Labor Day Warner Mtns. : a LightHawk perspective

Well I've been enjoying MarkBC's travelogue and recalling the scenes he photographed.
It's a little different to follow a class act, but I'll try.

This was our second trip to the Warner's, after enjoying our 4th of July Warner's Trip. Our first experience in Modoc County was empty roads and half full campgrounds in an an interesting mix of a semi-alpine mountain range surrounded by alkali lake basins. The towns dated back to the 1800's with old barns and ranch houses on the better land. It's similar to some of the Tahoe area, but much more remote and barren at times.

We connected with MarkBC and Home Skillet (who Susan referred to as Mr. Skillet and Mr. BC) in Alturas. We had admired the spanish-style Elks Lodge on the Main drag last time and Skillet knew where it was. So the meet was set for Saturday ~5pm.



Our drive was relatively uneventful, taking 80 to Truckee, then 89 north to Sierraville. We love Sierra Valley and go there often. After Loyalton (another decaying logging / agricultural center) it's 49 north to 70 and Hallelujah Jct. where we connect with 395 north. There's a variety of ways to get there, but ultimately you need to get on 395 and grind out some miles.

This time we decided to split off at Susanville and take 139 north past Eagle Lake. We drove this stretch on the way home in July and really enjoyed the big wide spaces of meadows and forested mountains with virtually nobody there. I think the sign said No Services 37 miles. Grasshopper Valley was really a beautiful area I would like to explore some day.

Gassing up in Alturas I started to get a hint of Burner fever


Later on it would all make sense.

This was our first time meeting our new friends. We were still sort of clean and they had been out in the eastern OR backcountry for a few days, so we had some catching up to do. I proposed we try camping up Plum Valley CG based on a report from DD and Mark and HS readily agreed to give it a look. We were off! Another WTW Rally was in the making.

And then what happened??
Honestly -- I find myself eager to read your story even though I was there!
OK...I'll be patient. I know that my Trip-buddies have jobs and can't devote all their free time to composing trip reports...or editing video.

Guess this will have to post in dribs and drabs, since I don't seem to find the time to focus.

Driving out of Alturas we spotted two small herds (?) of antelope on the east side of 395 with the lighting golden and strong. I nearly slammed on the brakes to break out my big telephoto, but kept formation following HS with MarkBC behind. I thought, "These Oregon boys probably see antelope all the time." It was my second time in about a decade, the last time was near Austin, NV.

Plum Valley CG worked out just fine. Plenty of space for all three rigs to park and quiet with only a couple other campers. Gotta love the Warner's for the lack o' crowds.


We enjoyed a fire and dinner together, and the highlight of evening was pecan pie baked by our resident chemist, MarkBC. I was impressed when HS hooked up his rubber propane line to his outside BBQ. That T(itan) E(xpedition) V(ehicle) is quite an amazing creation. Susan and I got the tour and were very impressed with the amount of space HS has in his custom build. I liked the pine countertops in the kitchen too. Inspiration that it is possible to build what you want from scratch if you have to.

Continuing . . .

Since I had been unable to get a Modoc Country map at the Chevron in Alturas I had to rely on a 1952 county map I downloaded & printed plus my tattered DeLorme. MarkBC has full topos on his laptop and HS had a good California Rec Atlas and the Modoc map which shows the Modoc Backcountry Discovery Trail. It was fun to cross reference the different maps. I also had downloaded some google map research onto my phone running Backcountry Navigator, which helped us find the Pink Lady Mine. Ok, I have a fetish for mapping.

We're off!

Gotta watch that propane door, Mark!

We left Plum Valley CG and started climbing up 45N04 and got to a vista of Goose Lake.


It was dusty conditions, and we traded leads. I begged off to be the laggard photo guy.


It was interesting to get to the top where 45N04 meets Lake City Rd. We had visited lower Lake City Rd in July and were impressed with the wildly eroded volcanic formations. But our route was not to descend, but to traverse the high ridges of the Warner's, working our way north.

We stopped and did a short walk out to the overlook of Surprise Valley. It was clear that a month ago this field would have been a riot of mule ears and lupine, but we still had a bright yellow plant (rabbit brush??) that was attracting the butterflies.




Walking out towards the view


The gang:


MarkBC identified the small gnarled trees as mountain mahogany:


HS spotted worked pieces of obsidian that has been imported to this site:




The geology is fascinating:


A convenient rock helped me set up a requisite group photo:


Product Placement shot:


Just gorgeous:



Our next stop was to find Pink Lady Mine. We drove carefully over shards of obsidian littering and sometimes covering the road.

To be continued . . .

It's great to read/view another perspective -- keep it coming, Lighthawk!
Sorry about missing those pronghorns...yes, they are common in eastern Oregon, but I actually just didn't see them. (as I missed those owls, featured later, too )

Pink Lady Mine was really just a flat spot for us to lunch. We found pits from collectors with signs limiting to only commercial collecting, which Mark pointed out was the reverse of what you usually see. We left the rock hounding for others and continued our way north to Lassen Valley.

Coming off the ridgelines, we switch backed down into Lassen Creek. Numerous springs were flowing and water was running everywhere along the road.

Distant views of Shasta were seen through the haze:


Lassen Creek was beautiful with active beaver dams and a few trout swirling in the pools.




We briefly tried a side road heading north out of Lassen Creek, but blow downs discouraged us and we returned back to the main route.


Our goal was to reach Fandango Pass and possibly dance the fandango. The story goes that the 49ers were so happy to cross the final barrier of what they thought was the Sierra Nevada that they danced the popular dance of the day. Susan googled when she got signal and we learned the fandango was 3/4 time signature (think waltz: one-and-uh,two-and-uh . . ., but probably at a faster tempo) accompanied by hand-clapping and a song. It originates from Portugal I believe. The clapping makes me think of flamenco dancing. Unfortunately neither Susan nor I had practiced this dance. Do you dance the Fandango?

I must have missed a piece of info and took a wrong turn seeking our compadres back at the foot of Fandango Pass on the 395 side. It was a quick run and I scored one of my favorite shots of the trip along the way:



more . . . to . . . come . . .

Continuing . . .

We rejoined MarkBC and Home Skillet at Fandango Summit:


Steep switchback descend into Surprise Valley, just south of Ft. Bidwell. No wonder the Forty-niners danced a jig when they summited with their wagons! The colors were again turning on, so the camera had to come out.





OR in B&W (which do you prefer? )



And post-nuclear TEV escape pod:


Cruising through Ft. Bidwell, I wish I was on a bike or on foot. There were some interesting buildings from the 19th Century. Susan's sharp eyes spotted an owl sitting in a tree. Screech! I stopped quick and jumped out, fitting a speedlight on top of my Canon 7D and 400mm lens. I was loaded for bear (make that bird )

Walking back along the road I saw a Great Horned Owl sitting in a tree drop to the ground.
Even more amazing, there was a second large owl on the ground. Snap/flash, snap/flash, snap/flash! I adjusted my settings, working to get a good exposure while shooting my wise and patient friends.




And if we thought we might buy gas in Ft. Bidwell, as some literature indicated:


HS & MarkBC were patiently waiting north of town, unaware of the reason for our tardiness. I noticed a large brick building above town that looked like a school or ? I definitely want to return and spend more time visiting Ft. Bidwell.

Our objective was to climb Highgrade Trail, past the Klondike Mine, past the intersection with Dismal Swamp (previously knows as the Disabel Swamp, named after a pioneer family).

Highgrade Trail
A couple of switchback were mildly 4WD, but the rest of the tour was graded roads.

We descended the Pine Crk drainage and got to Cave Lake turnoff. The CG was mostly empty and we scored a good size spot to accommodate three rigs. A large picnic table was spread with our old cotton hippy cloth and I set out the Webber Q for another feast.

As MarkBC has already said, the wildflowers were amazing. Just across the road from camp, it was lush, with Monks Hood, Ranger's Buttons and Fireweed (thanks to SR for her taxonomy).









That evening we polished off Mark's excellent pecan pie after grilling corn o' the cob and other asstd veggies from our garden. We're in high production at home with our garden, so squash, tomatoes, beans, and several types of lettuce/greens are foisted upon our friends at every opportunity

The next morning I got up and rigged my fly rod to give Cave Lake a try. I had seen trout rising the evening before, so I knew they were there. I threw around a #16 black gnat for a while, sipping on my coffee as I watched the resident osprey perch on his dominant snag overlooking the lake. The trout were not all that eager, to my surprise. It could have been to my poor casting. I've been nursing a strained forearm and did a lousy job of throwing loops, occasionally catching my fly on the line. I switched flies, to an emerger caddis pattern. Bingo! A brook trout grabbed it and I was on my way. 'Skillet showed up on the opposite shore, deploying his tripod / video rig and began to fish. I felt a bit self-conscious, casting so poorly with a fishing videographer nearby
But I kept catching smallish fish until the pain in my arm told me it was time to put the rod down. Later I was sorry I gave up when Eric told me the osprey dove and took a fish while he was there. Any video to share Skillet??

Skillet with fish on!


All too soon it was time for the rally to break up.


Mr. Skillet and Mr. BC were heading north to Bend, but we had other ideas. I proposed a plan to Susan to return to Cedarville and head south on 447 NV to connect with a route called the Buckhorn Byway. Little did we know we would soon be getting Burner Fever.

One last episode still to come . . .

Not much action on this thread, but I'm going to finish it.

Shaking hands and saying goodbye to MarkBC and Home Skillet, we suddenly found ourselves free agents. It was a nice ride from Cave Lake back down to 395 where we headed south. I began to notice a variety of vehicles loaded to the gills with bikes attached. These rigs were coated in white alkali dust and usually had some pink coloration. Hmmmm?

We turned left at 299 to head over Cedar Pass and drop down to Cedarville in Surprise Valley for a refueling stop. More and more vehicles, coated white coming toward us. Could it be? Yes, it was the post-Burner diaspora! We began to count: burner, burner, burner, B, U, R, N, E, R! We've known about Burning Man and haven't been persuaded to attend, in fact avoiding the 50k population bloom that happens in north-central NV every Labor Day. This time we found ourselves driving into a steady stream of attendees who were evac'ing the NV desert.

I hadn't planned on this. The only gas station in town had a line up, but we were amused by the people watching, so it was ok.

Susan nearly taken out by the Big Pink Bus


This guy had on a kilt of many colors, but it still didn't help his trailer issues.


More typical type rig:


There is cell service for Verizon in Surprise Valley


But I have to tip my hat. Cedarville and Eagleville know how to work the crowd. There were car wash signs, BBQ and other street food vendors out in force to turn a buck from the passing through crowd.


While Susan shopped at the local grocer, I chatted up some local ladies who were airing up their Corolla. They reminded me I had dropped tire pressure 25/35psi front/rear at the beginning of our off road tour. Looking across the street I spotted this impatient lady:


Gassed up and still aired down we headed south. We poked around hoping to locate Wild Mint HS, but missed (again). I think I have solved the mystery now, but we did not find the hot spring. Susan spotted a small group of antelope on the dry slope above while we sampled pears from a remnant tree at an old homestead.


It was a wonderful drive south into NV past lower Alkali Lake. Bare Ranch was a beautiful site, just before we left the basin. Our next stop was Duck Flat where we were seeking the turn off for Buckhorn Byway. Clouds filled the sky, adding interest to the big open scenery.





Piles of horse sh*t were strewn about the highway as I paid close attention to the oncoming Burner traffic. Roughly one out of three vehicles approaching us seemed to be flirting with crossing the centerline. I would relax more when we got off the busy road and back on to dirt.

We found our turn off, which was signed. There is a forty mile stretch, mostly dirt that connects from 447 to 395 at Ravendale called the Buckhorn Byway. It's managed by BLM as a wild horse and burro preserve. There are also antelope, though we didn't see them.

The route starts in the Duck Flat basin, then climb up lava flows to higher country interspersed with 'lake' basins that were more like flat meadows. We did not see another vehicle for the first thirty miles.

We spotted a couple of mustangs in one of the lakes.

These horses were big. But were spooky when we whistled to them.


We stopped for lunch at one of the water spots. There were reservoirs/lakes visible along the way. I think Buckhorn Res. might be a good boondock spot next time I'm heading that way. We drove down a double track into one of the meadows and popped out chairs. We're sitting in Nevada, but looking across into California in this shot:


The rest of the way was simple enough. 395 to Susanville, to Hallelujah Jct. then back to Sierraville where I persuaded Susan that we should take a soak at Sierra HS. The norther harriers were swooping along Harriet Lane, and I was itching to take some photos, but we were on a mission to get to the springs.

It was a bit crowded with Burning Man decompression folks, but we know where to go. A good hot shower and hot soak mixed with cold plunges did wonders for us. Two hours later we were ready to return home, only an hour and half farther. We were eager to return to our garden and rewind for re-entry into our careers, refreshed from another excellent tour. Even better, we made new WTW friends.

End of post

Thanks, Andy, for putting together your version of the trip, I enjoyed it...especially since you saw stuff that I didn't and/or differently.
Are you familiar with the movie, Rashomon?

Neat report, LightHawk! Love the owls.