Memorial Weekend Nevada tour

[Lighthawk]

Our Memorial Day holiday was initially oriented on chasing a touted meteor shower that never appeared. But any excuse to get out into the backcountry will do, and better yet we had compatriots with Ski3pin & Lady.

I had requested a dark sky and hot spring location, and Ski knew where it was. I had a pretty good idea myself. We decided to join forces and meet in Fallon, NV at 6pm on Friday. A succinct plan, until I spotted a taquerria betweenn Fernley and Fallon and went for a platillo de tacos pollo. SR ordered her usual horachata. We pressed on to the meeting spot, refueled in both truck and body.

A happy reconnection, and we were off!

Open range country





Racing the light


Time to walk the road


The women folk




We found a way to slide the trucks along the tracks, until reaching the end of the road. It was ideal for two rigs with a spring to soak in. Only problem was the temperature was 130F (with 184F source) and the fill tube had been left in the pool.

We set up camp on a grassy knoll with a view towards the playa


A suspected gopher hole turned out to be a smallish spring hole, which I covered with a plywood plank.
When I flipped the plywood over later, the bottom was wet and steamy. A headlamp revealed water a foot down in the small hole.




The evening was superb. We commented at the lack of bugs. Later on we were serenaded by coyotes, and Callie pricked her ears.



We stood around watching the sky between bands of clouds. It had been a 50/50 proposition whether the sky would even be visible. One early flash of a meteor had Ski and I excited, but alas the evening was a bust. I persevered and set up a camera to shoot a series of exposures, each 30 sec long, spaced only 1 sec apart.

Rising Moon
http://youtu.be/QgORJXDPsSA

Looking South
http://youtu.be/48Urge-kvsU


It took six hours for the cattle tank tub to cool before I could jump in. It was hot.


The reward

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Ok, this trip is on my list! It looks like you and the 3pins had a great time!

 

[montana-moods]

Thanks for the report Lighthawk. The time lapse night to sunrise was very cool. Sorry about the meteors and the fishing. At least the company and the landscape was great.

 

[Lighthawk]

The weekend had just begun. There's something about getting out of town on a Friday, that stretches the apparent weekend.

We consulted our GPS and topos. So many dirt roads look the same on the map, but in reality you have to find the one the locals actually use. After attempting to circle the playa and hitting very slick mud, we decided to head back to the main road before someone got stuck. I know I wouldn't have driven out to the springs or tried some of these roads if I had been alone.

As the Lady says, "Here's another road. Let's try all of 'em!"

But which road?

Maybe this sign will say.



Can you read it?



We came upon two small groups of pronghorn. For some of you, these guys are routine, but we've rarely seen them.



Thanks to Ski for catching me stalking the antelope in his blog.

Photo credit: Ski3pin

They were curious about us and were vocalizing.


This group of three young'uns were really cute.


After admiring these residents of the playa, we found large encampments of non-native species.


Back to pavement for a while.


Back to dirt, we found an abandoned ranch. I only took a few snaps, but would return and spend more time to understand what happened here.




Rain drops were splashing across the windshield from time to time as we approached the Arc Dome Wilderness. Here are a pair of black-crowned night heron flying in distance through a big landscape.


Love the old signs. First we went left, then we went right.



Turning off the dirt road onto the double track.


We made it to our destination. Camped at 8400' in what felt like a mix of high desert and alpine. Temperatures were comfortable, but I imagine it can be too hot in the summer.

 

[billharr]

Just read your and Ski's trip reports. Looked like a great weekend trip. If the meteor showers would have happened it could have been the trip of a life time.

 

[Smokecreek1]

Another great adventure, guys! Thanks for taking us along! Sure liked the pict's of the lope-my 2nd favorite wild beastie after wolves! You guys are sure exploring the last desert frontiersmans "Jack Longsteets " country and having fun!

Smoke

 

[Taku]

Thanks for the great trip report. We too looked for the advertised meteors in SW MT, but they were no shows also. Love that NV backcountry.

 

[4llamas]

"One early flash of a meteor had Ski and I excited, but alas the evening was a bust." Yeah it looks like a total wreck.

 

[Lighthawk]

Another episode: Hiking the upper Reese River

The day dawned fine and everyone was eager to hit the trail. I trailed behind, packing a camera and fishing rod. The Arc Dome Trailhead can be busy on big weekends. I met a young family from Tahoe with kid and dog, all of them packing for an overnighter. They were fast hikers and followed me fleet footed down the hill. I figured I had given SR and crew a ten minute lead.

The mountain bluebells were in prime condition on the upper part of the six hundred foot descent.




I caught up with SR as the 3pins explored farther up the canyon.




Cattle had run this land, but not recently. Old fences and odd steel pole markers delineated the landscape.






The Reese was a smallish creek, surrounded by hot brushy habitat, but breaking into grassy aspen groves in sections.



I had tried my hand fishing several classic patterns on small pocket water the night before, and didn't see any action. Small fry were present in the shallows, during the harsh light of midday. Most of the pond water was silted and barren.

We reached a section of beaver dams as the canyon narrowed between rhyolite cliffs.


A creek crossing offered a bit of nature drama: A water snake downing a sucker (ID thanks to Ski).




High noon with the crew.


Ski is a Nikon man, I'll forgive him anyway.


SR is now almost four months post knee surgery. We weren't sure she would reach the intriguing "stone cabin", but she did. The round trip was almost ten miles, but was mostly flat. It was a big hike, but with some ice packs and ibuprofen, it was a success too.



Hey Smoke! Does this look familiar to you and others who have staffed backcountry admin cabins?


The Lady called this the hanta cabin. I opened the door and saw all the mouse droppings and shot the photo from the door.

Heading back.


The Lady told SR she would find her a shady place with water for a break.


While SR cooled her heels, we jaunted up Big Sawmill Creek. It was nicer then the Reese, with more grass and better looking fishing water. We reached an aspen grove below a section of beaver dams. A red naped sapsucker was raucous and bold, giving Ski and I photo ops. I was undergunned with only a 35mm wide angle lens, so couldn't get a close up.



Several beaver ponds above did have fish. I spotted a modest size fish and pointed it out.
Callie swam after several sticks, sending all the fish under cover. The Lady had seen an actual beaver, before all the commotion.

The hike back was more interesting when a young couple we met told us they had met two rattlesnakes while descending the trail. We let the Lady take the lead and dropped back our pace with Callie on leash. The desert peach as in bloom (thanks to Patrick for ID)



At last, back to camp. Always nice to spend two nights in the same camp.




Evening colors were visible wrapping around Arc Dome to our north.


And Black Mountain to the west.

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Superb trip and report! Thanks again for sharing!!

 

[Lighthawk]

Last Leg: The Trip Home

We consulted maps and decided to take NF-120 through the Shoshone Mtns, heading west. I was running on a single tank of gas, but had nothing to worry about, when we ultimately reached Fallon.

There's a significant mine on the west slope of those mountains, I believe it was called the Baltimore Mine. We stopped twice to check out the remaining structures.






This building was partly laid brick with a wood addition.


They moved a good sized chunk of mountain. This was a major mine.




Google Earth shows some green around this old adobe. I wonder if there's a spring there?



Ski and I were both intrigued by this stone structure with a pole framed roof.

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Thanks for following along. Hope you enjoyed the trip!

 

[ETAV8R]

Great report and pics. The time lapse are fantastic!

 

[takesiteasy]

Looks like a great weekend and very nice photography. Thanks for posting.

 

[Lighthawk]

Thank you,

takesiteasy

ETAV8R

It was a fun trip and posting photos is part of the fun for me.

 

[highz]

Thanks for sharing more great images from this trip. Sharing special places with friends - what could be better?

 

[ski3pin]

.................................Sharing special places with friends - what could be better?

Not much highz, not much.

Lighthawk, this was such fun seeing our trip through your eyes and lens and talent. Fun, fun, fun! Thanks!

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Cool beans!!! I love the old structures! I hope to get out there one of these days!

 

[montana-moods]

"The hike back was more interesting when a young couple we met told us they had met two rattlesnakes while descending the trail. We let the Lady take the lead and dropped back our pace with Callie on leash."

O.K this struck me as pretty funny. Two rattelsnakes up ahead, Lady you go first.

Thanks for the full report, it was fun seeing the tag team effort from two seperate perspectives with you and Ski3pin.

P. S. Does the Lady speak Parseltongue?

 

[ski3pin]

P. S. Does the Lady speak Parseltongue?

Yes she does and she is very experienced and at ease with buzz worms.

 

[montana-moods]

"Yes she does and she is very experienced and at ease with buzz worms."

Good to know, I wish I had her with me today. I nearly stepped on a very large rattler. It was nice enough to buzz me. I may have to post a report on this work journey when I get home, lots of critter adventures.