Rock Creek & Bodie - June 2010

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Okay, what does one of our adventures need? A great breakfast and hot springs!

Friends from down south, fellow teachers in one organization we instruct for, wanted a getaway - just camping, relaxation, and no shop talk. Sounded great to us! We were invited to join them up Rock Creek Canyon on the Inyo National Forest, classic High Sierra country. Rock Creek is off of 395 just south of the Mammoth Lakes turnoff.

Staying in a developed campground and spending a lot of time on meals and socializing is a bit foreign to us. But, we are good sports and these are really special people. And, you can’t go wrong having the outdoor cooking instructors along!

Leaving Friday morning, we had breakfast at Hays Street Cafe in Bridgeport. We have been getting breakfast here for years; great cinnamon rolls. They're open for breakfast and lunch.

And then we had a nice hot springs soak. The rain, snow, and wind made the spring water feel extra nice.

There are several campgrounds up Rock Creek Road. In the summer this place can be packed. East Fork Campground is the big one and accommodates large RV's. Another popular campground is Rock Creek Lake. The parking arrangement there seemed odd and would not appeal to us. Our friends had previously stayed at Pine Grove (Upper & Lower - we stayed at Lower) and that was our meeting place. No reservations, first come served, small number of units (9 & 11). All in all this was an old fashion small campground. We would stay here again.

This was our friends’ first opportunity to see our FWC/ATC hybrid camper. They were in tents. Since they provided most of the cooking supplies, most activities were at their site right next to us.

This was our first summer season visit up Rock Creek. We have backcountry skied up here in winter

Saturday we spent on a day hike up into the John Muir Wilderness. With our great winter this year, snow pack is high and the melt has been slow. If you go high, be prepared for the white stuff.

Weather on Saturday on the east side was cold and cloudy with a low pressure storm system over Nevada. With proper clothing and gear, this can be a great time to experience the high mountains.

Saturday night dinner entree was apricot chicken. All cooking this weekend was in dutch ovens. We played cards around the picnic table into the night. We were feeling quite civilized, and fat and happy.

During our discussion on what to do on Sunday, we learned they had never been to Bodie. It was on our way home and they were spending another night.

So.....good bye God, we're going to Bodie!

Or is it, good, by God, we're going to Bodie!

Bodie is truly one of this area's treasures.

A few more of Bodie.

We parted with our friends mid afternoon and we headed north. A great weekend with great people in an absolutely spectacular part of the west.

Wandering in Nevada - Memorial Day Weekend 2010

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We were inspired by a comment a friend made about our last getaway into Nevada, "All adventures should start with a killer breakfast and include hot springs..............."

An early launch from home, breakfast at the Roadrunner Café in Dayton, top off with gas in Austin, and then the big surprise, finding our second favorite hot springs cattle tank in the middle of Nevada empty and waiting for us. We had lunch and two long soaks with a wonderful view of storm clouds spilling over the Toiyabe Range.

Mid afternoon we headed down the Big Smokey Valley and found the road up Ophir Canyon to the ghost town of Ophir. Friends had told us of visiting Ophir about 18 years ago and walking up the road, commenting, “Maybe you can make in up in your truck?"

At the mouth of the canyon the clouds enveloped us; graupel and wind. After the second creek crossing we elected to scout the road up higher on foot. Overgrown, narrow, steep, and rough but we deemed doable in 4 low. A great flat spot for camping was directly across from the mansion. We set up, had dinner, and a sunset walk in the storm looking out at the clear Big Smokey Valley to the east. The remains of the huge 20 stamp mill is in the center, incredible what 200,000 bucks could buy you in 1864.

Ophir is, honestly, one of the neatest ghost towns we have visited. All the remaining ruins of rock cabins show great construction, solid roof beams with rock and dirt roofs. The fireplaces are the best, no cast iron wood stoves here. The remains of the mill are huge with incredible rock work. The mansion ruins just make you wonder how grand this was when new. And, all the way out in the middle of nowhere up this rugged canyon.

A great place to camp with exquisite solitude.

Examples of the rock cabins. Remarkable that they date to the 1860's.

I'm not a mining history buff, but I suspect this is the remains of the Stetefeldt furnace. With the abundance of red bricks up slope, I believe there may have been a large chimney.

Up country from Ophir on this late spring day with clearing weather just could not have been more beautiful.

Of course, the Lady's preferred direction of travel is up.

"Might as well climb to the crest of the Toiyabe Range, it's just right there!” The Lady started up.

Life is always better above 10,000 feet.

Coming down from Ophir we stopped at the cemetery at the bottom of the canyon, and then headed south down the Big Smokey Valley.

Keep this in mind. The small town of Carvers has gas at the Shoshone Market. Gas was $3.25 a gallon in Austin; $2.84 in Carvers. You might have to be a little patient finding someone to operate the cash register.

We headed over the south end of the Toquima Range through Manhattan - ATV festival going on, we didn't stop - and continued through Belmont to find a spot to spend the night to the north.

Just north of Belmont on the Monitor Valley Road is the Black Buttes. The Lady said, "Wow they look like the Alabama Hills, let's look for a spot for the night there!" We turned off on an unsigned two track and had the place all to ourselves. This was Memorial Day weekend. We love rural Nevada!

Cozy and warm in our pop-up, the Lady always wakes with the first hint of dawn.

"I'll start the coffee. You go take pictures. I'll bring out the coffee and find you."

 Yes, I do know how lucky I am.

We made a morning stop in Belmont, a living ghost town. Belmont has to be the wood fired hot tub capital of Nevada. Drive through early evening as they're heating 'em up for the night soak. Hot tubs with stovepipes, it's great! Attractions are the huge mill ruins just north of town and the old Nye County Courthouse. I bet you folks who have a beer or two could have a great time in Belmont.

The old Nye County Courthouse.

More of the atmosphere of Belmont, it is worth a visit longer than our quick stop.

We headed west to check out a spot we'd heard about, Fish Lake Hot Springs. Actually it is a Hot Well. The story is they were drilling for a possible geothermal energy source. The water they hit was not quite hot enough, but good for soaking. The area was improved just a bit with a concrete tub and a CXT toilet by Esmeralda County . Signage suggests that there have been problems here. This may be a nice spot, but not on a weekend, especially a holiday weekend. Two big encampments of RV's with ATV's and motorcycles and loud music. Not our cup of tea, but at least we know where this is now. Fish Lake Valley is on the east side of the White Mountains south of Highway 6. The springs are north of Dyer and then seven miles east out Hot Springs Road.

We do love the neat out of the way places we can find in Nevada. This was another great trip.

Nevada Quickie - May 2010

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Exploring. We get snippets of information in various ways -  a mention of someplace in a conversation, an interesting name on a sign we drive by, books, internet, and then we’re always pouring over our maps. The Lady and I love geology and reading. Our favorites are the geology series of books by John McPhee with Rising from the Plains and Basin and Range on the top shelf.

We wanted to get away again for the weekend. Nevada! This trip was just exploring. No real destination in mind but some of those little “gathered snippets” coming into play.

As we’ve all experienced, some of our best trip experiences are the unplanned, just looking around the next corner. This was a great quick trip. Please enjoy.

We left well before dawn Saturday. We like to get the driving out of the way and to start a trip out the Lady likes her first breakfast out. And it's got to be a mom & pop, down home cafe. I will spill the beans - or great home fries in this case - on this location: The Roadrunner Cafe in Dayton, just past Our Park. Try it.

Pronghorn, feral horses and burros, miles of dirt roads, pictographs, hot springs, wildflowers, sunrises and sunset, ruins, and lots of solitude; who could want for anything more?

This was a great stress reliever..........

Where to spend the night? We just turned down a primitive two track and in a mile or two found a good spot to pop the top.

On Sunday, one road we found led to an old ranch.

And in Nevada, a state that still has open space and vastness, still some of the best things are right at our feet.

Get out there, point it down a small road, and explore. We're trying!