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Hot Springs,
Airway Beacons, and Pronghorn
Early
Saturday morning found us in the middle of the Nevada we love. We reached the
end of pavement that stretched out into the distance behind us.
Stopping in
the road was fine. We were alone. We watched the waterfowl in the bottom of
Buena Vista Valley as we took a break. Up and over McKinney Pass took us down
into Pleasant Valley.
Two
pronghorn bucks, a golden eagle, we expected and enjoyed seeing. The juvenile bald
eagle was a surprise. We stopped to study it through the see mores (aka
birdoculars) and confirmed our identification.
Our first
planned destination had been on our list for a couple of years. It had the kind
of western name that jumped out and grabbed us - The Seven Devils Hot Springs.
In my research I found an old historical photo.
The photo
moved it up the list several spaces.
We found the
trace of a road that led into the area. It was immediately blocked by a deep
cut. It was a beautiful spring day for a walk anyway, the gps gave an "as
the crow flies" distance of only 3.25 miles, so we added food and water to
our packs and headed out.
The Lady
climbed straight up the hill where the historical photo was shot from. I took
the "around the hill" route and received a similar, but lower, first
view.
The were
seven pools spread out across the raised mound of hot mineral water deposits.
One had
breached and drained and now was home to a lone cottonwood tree.
The Lady was
approaching the southernmost mound. I was following. A narrow cleft slit the
mound and I could see the Lady wanted to explore it. She ducked inside and
suddenly moved backwards and tumbled over a large rock onto her pack.
"It's not a rattler. I'm okay, I almost stepped on it and I didn't want to
hurt it!"
I brushed
her off and we both looked down at what we quickly named "The Devil's
Serpent", a Great Basin Gopher Snake.
We snacked and relaxed at the high point. Hot water streamed in the bottom of the cauldron and
flowed out to a pool below.
Please
notice the rosy hue on the mountain slopes in the photos . This is all ripening cheat grass, a destructive invasive species.
The Lady
insisted we take a different cross country route back.
After a
couple of miles we intersected an old power line road.
Even these
simple everyday items speak of history out here in rural Nevada. Electric power
reached these areas as a result of FDR's Rural Electrification Act of 1936. The Act was
amended in 1949 to establish the Rural Telephone Administration. History is
out there if you look for it, even under a raven's nest.
After our
quick six and a half or so mile hike to see The Seven Devils, we moved over
into Jersey Valley.
Our next
stop was Jersey Valley Hot Springs.
The Lady stood
in the pool that no longer exists. A Golden Eagle soared above us, alone in the
sky.
The hot
geothermal waters of Jersey Valley have been tapped as a renewable energy
source for electricity production.
Although I
may hate to see change in this middle of nowhere paradise, I ought to be
thankful it is not an open pit coal mine.
History drew
us toward our next destination. In 1923 The US Congress funded a series of
lighted beacons along the Transcontinental Airway System.
Construction
began in 1928 on the section across Nevada (31 July 1928 Reno Gazette).
Here is a
link to General Airway Information from 1931 - Airway Bulletin Number 1.
We have made
two previous trips in search of these remnants of our past, an early twentieth
century version of the celebrated Pony Express.
My
continuing research turned up one airway beacon that was not on any lists. I
found no mention of it online. How did I suspect it was out there? I'll evade
that question except to say if you have followed our stories and passions, the
answer should be obvious.
We turned
onto a road that led into the area. Our way was blocked by a deep eroded trench
that serpentined back and forth down the road. We backtracked to a highpoint
and set up camp for the night. Boots and packs were on by four pm and we
started out. We had an "as the crow flies" (should be raven out here)
distance of three miles to our target.
We kept
running into little ant eaters. The Lady loves her little prehistoric buddies.
We came
across a land survey marker, took its information to our map, and reconfirmed
our location in our continuing process of "staying found."
As we moved
across the undulating landscape.....................................
.....................a group of pronghorn exploded
out of the gully below us.
The Lewis
and Clark Expedition called them goats in their journals and since they are the
world's second fastest land mammal, the nickname "speed goat" fits.
Speed Goats alert
each other with their white butts. With the slanting late afternoon light,
Jersey Valley below us was filled with brilliant white dots. It was a memorable
sight for us.
We continued
toward our destination.
Then we saw
it, an intact airway beacon tower!
But the
terrain can be challenging, two deep gullies lay between us and the beacon
tower.
Although the
beacon light and acetylene tanks were missing, this tower was in excellent
condition.
edit: I received a question about the use of acetylene. This is from the Airway Bulletin -
"Acetylene
flashing beacon (blinker).- At
some beacon sites, located in mountainous or desert country where it is
impossible or impracticable to provide electric current, auxiliary airway
beacons in the form of acetylene gas "blinkers" which operate without
attendance for a period of several months, are installed. These blinkers
exhibit a flashing white light (about 20 flashes per minute) and do not show a
color or flashing code characteristic."
The Lady had
plans for a different route back to our cozy home away from home.
Back at camp
at six-thirty, we showered, ate our simple dinner, and awaited the evening
show.
The
delightful rituals were repeated Sunday morning.
We connected
the broad valleys of central Nevada for our route home. The Lady made me stop
for two male feral horses in Jersey Valley.
The northern
end of Dixie Valley held inquisitive bands of speed goats.
It was hard
to return home - open space, quiet, solitude, history, speed goats, and that
intoxicating smell of sage surrounded us out here in the middle of nowhere.