Hot, but not steamy, Nevada

[Ted]

After reading Ski3pin’s trip report about his travels through Nevada we decided to see some of these sites for ourselves. Then fbenross’s article in Truck Camper Magazine sealed our need to go and added that much more to our itinerary.

Overnighted at Green Mountain on our way out. Not far from Fallon but very private. Did get some jets overhead from the nearby Naval Station but none at night

On the way to Monitor Valley we saw wild horses, and an antelope that thought it was a cow.

It finally got up and reluctantly moved aside.

 

[Ted]

Sites we visited in Monitor Valley included Toquima Cave , Diana's Punch Bowl, and the old mining town of Belmont.

 

[Ted]

Gassed up in Tonopah and checked the WW II era hangars at the airport.

 

[Ted]

Then made the long haul for the Mt Irish petroglyphs including the ET Highway and the town of Rachel.

 

[Ted]

It was hot when we got to the petroglyphs - 116°! That was a drop from the 120° we hit on the drive in. So we made a brief tour of the petroglyphs then climbed higher to find a shady place to camp.

 

[Ted]

Next morning we had had enough of the hot weather and made a long run west and camped high up in the White Mountains.

The next day presented an opportunity I have been looking forward to for a while. Some of you may recall the Warner Mountains Rally trip report where Stew and Ski3pin came to my defense against the Evil Overlord Dirty Dog. For that they became my new best friends and, as a token of my gratitude, I promised to provide them with the drink of their choice should we ever meet. The last night of our trip was spent on Green Creek Road with Ski3pin and The Lady! As promised, they received a gift of good coffee. What fun it was to spend time in camp sharing stories and experiences with these two. Talk about a connection with the outdoors, Ski was able to find us a camp on the creek with no mosquitos when everywhere else they were swarming. As a bonus, we got to see a Rosy Boa, a first for me!

Don't worry Stew, I'll have your Guiness when the time comes.

 

[Ted]

The next morning we parted ways as we were taking the scenic route home. We went over Tioga Pass and through Yosemite. The snow melt is still going strong. Little cascades were coming down everywhere, and the Tuolumne River and Tenaya Lake were overflowing well into the trees lining their banks. It was a great finish to an enjoyable and interesting trip.

 

[craig333]

Great pics Ted. Wish I was there

 

[Dughlas Stiubhart]

Don't worry Stew, I'll have your Guiness when the time comes.



I sure hope so! And thanks for the pic of the Rosy Boa, Ted. I've never seen one of them before!

 

[BillM]

It was hot when we got to the petroglyphs - 116°! That was a drop from the 120° we hit on the drive in. So we made a brief tour of the petroglyphs then climbed higher to find a shady place to camp.

Great trip & pics but 116-120 !!! We reserve that part of NV for the late fall, winter, early spring. What are you, mad dogs or englishmen?

 

[Ted]

Great trip & pics but 116-120 !!! We reserve that part of NV for the late fall, winter, early spring. What are you, mad dogs or englishmen?

Last name is Cornish, so I'll go with englishman. But mad dog is probably more true. Actually, the long term forecast didn't look bad a week before the trip, so we decided to include it in the itinerary. I like to use this line a lot and feel it applies to me in this case: He chose... poorly.

 

[ski3pin]

It was great to spend an evening with the Teds, swap some tales, and enjoy a couple of new roasts, especially in such a nice spot. The Lady is still enjoying the not so speedy speed goat photo! It looks like your scenic route home was pretty neat. Thanks for the trip report, from your fellow great basin addicts..............and we will continue backing you up and standing at your defense. Wander on!

 

[SunMan]

Nice report Ted, you guys really covered some ground. Glad you were able to meet up with the 3pins. Great pics.

 

[F Ben Ross]

Some of that looks familiar...Cool snake!

 

[Lighthawk]

We loved the tour de Monitor with Toquima Cave, which was our first FWC outing last Labor Day. It was hot at Belmont, but not over 100F. You must have some crazy Englishmen in your blood.

Great photos, Ted! That's quite a tour. How many miles did you pull? We just did 600 up and around Modoc/Warner and will be posting a trip report soon.

 

[Ted]

Some of that looks familiar...Cool snake!

Yup, most of our trip outside of Monitor Valley was based on your trip report, so thank you for the great info. Green Mountain is just the right distance for us to make when leaving after work and heading out 50. We'll use that spot again. Got skunked on the leaf fossils by Middlegate but that is where the photo of the horses is from so still a good stop. I really wanted to see the hangars. Did you see the old wing frame in the first one? Very cool. Maybe in cooler weather we will explore Mt Irish more thoroughly.

How many miles did you pull?

As usual, we tried to cram too much into our alloted time. Even with skipping the Lunar craters, we totaled about 1350 miles. Averaged 13.7 mpg. Average gas cost of $3.89.

 

[DirtyDog]

Yeah I tell ya Nevada is moving up my favorite state list pretty fast over the last year. Thanks for the great repot Ted!

- Evil Overloard DD

 

[MarkBC]

Thanks for the report, Ted.
The northern part of your trip is definitely some of my favorite territory. Amazing that the pronghorn didn't scoot immediately...cool.
Did you eat at the Little A'Le'Inn in Rachel? A few years ago I dipped further south than usual and also traveled the Extraterrestrial Highway and stopped in Rachel -- it's a pretty funny scene. At the Little A'Le'Inn I had an "Alien Burger"...it tasted just like hamburger!

I tell ya Nevada is moving up my favorite state list pretty fast over the last year.
I think Nevada is at the top of my list...has been for a while.
(California would probably qualify for that spot if only it had 30 million fewer people

)

 

[DLN]

Great trip and report Ted. We also drove through Rachel in Sept. '09 on our way back from Zion via Cathedral Gorge and the place was deserted. We hadn't intended to take that route but the weather had gotten cold and we decided on the southerly road home. Very interesting drive. Ended up spending the night at Horton Creek CG just outside of Bishop and home the following day.

 

[clikrf8]

What a great trip for you and an excellent report. You got it all: wildlife, ghost town, rock art, and meeting with friends.