Benton to Nevada

[Lighthawk]

Heavy weather brought power outages to the Sierra foothills the week leading into Thanksgiving. Our plan was to visit Benton Hot Springs, near Mono Lake for the holiday, but things got a bit complicated when I lost power and water five days before our departure. Other last minute issues, like a spare tire that wouldn't mount underneath the vehicle plagued the get-away until the last day. Ultimately I drained my water lines, looked forlornly at the oak tree that had taken out my power/phone/cable lines as it lay across my driveway in a foot of snow and drove off with my FWC camper with my girlfriend, SR.

We traveled thru near arctic conditions over Donner Pass and around Lake Tahoe. There were chain controls on Hwy 80.
We eventually got to Lee Vining where it was already below 20F and gassed up before heading out Benton Crossing Road.
Our reservation was for a campsite outfitted with our own hot tub. The resort has plentiful hot spring water, 130F at the source I believe. We pulled in and quickly put up the reflectix insulation and fired the furnace. Soaking in the hot water (hot and cold adjustable), the stars were magnificent. It was hard to recognize the normal constellations against the myriad of celestial bodies.

The next brilliant morning we took a drive up Hwy 120 to Adobe Valley. I had seen several 'lakes' (read alkali flats) on my maps and thought we might see some birds/wildlife. Following sparse tracks thru the snowy double track we circled Antelope Lake and got to a place called River Springs. There is a preserved cabin there at the spring and the fresh water spring attracts ducks, geese and also a small band of wild horses. We saw them there two days in a row, after I didn't get the photos I wanted the first day.

We then traveled south along Chidago Loop, heading towards Fish Slough Rd. which has several good petroglyph sites.

Once in Bishop, we loaded up on propane (only .93 of a gallon used after two nights in sub-freezing temps!)
and gas. Our next stop was 75 miles away, on the other side of the White Mountains. We circled Boundary Peak on the north and descended in Nevada at sunset.

More to follow in Part II Nevada

 

[Dughlas Stiubhart]

Thanks for the report and photos, Lighthawk. That is great country!

 

[ski3pin]

The Volcanic Tablelands is a great area to explore. Looking forward to part two and more of your photos! Do you have any photos of your campsite and facilities at Benton? We have not stayed there and are curious. Thanks Lighthawk!

 

[MarkBC]

Thanks, Lighthawk -- show-and-tell more, please!

 

[SunMan]

Very nice pics, look forward to the next installment.

 

[Cort]

Here are some pictures from Benton. In general it is a nice place. One word of warning...in the summer it can get a little beat up. I have had to clean my sites of dog **it and the flies can be a little much. I prefer the numerous "unimproved" hot springs that are all over the place, but you can't beat the tubs at Benton.....and its all yours

 

[Lighthawk]

The Volcanic Tablelands is a great area to explore. Looking forward to part two and more of your photos! Do you have any photos of your campsite and facilities at Benton? We have not stayed there and are curious. Thanks Lighthawk!

Hey Ski,

The sites at Benton can be reserved at a price of $35/night. We had a redwood tub, but sites 7, 8, 9 are tile tubs with a nicer layout.

Site #7 has excellent views over the meadow

Our site #3 is pretty close to the neighbors, but still was nice.

There's no gas at the resort, but possibly at Benton Station, 5 miles east. However, the B&B (rooms are ~$100 with hydronic heated floors) has wifi if you sit on the porch

Nearby attractions are Chidago Cyn and petroglyphs along Fish Slough Rd. Mono Lake is approx 40 miles or less via Hwy 120 ("closed" in the winter). There's a dirt road that comes off River Springs in Adobe Valley that looks like it accesses the eastern shore of Mono Lake, which is another adventure. I circumnavigated Mono once in my Isuzu Trooper, but wouldn't do it again alone.

Andy

 

[Lighthawk]

Part II continued . . .

Heading north from Bishop via Hwy 6 past abandoned buildings at Montgomery Pass made me think this could be a site for a photoshoot someday. We continued east and south, heading towards Fish Lake Valley, following directions to turn left at graded dirt road near a yellow house. Sure enough, we found the house and headed up a side valley as the sun began to slip behind the White Mountains.

Fish Lake Valley hot springs are developed / maintained? by Esmerelda County. Weekends and many evenings, you will not be alone. There's a bathroom, BBQ's and a fence to keep vehicles away from the spring and duck ponds. The water gushes hot into a pool approx 6x12 and spills out continuously. A plastic chair would be ideal to sit in the tub as there are no seats.
Unfortunately, there is some trash and it's a risk the place will be shut down.

Some people just don't get it

We set up camp on the dry landscape above the parking area. Once again our new Webber 120Q did a fine job grilling corn o' the cob and some veggies. In the morning I split an apple and cooked that for my sweetie. She loved it. We heard a generator overnight (!) and discovered a fifth wheel just over the hill beyond the spring. Morning coffee in the tub with killdeer and coots walking by was pretty special.

SR and Sadie

Fish Lake Valley Camp. Note spare tire on roof deck.

Sunset at the duck ponds

After dawdling as long as possible in the springs, with the whole place to ourselves, with thought we should hit the road. Our plan was to make it back home in the Cali foothills that night. Looking at the map, I saw we could continue up Mineral Valley rather than returning 7 miles back to the highway. It was a good choice.

Winter light upon the desert

Mineral Valley

That's not snow, it's alkali deposits

Mineral Valley

We eventually reconnected with Hwy 95 north as the storm began to intensify

Hwy 95 south of Hawthorn

As we got signal, we began to understand that there was blizzard over Donner Pass and that Hwy 80 was closed. No problem! We've got a FWC! But where to stay? We decided to take a shortcut between 95 and Lake Lahontan rec area where there were campgrounds. It was about 30 miles of rough road following the Pony Express route to Ft Churchill. I had misgivings as I saw deep ruts from previous rain events, and black clouds were all around us.

We visited Hooten Springs, a Pony Express stop about ten miles from pavement and almost camped there. But that was after the Attack of the Tumbleweeds event. Or maybe Blockade of the Tumbleweeds is more appropriate. After driving 20 miles we came to a flat where the all the tumbleweeds had filled in the road. We kicked and threw them out of the way. Then after 30 yards, another blockage, and another, and another . . . I really didn't want to drive thru them and have them get stuck on my catalytic converter.

We popped out onto pavement, near the Carson River on Alt Hwy 95 where Ft Churchill has been a State Park since the 1920's. It is the site of the first US Military Base in the territory of Nevada. It was established in response to the Pyramid Lake Massacre where 70 (out of 105) white guys got killed coming after the Paiutes. The natives had reason to be mad too. Two white brothers kidnapped two 12 yr. old indian sisters and molested them, so dad came with his brothers and killed the brothers, which got a posse of 105 white guys to go after them. Soon after Ft Churchill was established along the banks of the Carson River.

restored/rebuilt extensively in the 1930's

Sickness and desertion were common. Pay was $13/mo per man

The drive home was sunny with six feet of snow to admire. Unfortunately the masses were also crossing the sierra on that sunday, so we got caught in a bumper-to-bumper jam from Truckee to the summit, which we then escaped by using old Hwy 40 ( a local's trick ).


WHAT WORKED:
1. Furnace was awesome. Only used 1/2 gallon of propane per 12 hours of heat in 15 degree temps.
2. Again, kudos to the reflectix insulation. We wouldn't have done it without it.
3. We've also learned to hang a small quilt over the front window, tucking it under the edge of the bed.
4. Webber 120Q just fits under the couch, but starts like a champ and cooked three dinners. A+
5. Small cigarette lighter inverter let me plug my 13 yr. old lab's pet heating blanket into the camper while driving. Sadie needs to be warm with her bad hips, so this was a boon.
Likin' my new Bilstein shocks with level kit.

WHAT DIDN'T WORK:
1. Made the mistake of leaving the Hawk exposed to a 20F night before we left without heat.
Then drove thru 15F five hours to camp. Guess what? Plumbing froze. I had to put hot water bottles (direct from the hot spring ) next to the pump, and sink cabinet. After running the furnace for two hours, all was thawed. We had no other freezing problems the rest of the trip, mostly because we were heating at least 12 hrs per 24 hr day.

2. Driving home at the end of a holiday weekend. Sure contrasts against all the wide open space we enjoyed

3. Getting a spare tire (matching 18" BFG AT) and wheel the day before the trip. I had to modify the cable hanger to fit the smaller hole on the BBS wheel when I got home. For the trip we rolled it up a leaning extension ladder to put it on the roof where I lashed it to the Yak Rack system. It worked, but was less than ideal.

 

[Lighthawk]

Any guesses what this is? Kind of looks like a trap of some sort to me.

Adobe Valley

 

[MarkBC]

Any guesses what this is? Kind of looks like a trap of some sort to me.
Adobe Valley


Do the grid walls go down to ground on all sides? Can't quite tell from the photo. If they do then my guess: A way to protect that little square from grazing beasts for with/without-grazing study by BLM (?)

What's that white thing that looks to be inside the thing?
Are there any doors in it that would indicate it's a trap?

By the way: Nice, nice photos and area -- Thanks! I've been through there on the way to/from the Whites, but looks like I should stop and explore -- and soak -- next time.

 

[Cal]

Any guesses what this is? Kind of looks like a trap of some sort to me.


I think MarkBC got it right. I have seen them up in the mountains in western Utah where cattle have been grazing.

 

[ski3pin]

Any guesses what this is? Kind of looks like a trap of some sort to me.



I believe for a grazing plot study. This protects a small plot from grazing and this can be compared to the area grazed by domestic stock. It lets the land manager gauge how the forage to stock ratio is doing. These are usually required to be put out and monitored as part of a grazing permit on public lands.

 

[Lighthawk]

Do the grid walls go down to ground on all sides? Can't quite tell from the photo. If they do then my guess: A way to protect that little square from grazing beasts for with/without-grazing study by BLM (?)

What's that white thing that looks to be inside the thing?
Are there any doors in it that would indicate it's a trap?

By the way: Nice, nice photos and area -- Thanks! I've been through there on the way to/from the Whites, but looks like I should stop and explore -- and soak -- next time.

white stuff is snow, Mark. I think you guys figured it out, must be part of grazing data collection.

 

[ski3pin]

Lighthawk and Cort, thanks for the photos and info on Benton Hot Springs. I appreciate it.

 

[n0izh]

Hello,
I was wondering if you have insulated the pump and water lines at all. We haven't been in extended freezing conditions since I wrapped mine without the heater going. A lot of times the overnight temps hard freeze, but it's warm during the day so I don't know if my insulation makes any difference. Also I have seen those cheap 12v heaters you plug into cigarette lighters at the truck stops. I was thinking of trying one of those in the cabinet when we drive to Colorado in January.
Thanks for the nice photos too. We have put that area on our list to see.
John