AFT 2013. UT/NV Exploring

[Cody]

I haven't done a trip report in years, but I realized this year that after all of these trips, I have a hard time remembering the details years later. I'm going to try and make an effort to write about them from now on. So, ya, here is a trip report from a trip I did this fall.

AFT 2013....dirt road to wherever.


Every year a diehard group of blowhards plan a trip that is usually centered around exploring, driving fast, and jokes that just wouldn't be appropriate around most people. This year we decided at the last minute to head west to explore either ghost towns, or hot springs, or both, or neither, in Utah, or Nevada, or both... or you get the picture. On some trips it's not so much about the destination, but the people that are there, that make the journey memorable. This group could probably take five days at a KOA campground and make them memorable, and make a sailor blush in the process. The details always tend to flesh themselves out along the way....


So the plan was to meet at the four corners crossing in Lehi at noon. Naturally, after a collection of expected holdups including but not limited to pleading to a Judge in Idaho for an extension (via fax...who the hell has a fax anyway?), getting off work late, emergency pooping at a gas station, and forgetting what time we were supposed to meet, all five vehicles rolled out of the gas station right on time at 1:30.


The first stop...somewhere west of here.


After heading out west we decided to stop at Vernon for a top up of fuel and stuff. The little eclectic market there carries everything from snacks and drinks to a single propane bottle to expired energy drinks to birthday party favors and artisan candles. We purchased all of those things and a little more, then headed west on the Pony Express leaving the proprietor of the market almost certainly wondering what had just happened. Next stop, wherever.


On the way to wherever, we stopped and checked out these small cabins just north of the road at Simpson springs



Kind of like a Japanese Abbey Road moment only his wife makes him cut his hair.



Kurt demonstrating his youth-like agility.


After a little leg stretching we got back on the road and headed towards Callao. Stopped and checked out some hot springs on the way...



Rubb a dub dub



looking back south towards our cars



old abandoned bus. The bottom half is near the main road.


Continuing on, we stopped to take a picture of the cows grazing at the school in Callao. Rumor has it that this was the last school in the US that offered K-12 all in the same building.





After some brief map consultations, we opted to take a left and head south out of Callao and see if we could find some good camping around the warm springs in Gandy. Some high speed driving got us there just before dusk and we found a good spot to set up camp for the night.



Camp Manderville near Gandy


It was a beautiful and brisk night, with just enough fire and beer to keep the chill away. The next morning we awoke, picked up camp, and took a quick dip in the warm springs.





I'd hesitate to call these hot springs, as they are probably only 80* or so by the time they make it to the pool, but even with the morning temperature being in the mid 40's to low 50's, they were warm enough to feel nice. The bats even like to fly low to the water, which can be a little awkward for those of us who prefer not to have bats on our face.





The back wall of the hot spring is a weeping wall with a low hanging entrance to a little cave that goes back about 15 feet or so. With the angle of the early morning sun, the entire cavern was lit up like an aquarium...it was awesome.


After drying off and huddling around a map, we decided to continue to head south towards Great Basin NP, and wherever.



Day 1 mappy map

[Cody]

On the way we tried to find another spring and ghost town, but only found a bunch of dead cows and some fire wood.



How beef bullion is made.


We thought the wood might come in handy, being that it's almost winter and all.



Impromptu man stuff. Don't worry, our safety officer Steve approved of the footwear.


We gassed up in Baker, NV and picked up some supplies. Pickings were slim as it was late in the season and just after the incredibly useful government shutdown, but some locally brewed beers were sourced along with a few other snacks, and we headed towards the Lehman caves to see if we could catch a tour. Unfortunately, the tours were a couple hours out, so we snapped this picture of cave bacon, ate lunch at the picnic area, and decided to head south...to wherever.






Lunch under Wheeler Peak....can you guess which vehicle belongs to a guy with the Japanese last name?


Heading south we passed a variety of abandoned and not so abandoned ranches. Along the way we picked up a random ranch hand with a language barrier and gave him a lift back to his not abandoned ranch, where he was nice enough to open the gate for us...for which we handed the man an ice cold beer. His reaction to the unexpected gift was similar to what mine would be if given a date with Emily Ratajkowski.

Somewhere around Big Springs



Abandoned water pump and windmill at Hyde Well.


At this point we decided to head towards the Wilson Creek mountains to find a home for the night. On the road, we came across an amazing amount of wildlife, including an unusually brazen Coyote that didn't want to get out of the road, and a really nice herd of elk just outside of the Atlanta mine. The area is full of private ranches and mining property, so finding a suitable campsite proved a little more difficult. After some searching and deliberating, we decided on a couple nice pads of flat land just up the hill from some old corrals.



Some beers after the long day on the road, and some RC rockcrawling on the spoils of the impromptu man stuff.



B-Ricin, finally parked like a normal person, is seen here preparing a glorious meal for the group.


The higher altitude necessitated more fire and more drink to stay warm, which in turn lead to conversations about the human shoulder joint being one of only a few in nature that would facilitate the type of arboreal locomotion necessary to perform Jon's intriguing new approach to outdoor defecation known as the “poo branch”. What happens in the unfortunate event of a poo branch failure is only known by Jon. As the night wore on we slowly scattered to our respective beds to get some rest.

Day 2 Mappy Map

[Cody]

The following morning arrived with a racket, as a local rancher was coming up the road to check on his livestock. After a brief encounter-versation with this local gentlemen, we decided it would be best to pack up camp with some haste and get back on the road..to wherever.


We headed up over Pioneer Pass and decided to head down Spring Valley towards Eagle Valley Resevoir, which looked cool on the google.



some horsies along the way



Some stone cabins and a bitchin Tacoma north of Eagle Valley Resevoir



Eagle Valley Reservoir


At the reservoir, we broke for lunch and chatted up a park ranger about some options for camping in the area. In addition to some good local beta for camping and tomfoolery, he also mentioned that they had just stocked the lake with, like, a million Tiger Musky and in the winter when the ice forms they setup a full 18 hole golf course on the lake for a charity event. Add that to my bucket list.


Following the advice of the friendly ranger, we headed a little south and west through a beautfiful valley to gas up in Pioche and then track down some more hot springs.


Pioche is an awesome little mining town that has lost it's glory, but not it's history or charm. In it's day, it was one of the biggest, and most dangerous, mining camps in the west with a population of over 7000 and a reported 72 deaths by gunfight before the first natural death. We took some time to check out a few old buildings, the awesome old museum, and one of the two watering hole's.









Downtown Pioche



Inside the oldest continuously operating saloon in Nevada.


The old saloon we stopped to freshen up in had operated continuously since the 1870's, at which point it was still a territory of Utah. The liquor license on the wall, of Nevada issue, was from the 1890's, and the sweet lady and her puppy who lived upstairs and served us cold beers had stories about how the building had evolved from a brothel to a bar, absorbed the bank next door, and has poor roofing and subpar heating. If you find yourself in Pioche, take a stroll through the museum and stop into the Bank Club for a beer.


We loaded up and decided to try and track down some other hotsprings outside of Panaca that the friendly ranger had turned us onto. Unfortunately, they weren't exactly what we had in mind, being right by the road and next to a dirt lot, so we proceeded to another area he mentioned called Condor Canyon.



Checking out an alcove near the entrance of Condor Canyon



Awesome fall colors


According to the ranger, there used to be a fairly large mine up Condor Canyon, the remains of which could still be found. The road through the canyon was extremely flat as it followed the grade built for the railcars to bring ore out to Panaca. He also warned us that the bridges across the stream had been burned down by a mentally unstable local several years prior, so we might not be able to get through. Sounds like a challenge.



The railroad grade going into the canyon


We finally got to the crossing that we had been warned about, and we were split as to head back or keep pushing forward. In the spirit of adventure, we decided to give it a shot.



Steve, our safety officer, testing the road for us.



The loose, steep, and offcamber climb back out.



Manderson Silva's turn


All of the locked vehicles made it up just fine. Kurt wasn't locked, so he had to use his super heavy cruiser to push Bryson up the hill using his winch cable.



Team Wecouldn'tmakeitunderourownpower


About 100 yards after the climb out we discovered a really cool grotto in the bottom of the canyon, complete with picturesque waterfall, rope swing, and a swimming hole. During the warmer months, this place would be awesome, but this late in the evening and this late in the season, it would have to wait. Unfortunately, no pictures exist. We were in a hurry to find camp and drink beer.


About a quarter mile down canyon we came up on a really nice camp site underneath some old mine equipment and multiple pictograph and petroglyph panels. Obviously people have been enjoying this campsite for thousands of years....











After another great hot meal of spaghetti and steak, drinks and jokes ruled the remainder of the night until we one by one, called it a night.



Day 3 Mappy Map

[Cody]

Nearly everyone arose bright and early and the morning sun brought almost instant relief from the cold. Low 70 degree temps were upon us and we decided that after packing up camp, we should probably shoot some shit.



Juan Puquito Hussain Gutierrez


At this point it was time to start heading north, so we hit some slab and started the return loop. Along the way, we stopped at the Ward Charcoal Ovens just south of Ely.






Pretty amazing stuff.


At this point we decided that for posterity's sake, we should take a group picture.

From left to right, Kurt and Dan in the Kurt's Millenium Death Falcon Chicken Hawk 100 Series, “Stagg Steve” and Dom in Steve's nicely setup 2004 Taco, Jeremy in his 2009 Tacoma, Bryson in his 80 series cruiser, and Jon and Myself in my 2010 Tacoma.





From here, we headed into Ely to grab some lunch and meet up with an old friend, Mark Van Tassel. It was here that we our group split with Steve and Dom heading back to SLC to be married. We then headed north to take as much dirt as possible on the way to Wells.


I wish I had pictures, but along the way we passed through a town called Cherry Creek. I've been through this town a couple of times now, and every time, despite having newer cars and lived in looking homes, we have never seen so much as a soul. Nobody in the yards, nobody looking out windows, and surprisingly nobody carrying shovels back from a yard of shallow graves. Were I not concerned about what could possibly be happening in this odd little town, I'd recommend checking it out. Weird shit central.


Once in Wells we gassed up again and fueled up with some more local beers. At this point Jeremy decided to hit the highway home to make sure he still had a job there, and the rest of us went north out of town to check out yet some more hot springs.





These springs were truly hot, and after a nice meal of Tortilla soup, we grabbed some beers and soaked in the hot springs under the full moon. The temperatures were below freezing, but it didn't bother us. After a while, we surrounded another great campfire and filled the air with discussions of whether Winnie Cooper was the hottest girl on earth, and tried to explain to Jon that Avril Lavigne isn't 16 years old still.


The next morning we took another dip in the springs, packed up camp, and motored home.



Day 4 Mappy Map



Full Map

[BigDaveZJ]

Awesome trip man. Having a great group to go with definitely makes it more entertaining. The couple guys that would normally go with us on that type of stuff in CO haven't been in to wheeling as much lately so we haven't been able to do as much of that stuff as we'd like.

[Z]

I'd love to have the time to join you guys (but I don't). Great writeup, Cody. And apparently all roads lead to Atlanta in Pioche. (Then again, according to the sign in Pioche, Pioche is 22.5 m away.)

[OverkillZJ]

I love the "don't camp here" on the map after the encounter

[CrawlerReady]

Nice! Looks like one hell of a trip! Did I miss it somewhere? How many days was this trip? I'm sure I could go back and count the number of times you said "the next morning".....but I'm not going to do that and with all your drinking there's a chance you forgot a few of those mornings...

[Cody]

Dave/Tom, there are always reasons why trips like this can't be done. It's just a matter of not letting any of them stop you. I'd love to do a multi night trip with all of the GC peeps. That would be a blast. Sign me up as part of that trip!

Matt, I can't mean "don't camp here" enough. Unless you like "good ol' boys" carrying rifles that are not amused by you being there....when "there" is many hours from anywhere else.

Tyler: We are a bunch of drinkers, but we don't drink and drive (well, at least not more than a beer at lunch), and we were all up, breakfast cooked, and packed up to be on the road by 9 or so every morning. We know what it takes to cover ground. I think all of us got within 5mph of 100 mph on dirt, during this trip. I got to 97 before my copilot's whining stopped me from hitting the 100 mph mark. I'll never forgive him

It was 4 nights/ 5 days. About 700 dirt miles. I did a trip a couple weeks before this that is supposed to be published in some lame toyota magazine, so I'm not allowed to do a write up, but that trip about destroyed my truck. My old ZJ would have loved that trip, but this trip would have kicked it's ass. I would have had fun doing a writeup on that trip.

[Mtn WJ]

Nice write up. I have been attracted to this type of wheeling more and more. Kyle and I did a couple shorter trips last summer where we concentrated on being on the dirt as much as practical. Some of the best wheeling trips I have had. it helps when your kid has a Jeep too and we always have more than one on the trip. i was doing these things before with a lifted pop up and one Jeep. However now I use Tent Cots and split the gear between two Jeeps. I even sold the pop up a few months ago. I am also building up a folding trailer to use for extended trips and do base camping like I did with pop up.

Have fun in 2014.

[Mtn WJ]

We know what it takes to cover ground. I think all of us got within 5mph of 100 mph on dirt, during this trip. I got to 97 before my copilot's whining stopped me from hitting the 100 mph mark. I'll never forgive him
.

Going for the Ton on dirt.

[BigDaveZJ]

Dave/Tom, there are always reasons why trips like this can't be done. It's just a matter of not letting any of them stop you. I'd love to do a multi night trip with all of the GC peeps. That would be a blast. Sign me up as part of that trip!

Let's look at putting something together then. We could do something in CO and/or UT quite easily. I'm not 100% sure when we'd be available for a week long trip in 2014, but I'm sure we can figure out a time.

[Cody]

I'd like to make it back to Silverton around the 4th of July again…just saying.

[BigDaveZJ]

I'll look into it on our end, should be something we can pull off.

[Kraqa]

looks like a rad trip!