2012 Early-January to Central Nevada

[MarkBC]

I don't know why it's taken me so long to get motivated to post this trip report...maybe I just wasn't inspired by the lack of photo-enhancing snow on the brown mountains. But it was a good trip, and I'm glad I went.

Here's a gross overview of where I went (I'll post a more-detailed map focusing on my central-Nevada destination area in a bit):

My trip started by meeting a few friends (including 2 new ones) for New Years Eve at Pike Creek on the east side of Steens Mountain, next to the Alvord Desert. I've been there many, many times over the past 20+ years -- probably my favorite camping area at my favorite place in Oregon.

I didn't get over there until about 7:30pm, long after the others had arrived (most of whom had already been out for a day or two), and they had a nice campfire already going.

(took this photo with available light with my phone)
Only 3 of us made it to midnight -- New Years 2012, and I was one of them.

I hadn't planned on getting up early for photography as I've been to this spot so many times that I wasn't that inspired...but as I lay in my warm bed a little before sunrise the thought came to me that it might be good luck to be struck by the first (direct) light of the new year, so I got up and out in time to catch the sunrise:

(turns out it was good luck as I won the WTW drawing for the Leatherman Supertool!)

Pike Creek is lined by trees in an otherwise sagebrush landscape. A bit of water-covered Alvord Desert playa is visible at the left/center. Note the amazing juniper that grows directly out of the big boulder. It's also amazing that this special tree has not been damaged by idiots (either deliberately or by building a fire too near) in all the decades that people have been camping here.

My camper is just-left of center, Craggyman's rig is at the left (behind which, mostly unseen, is a camping-equipped van), and the truck right of center belongs to a couple of tenting friends.

This semi-pano shows the part of the east side of Steens Mt. from which Pike Creek emerges:

The Pike Creek canyon begins a little to the right of Craggyman's rig. The canyon opens up inside to a huge bowl with springs -- relatively lush and green in spring and early summer. It's a great hike that can extend clear up to the crest of Steens. A little bit of that snow-covered crest is visible through the notch of Pike Creek cyn.
But my destination that day was central Nevada, so no "local" hiking for me.

 

[MarkBC]

I had coffee and a light breakfast of cold cereal (Kashi GoLean -- which I eat about 350 mornings a year) around a morning campfire (which somebody else built, as I'm much too lazy for that

), said Happy New Year and good-bye to my friends, and then headed out for my destination of central Nevada.

I stopped at Fields for fuel for my truck...and had a breakfast big enough to fuel me until dinner that night: "Corey's Creation", which consists of a plate-covering pile of hash browns topped with sausage (ham or bacon were other choices), eggs, and cheese!

Child labor! These were my servers (well, utensils and napkin and coffee) -- helping their grandmother (proprietress Sandy) during their Xmas break:

They did a good job. One of them -- a 12ish-year-old -- also pumped the gas into my truck and (with Grandma's coaching) rang up the charge and ran my debit card!

This is the 2011 final total for milkshakes and burgers:

I contributed a few to those tallies over the past year...

I drank enough coffee to try to counteract the sleepifying effect of such a big breakfast...and off I went.

 

[Dughlas Stiubhart]

More, Mark, more!

 

[MarkBC]

Thanks, Stew...since you asked, I will provide more:

I fueled the truck and bought some groceries in Winnemucca, then headed east on I80 to Battle Mountain, where I headed south on NV 305 to Austin. I've driven 305 many times, but I still love this remote, empty route.

In Austin I fueled the truck and considered my options for where to camp that night...but where to camp that night would have an effect on where I went the next day, route-efficiency-wise, and that would effect the whole trip! So it wasn't a trivial decision. Spenser Hot springs, about 20 miles ESE from Austin, was an obvious choice...but as my nominal destination was Monitor Valley, that would semi-commit me to crossing the Toquima Range via Pete's Summit, and it had come to mind that I'd like to traverse whole northern end of the Monitor Valley from the point the road takes off from US 50 a little east of the Toquima Range. I was starting to think that I'd try to (where feasible) drive/camp/visit places in this area that I hadn't done before. And it was late-afternoon and wouldn't be light long.
So, I decided to camp at Bob Scott Campground, a USFS campground at 7250' elevation near Bob Scott summit on US 50 a few miles east of Austin. It's "Camp 1" on the map attached below.

Bob Scott C.G. is right next to 50 -- the highway is visible and audible from the camp...but there's not an obnoxious amount of traffic on "the loneliest road in America", and there was no one else camped there, so I called it acceptable. Not great, but acceptable.

The next morning (at 29°, it was unusually warm considering the location and time of year) I continued east on US 50. After debating the need...I continued on to Eureka to refuel again and buy a few more items in the bigger-than-I-expected grocery store, then I doubled-back some miles to where "the Belmont Road" (graded gravel) takes off from 50 and headed SSW.

Central Nevada Route & Camps

As in previous of these route-maps I've posted, red is paved and blue is unpaved.

On my Benchmark Nevada map it showed a spot next to the Belmont Road marked as "Geographic Center of Nevada", and sure enough, there it was:

Consulting the map again I followed this road a ways up into the Monitor Range...then came back a ways...then spotted a view-some knoll at the foot of the range that had a 2-track to the top, and there I camped: "Camp 2" on my attached Central Nevada Route and Camps map.

 

[MarkBC]

The next morning on my knoll in the Monitor Range near the Geographic Center of Nevada I started by enjoying the broad view of Monitor Valley spreading to the south/west and the Toquima Range to the west.

I spotted some wild, aka "feral" horses as well as some fully-wild pronghorn "antelope" (as we know, they're not actually antelope, but occupy a taxonomic Family by themselves)...at one point both species were, conveniently, in the same photographic frame:

The horses never got closer, but the pronghorns did as they seemed to be headed towards me, roughly.

They were out of sight for a while, then reappeared behind me. When they spotted me spotting them they took alert:

Then they spooked and ran:

Late-morning I packed up and headed back to the main (Belmont) road and head south, then I headed SE on the road that crosses through the Potts Ranch.
There's a spring nearby, so drought or no there's always water running through this spot...water -- and potentially ice-mud -- that I had to cross in order to get to my intended destination of a new spot to camp in the Monitor Range.

It's still private land and an actual ranch, but the buildings here are obviously ruins.
Remembering vividly my experience at the Incident at Battle Creek!, this time I got out and scouted the crossing. The mud under the water seemed firm, so I got back in the truck and went through.

I'd intended to engage 4W-drive...but I...uh...forgot

and proceeded through the water-mud-ice in 2WD. But I had at least remembered to get a run at it, and all was well.
Looking back NW, the way I came:

I continued on SE into the Monitor Range along West Dobbin Creek towards Dobbin Summit. But I didn't want to cross the summit 'cause it looked like from there I'd have to go way south to ever get the opportunity to get back into the Monitor Valley, so I found a primitive spur road that went up to a great view spot.
Some of these convenient roads that lead up to view spots (like the road to the top of the knoll where I camped the previous night), I bet, are there simply because they lead to view spots.

This camp spot at 8700 feet ("Camp 3" on my Map) has a big view west to the Monitor Valley below and the Toquima Range as well as a view north along the spine of the Monitor Range (which isn't very high, but is still "nice"). Nestled among some quite large mountain mahogany.

Gathering the voltaic bounty of the sun, looking north at the rest of the Monitor Range:

Here's a miniature panorama of the view to the west a little before sunset:

And here's a link to a full-size (3000 X 600 pixels) version of this pano.

 

[DirtyDog]

Great report Mark!

 

[MarkBC]

Great report Mark!

Thanks, DD -- I plan/hope to finish it tonight...still have to review/process quite a few photos from the trip.

 

[Marc]

Nice pics and write up. Thanks Mark.

 

[generubin]

Wonderful pictures Mark, especially the Pronghorns are a nice sight to see.

 

[Gormley Green]

Great photos. The panoramic is fantastic. I have never been to country like that before and this is certainly encouraging!

 

[MarkBC]

Thanks Marc and Gene and GG...here's some more:

Morning at Camp 3 I walked a little ways up the slope south of camp and shot this panorama looking north and around to the east (about 120°) along the Monitor Range; you can see my truck/camper where I'm camped on the hill top:

Here's a link to a full-size (~3000 x 600 pixels) version of this panorama.

I packed up and headed back down the way I came (part-way) then headed SW then west back to the Belmont Road (see my map). I continued south on the Belmont Rd until I reached the Moore's Creek Rd, one of the good roads that crosses the Toquima Range.

The Mount Jefferson "massif" is the big mountain to the left -- south -- of the road. The high point up there is just shy of 12,000 feet.

I've taken this route once before, but this time my plan was to camp up somewhere near the summit of the road -- which I did. This is off a short primitive road that takes off north at Charnock Pass -- one of the spur roads that seem to only exist to provide access to a great view (and camping) spot. "Camp 4" on my map: Elevation 8450 feet.

Here's what it looked like the next morning, looking west at the Toiyabe Range:

I shot a 360° panorama, of which this is a snippet of the view -- looking south at (part of) Mt. Jefferson:

Here's a link to the full rotatable 360° panorama. You need QuickTime Player installed to view it.
From this great vantage point (check out the 360-pano) you can see back to the Monitor Range in the east (the high point of that range -- Table Mountain -- is to the left of the point where the sun is about to rise), the highest area of the Toquima Range (Mt. Jefferson) just to the south, and the Toiyabe Range to the west.

 

[MarkBC]

I haven't mentioned much about camping details so far.
The photos show that it was unusually dry/snowless (it shouldn't be so at >8000 feet this time of year, but if it had been a normal year I wouldn't have been able to drive to some of these places), and most nights of my trip were unusually warm -- warm for the season, anyway. That night at 8700 feet in the Monitor Range (Camp 3) the overnight low was 33° -- not even freezing! And the night at Camp 4 at 8450' the low was 39° -- hard to believe, isn't it! Perhaps it might have been colder in the low basins, as sometimes happens in still-air, high-pressure situation, but it still was mighty odd.
Nevertheless, despite the relatively mild night temperatures, I still ran my Wave 6 in the evening and overnight...though I didn't always bother with the Reflectix.

So here's a camp-craft detail: Overnight at Camp 4 I woke up in the wee hours and noticed that it was cooler in the camper than I expected (though, no, not really cold). I looked down from my bunk at the burning-surface of the Wave and saw that there was no glow -- it had gone off. I didn't know if it had turned itself off for some reason or if I was out of propane.
When I got up pre-dawn to shoot that pano, etc., when I turned the knob of the stove I learned that I was indeed out of propane -- the first time that has ever happened to me. So, though I had been considering spending a second night in this fine view spot, and perhaps hike a bit, I didn't want to camp without cooking. I had cold cereal for breakfast, which was fine, but I didn't want to do that for the next 24 hours. Lack of propane made the decision for me to drop down to the Big Smoky Valley to the west and get the propane tank filled.

So, dropping down from Charnock Pass on the Moore's Creek Road I exited the Toquima Range down to Big Smoky Valley:

Here's looking back the way I came -- notice my dust hanging in the air: there was no wind.

On down the bajada, across the Valley, towards NV 376, pavement, people, and propane.

Reaching the pavement of NV 376 I drove south to Carvers, where I fueled up the truck (and got coffee that I'd missed by not having the ability to boil water that morning) but learned that, unfortunately, they didn't sell propane. They directed me south about 10 miles to Hadley.
Along the highway south I saw at one point two big, healthy coyotes and a couple of ravens right next to the road...must have been some carrion they were interested in. I was surprised to see coyotes that didn't run.

So, I got the propane tank filled in Hadley...but the weird thing is that my dead-empty 5-gallon fuel tank only took 3.6 gallons. What's up with that? I've participated in posts about this before, i.e., "does a 5-gal tank actually hold 5 gallons or is it 80% of 5 gallons?" I thought that it would hold-to-deliver a full 5 gallons...but maybe not.

Whatever...

Now, full of propane and gasoline and coffee -- the camper, truck, and I headed back north along 376 to find some place to camp for the night, possibly at a crest/summit/pass over the Toiyabe Range...

(to be continued: One more night and the following day to go)

 

[Lighthawk]

This shot says it all, Mark. Looking forward to your next installment.
It's great to follow along familiar roads, seen through your photos and story.

 

[ski3pin]

Glorious Great Basin terrain, speed goats, and invasive species...................more, Mark, more!

 

[MarkBC]

I decided that I'd like to camp at/near the crest of the Toiyabe's (that is, at the crest/summit of a road crossing the range), as I had done last night in the Toquimas.
I remember one of ski3pin's photos showing Ophir Summit (>10,000 feet!), and it looked like a great-view spot. In a normal year it would be ridiculous to think I could drive up there in January, but I'd already camped on bare ground at 8500 and 8700 feet this week, so I figured it might be possible and worth a shot at least.

Well...long-story-short: it turns out that I soon decided it wasn't worth it: The dotted-white shows (partially) where I planned to go, and the blue shows approximately how far I got.

The road starts by taking off west from NV 376 and goes up Ophir Creek:

I didn't like the fact that right away the route was already narrow enough that the brush was rubbing against my truck.

I'm not too particular about that sort of thing, but I just thought it didn't bode well for the rest of the road as most roads don't get better as they climb up a canyon.

In the first mile or so the road crosses the creek a couple/few times...they were easy, firm-gravel fords, but still...
And so, with the road not opening up at all (though I'm sure it would eventually as it would eventually leave the canyon) -- brush still frequently rubbing against my truck and camper and with miles more to go...I was thinking, "What if I go up this narrow-brush-rubbing, stream-fording road for a few miles and then get up to 9000 feet and find the road blocked by snow??" I guess I don't enjoy PITA roads just for their own sake.

SO: when I came to a spot that permitted turn-around I did. I wimped out.
Oh well...I intend to come back in the summer when I know that I won't face snow at the top...and the road from the west shows as higher-grade, so maybe I'll come from that side.

Back near the mouth of the canyon I decided to get something out of this, so I took some pictures of this stuff -- I'm not all that into mining (sorry, DD), but it's still kinda interesting.

I considered camping here -- lots of flat ground with a creek running through it, but I decided to check out an area nearby where I've camped before -- North and/or South Twin Rivers.

(to be continued...really -- I'll finish this report today!)

 

[locrwln]

Trust me, you don't want to try and take your truck up that road to the summit. I came down it last September and the top and the bottom are good, but the upper middle, not so much. It gets very overgrown, looks like only ATV's have been using the road and there is a spring that runs into/across the road that would make it very difficult for a truck to get up, it is pretty dug out from other vehicles.

This is below the spring. I didn't get any pictures of the two trees I had to cut out of the way.


I didn't get any of the rough area, I was too busy getting through it.

Here is my write up.
http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/index.php?/topic/5099/page__hl__reno%20to%20toquima%20the%20hard%20way__fromsearch__1

Great write up, I am adding some other roads/places to my list.

Jack

 

[MarkBC]

I've camped at the mouth of North Twin River once before...it was fall or early winter of 2007. It snowed during the night on that previous trip.
(I know it was then because for some reason I remember that as I drove up the dirt road from NV376 I was listening to the radio and the analysts were saying that Fred Thompson's plunge into the Republican Presidential Primary race was a game-changer. Of course, the analysts were completely wrong, as Thompson fizzled out.

)

I decided to not camp in the same spot as before -- it was a nice spot but it was too sloping to level with the boards that I still had. I'd lost/left a couple of those important boards in Battle Creek.

I drove down the road that connects North Twin River with South Twin River...a couple/few-hundred yards, and I stopped here:

Rather than just barrel on through without a care in the world...I got out and checked what kind of ford this would be.

The water was very shallow and the stream bed was firm gravel...but that overhanging ice crust was hard, and I wasn't sure that I wouldn't somehow get hung up, stuck somehow. If I'd had to get through I would have -- but I didn't.
And anyway...there was a good flat-ish spot just off the road, so this was "Camp 5" (see my map in Post #4).

It was a nice spot next to the semi-frozen stream with a big view of the Big Smoky Valley and the Toquima Range.

That's Mt Jefferson in the distance...behind the top of my truck is the point on the horizon where I'd camped the night before (Camp 4).

(almost done -- just a few more photos and a long drive the next day)

 

[MarkBC]

Morning at Camp 5, between North Twin and South Twin Rivers (closer to North Twin) at the base of the east side of the Toiyabe Range in central Nevada; this was the last day of my trip.

The big notch/valley behind the truck is the mouth of North Twin River. There's a nice trail that goes along the river and winds up into the wilderness (I've only hiked a couple miles up it...but plan to explore more another time).

As I sometimes do, in the morning light I wandered around with my camera looking at the ground, looking for cool rocks or whatever. I didn't find any rocks worth photo-ing, but I did see these cacti:

I don't know what species these are...I think I need to get a field guide to cactus.

I decided that I wouldn't mind getting home tonight, so that meant I needed to pack up and get on the road...not that I needed to rush, but I needed to start.

So, off north I went on NV 376.
At one point I saw this unusual contrail, presumably made by a space-alien craft -- the Big Smoky Valley is just a short jump from Area 51, after all.

When I neared the junction with US 50 I decided to take the 7 miles drive SE for a short -- hopefully hot -- soak at Spenser Hot Springs. There was a couple there camped by the lower tank, and soaking in the tank, but I always go to the upper/main pool, and there was nobody up there. The water was plenty hot, so I got my heat fix (and a bit of a body rinsing) pretty quick. I didn't take any pictures -- I've posted them here from previous trips before.

Back at the junction of NV 376 with US 50 I stopped to admire this sign:

I like Austin.
I headed west on 50 to Austin for truck fuel...and I got a blueberry milkshake at the Toiyabe Cafe. Yum!

Even though I was now homeward bound I didn't want to just head home., so I'd decided to drive back east a few miles to take an exploring route north -- up the Grass Valley Road. See the map-thumbnail attached below.


The blue route (unpaved) is the route I took. It eventually turns back to pavement as it nears a huge (gold?) mine near Beowawe, but there's a lot of empty in between.
There was nothing startling about the route...but it was interesting and different and though unpaved it was well-maintained and smooth.

Back on I80 I arrived back at Winnemucca, got the truck fueled and food for me, and headed north on US 95.
A ways north of Winnemucca as the sun was setting I stopped to admire the light.

Looking north along 95:

Looking west:

I refueled for one last time in Burns...where snow flakes were falling very lightly -- the first I'd seen in my entire trip.
As I got within 70 miles of Bend the snowing got a little harder and there was some accumulating on the road. I engaged 4WD. Visibility got bad enough -- almost blizzardly -- that I actually considered pulling off the road for a while. It was kinda odd that in a trip that was unusually dry and warm, here I am almost home and I might be thwarted getting home by a blizzard! But the snow lightened a bit and I got home without a big problem.

It was a nice trip. Even without an attractive coating of snow on the mountains or the sharp bite of winter -- which I actually like...it was enjoyable and worthwhile. I explored some roads and locations that were new to me and that's always a good thing!

THE END.

 

[Overland Hadley]

Rather than just barrel on through without a care in the world...I got out and checked what kind of ford this would be.


Good idea.

 

[Ted]

Wow, mark, what a great trip report. Thanks for sharing. Central Nevada is one of those places I had never visited or knew anything about before WTW. Trip reports like yours and Ski3pin's have opened up a whole new world to us and others.