craig333
Riley's Human
Ditch the 110 degree temps seemed like a no brainer and as I pretty much gotta go when I have the time I headed up to Union Valley Res as Bob and Steve were camped there.
Steve made Riley pretty happy.
Bob headed out to get his new toy and I headed over to see if Monitor Pass really was closed.
So much for the hot springs and exploring the Pass and, since the detour involved going up Hwy 108 and I was short on funds/fuel for that I headed over to Centerville.
Setup camp and got the Jeep ready to head over to Highland Lakes per Ski's suggestion. Traffic was heavy but I didn't mind pulling over and letting the motorcycles and sports cars fly by. Gave me more opportunities to look around. Fun thing about driving the Jeep was experiencing the change in smells as I gained altitude. I also saw a big plume of smoke from the Slinkard fire. More than a little concerned Centerville could get smoked out. Kept a good eye for sites if it became necessary to bail. Crowded up by the Lakes but a few spots were available.
Not sure which fire that smoke was from but the Lakes itself was smoke free.
When I got back to Centerville the wind had shifted and blown the smoke away to the North.
Next day I went to explore the Lady Franklin, Acacia and Exchequer mines near the old town of Silver Mountain. The gate was open and though steep, the road was in good shape. That didn't last long. The first boulder I had a 50/50 chance of making it around or going down the cliff. Didn't matter since not far past there was a bigger boulder and past that a slide.
Riley made it past the slide and I started to but didn't think I'd make it, at least not solo.
Interestingly https://thediggings.com/mines/usgs10079218 says there is a tapped production. I doubt it. None of the mines were big producers. Since Monitor Pass was still closed I decided to head over to Silver Lake and visit a friend. He was at work of course but I visited with his wife a bit before heading over to the Silver Fork road. Thought about finally seeing Cody Lake. Then it dawned on me "its a scout camp and its Labor Day weekend. Kinda likely to be in use". Well I've been up the road to the top of Cody Meadow but never been able to go further because of snow. GPS said 8165' and it seemed like I was all alone in a remote area until the quad came by, and further downhill I ran into a group riding mini bikes. Mini bikes? I haven't seen those in ages. Good thing they had a support vehicle along as one had lost a chain. Back to camp and Riley was ready for a nap.
My plan and concession to the holiday was to head home Sunday and beat the traffic heading home but I was even earlier than expected. 4am and I can't sleep so I decided to pack up and head home. Almost no traffic on the way home.
What did I miss. Boat loads of fisherman lining the Carson River. Crazy traffic on 88. Silver fork road was mobbed. At least I missed the worst of the heat.
Steve made Riley pretty happy.
Bob headed out to get his new toy and I headed over to see if Monitor Pass really was closed.
So much for the hot springs and exploring the Pass and, since the detour involved going up Hwy 108 and I was short on funds/fuel for that I headed over to Centerville.
Setup camp and got the Jeep ready to head over to Highland Lakes per Ski's suggestion. Traffic was heavy but I didn't mind pulling over and letting the motorcycles and sports cars fly by. Gave me more opportunities to look around. Fun thing about driving the Jeep was experiencing the change in smells as I gained altitude. I also saw a big plume of smoke from the Slinkard fire. More than a little concerned Centerville could get smoked out. Kept a good eye for sites if it became necessary to bail. Crowded up by the Lakes but a few spots were available.
Not sure which fire that smoke was from but the Lakes itself was smoke free.
When I got back to Centerville the wind had shifted and blown the smoke away to the North.
Next day I went to explore the Lady Franklin, Acacia and Exchequer mines near the old town of Silver Mountain. The gate was open and though steep, the road was in good shape. That didn't last long. The first boulder I had a 50/50 chance of making it around or going down the cliff. Didn't matter since not far past there was a bigger boulder and past that a slide.
Riley made it past the slide and I started to but didn't think I'd make it, at least not solo.
Interestingly https://thediggings.com/mines/usgs10079218 says there is a tapped production. I doubt it. None of the mines were big producers. Since Monitor Pass was still closed I decided to head over to Silver Lake and visit a friend. He was at work of course but I visited with his wife a bit before heading over to the Silver Fork road. Thought about finally seeing Cody Lake. Then it dawned on me "its a scout camp and its Labor Day weekend. Kinda likely to be in use". Well I've been up the road to the top of Cody Meadow but never been able to go further because of snow. GPS said 8165' and it seemed like I was all alone in a remote area until the quad came by, and further downhill I ran into a group riding mini bikes. Mini bikes? I haven't seen those in ages. Good thing they had a support vehicle along as one had lost a chain. Back to camp and Riley was ready for a nap.
My plan and concession to the holiday was to head home Sunday and beat the traffic heading home but I was even earlier than expected. 4am and I can't sleep so I decided to pack up and head home. Almost no traffic on the way home.
What did I miss. Boat loads of fisherman lining the Carson River. Crazy traffic on 88. Silver fork road was mobbed. At least I missed the worst of the heat.
