It was a beautiful day for a hike, sunny, 59 degrees, and only a slight breeze. With the trail being at 10,000, we had to watch our breathing, but since we were taking our time and resting frequently, we really did not lose our breath. When we got to the Bristlecone Pine Grove, we walked the loop and read the interpretive signs. The Bristlecone Pines are magnificent. There is something about touching a living 3300 year old tree that just makes you feel grounded. We learned that Bristlecone trees do not rot. Their wood is so dense and full of resin, that they erode due to weather rather than rot. So a stump could be thousands of years old. The hike was very pleasant. Leslie watched her step and her knee held up great. When we got back to the Behemoth, we ate a belated lunch and enjoyed the subalpine atmosphere. We reluctantly headed back to Ely.

Sign at the start of the Bristlecone Loop trail

Wheeler Peak behind Bristlecone Pines

3300 Year Old Bristlecone Pine Tree

thousand year old stump

Bristlecone Pine Stump

Leslie on Bristlecone Pine Trail

Bristlecone Pine Stump

David leaning up against a 2200 year old Bristlecone Pine

23 August 2021 Exploring Around Ely

Leslie’s knee was still sore, so we decided to use the day to explore some of the scenic drives around Ely. First up was Success Loop Scenic Drive. It starts on the east side of town off US50 and ends on the north side on US93. The road goes through Cave Lake State Park (the lake was almost dried up) then climbs up through Humbolt National Forest to the top of Success Pass before dropping back down to the highway. The first 7-8 miles on each end of the loop was paved, the rest was a well maintained gravel and dirt road. As we came to the top of the pass we found ourselves in pine and aspen tree groves. In the clearing, you could see the horizon. It was very smoky from fires in California which limited how far you could see through the haze. We then drove back into town, had lunch at La Fiesta (our go to Mexican food place in town) before heading out west of town on US50. US50 is called the loneliest road in America since it crosses very large stretches of rural America. We then followed a series of dirt/gravel roads in Humbolt National Forest to the ghost town of Hamilton. The town of Hamilton sprung up in the late 1880s due to silver being found in the surrounding hills. The rock and wood structures still standing were it fairly good shape considering they are over 100 years old. There was also some more recent buildings and mining equipment from more recent mining attempts in the area. After Hamilton, we decided to take some of the less well maintained dirt roads to loop back to the Illipah Reservoir. At first it was fairly easy going but when we dropped down into the canyons, the vegetation became very thick and close to the road. Our big wide Behemoth was too wide for these roads and we got a lot of dust scrapes along the fenders. Fortunately, these will wash off, but there are a few that will require some polishing. But we were happy we took this route as we got to see six different groups of wild horses, some fairly close up, along with several deer. About the only wild life we have seen in our travels in Nevada.

Road to Success Pass

View from Success Pass

Drive through Humbolt National Forest

Looking west from Success Pass

Ruins in Hamilton

Wild Horse Near Hamilton

Deer Near Hamilton

Another Wild Horse near Hamilton

22 August 2021 Lehman Caves

We had made reservations for a cave tour in Great Basin NP a month earlier. Good thing we did because they were all sold out. We took our time in the morning getting on the road since our tour was not until 1PM. We arrived in time to enjoy our picnic lunch before the tour. The tour was short, only about an hour. Lehman’s cave is a rare Marble cave, but you really could not see any marble as all the surfaces were covered by calcite unlike our Oregon Caves tour. The most unique feature of the cave was the multiple shield formations. The cave was very humid and since we were required to wear masks, our glasses kept fogging up. David had brought a couple of jackets in case it was too cool in the cave. But as he went to put one on, he realized he had brought two of Leslie’s jackets, neither of which would fit him. But the temperatures in the cave were a refreshing 52 degrees, so jackets were not needed. Part way through the cave, Leslie stepped wrong and tweaked her bad knee, but soldiered on through the tour. After an hour below ground, we were happy to see sunlight! On the way out of the park, we decided to take the dirt Pole Canyon road out of the park. As soon as we hit the park boundary there were a bunch of side roads and no map on where they went. We ended up playing around for a couple of hours finding our way back to a hard surface road, but it was fun.

Parachute Shield Formation

21 August 2021 Great Basin National Park

Our primary purpose of coming to central Nevada was to visit Great Basin National Park (our 43^rdNP). The park encompasses the southern portion of the Snake Range. We tried to find accommodations closer to the park, but there is very little in the town of Baker, just outside the park. Even the RV parks could not handle big rigs. So if we had brought the Wanderer we still would have ended up in Ely. It’s a 1:15 hour drive each way between the Park and Ely, but we decided it was acceptable. We drove to the park this morning with the intention of going to the visitor center and driving the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive. Surprisingly, the visitor center was fully open, but it is very small. It does have a small café and store with a few exhibits. It reminded us of the Big Bend visitor center in the 1980s. We saw that all the camp grounds were sold out for the weekend, but it just did not seem like there was a lot of people. After buying our park hat and postcards, we headed out on the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive. From the town of Baker, the park rises over 8000 feet to the top of Mt. Wheeler (13,000 ft in altitude). The Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive takes you to just under 10,000 feet in altitude with majestic views of the basins below the mountains. On Mt. Wheeler, the remnants of Rock Glacier are barely visible. Rock Glacier is the furthest south glacier in the US. The drive ends at a large parking lot for trails into the subalpine forests below Wheeler Peak. We plan to come back and hike to the Bristlecone Pine Cove in a couple of days. We also took the time to drive through some of the campgrounds to get a feel for what they were like. We then headed back to Ely. After a quick stop at the hotel to check on Etta, we went to the White Pine County Fair. It was a tiny fair with very few vendors and only one play house for the kids. We arrived in time to catch the last horse race of the day. Even though it was only a small county fair horse race, it was every bit as exciting as the big races as the jockey guided the thundering horses around the track. Nevadans take their horse racing very seriously!

Entrance Sign

Wheeler Peak from overlook.

Mount Wheeler with the remains of Rock Glacier at its base

Looking down into the valley from Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive

As the horses come around the corner into the home stretch

Deer at end of Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive

20 August 2021 Central Nevada Drive

We packed up the truck and headed for central Nevada for a road trip out of Las Vegas. We left the Wanderer parked in Vegas since we did not want to lose our site and instead stayed in a hotel. On the way up to Ely Nevada on US93, we stopped off at the Alien Research Center again for gifts, and then at the BLM office in Caliente to pick up some information for Basin and Range NM. The roads were in very good shape but there is only so much desert mountains and valleys one can take in and enjoy. But the temperatures cooled as we climbed into the higher elevations of the Great Basin (Ely is at 5300 feet verses Las Vegas at 1700 feet). Etta was happy she could travel with us and it not involve a tight kennel cramped under a seat. We stayed at the LaQuinta in Ely, which is on the main road. Heading out to dinner in town, the few restaurants were packed. We learned that the county fair and horse races were this weekend and all the hotels were full. Intrigued by the idea of going to a small town fair, we figured out how to fit a visit to the fair into our plans over dinner.

Sunday, August 15, 2021

1 August 2021 Gold Butte NM

Gold Butte NM is run by the BLM and is located between Lake Mead National Recreation Area on one side and Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument on the other side, near the Nevada/Arizona state line. There are no facilities, no maintained trails, no campgrounds and the dirt roads are barely maintained. We knew it would be a long day, so we decided to take Etta with us. We drove out of Las Vegas on I-15 north and exited near the state line (exit 112) and crossed over the Virgin River where we picked up the start of the Gold Butte Backcountry Byway. The first 21 miles of the road are sort of paved. The pavement is disintegrating with pot holes and patches. The pavement ends at Whitney Pocket. Whitney Pocket is a red rock butte sticking up out of the brown desert that has been carved by erosion into really cool shapes and caves. The next 20 miles to the Gold Butte townsite is a rough, wide, and rocky minimally maintained road. The townsite was not much to see as the town was mostly tents. A couple of graves and some pieces of rusted equipment from its gold mining days. The western loop from the town site to Devil’s Throat is narrow and rough, 4 wheel drive was not needed but high clearance was a must. We diverted into Mud Wash to visit Little Finland, and found patches of deep sand, so we ended up in 4 high to keep traction. From the parking area for Little Finland, I found barbwire fences blocking access the strangely shaped eroded rocks on the bluff. So it was not clear how to climb up from the western parking area. Did not try from the East. Next we stopped at the Devils Throat, a large sinkhole that opened up in the 1930s. But they have a fence around it for safety and you can’t see much. The little CCC built dam was pretty cool near Whitney Pocket. But could not find any info on other CCC activities within the park. We ended up doing almost 80 miles off pavement. It was hot in the valley and thunderstorms exploded over us, but we barely got any rain. The clouds helped keep the sun off us for part of the day and made for dramatic photos but fortunately we did not have any heavy rain or flash flooding. From start to finish turned into an 11 hour day trip. Poor Etta was ready to sit still for a while after a long bumpy day.