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Well with my screwed up work schedule and the company going back and forth for flight dates on the new airplane, we just spur of the moment left around 5am on the 10th and headed out on our trip.
After making a quick stop in Beatty for gas and some stale biscuits from the restaurant inside the gas station, we headed for Goldfield. The first surprise in Goldfield was not from the town but when a cola delivery truck stopped in the road in front of the Hotel and the driver came over to visit. He started out with "I know you don't know me, but I know you and that FJ". It was Jesse from Sin City Wicked FJ's! It was cool to run into him way the heck out there! Now I know I have to meet more of this bunch in person.
We spent a few hours in Goldfield wandering around and shooting plenty of photos. We didn't get in to the hotel this time but thanks to a few of the locals, I now have some contacts to get me in when I get ready to shoot some more interior shots. We'll be going back there to spend the day, I am sure.
After Goldfield, we cut across the desert on Silver Peak Rd to the town of Silver Peak. Aside from the very beautiful views of the Lithium beds and the mountains, our biggest excitement on that road was the herd of deer that we almost ran over! Wonderfully beautiful creatures when they are barreling at your vehicle! We only spent about half an hour shooting some photos in Silver Peak then it was off to Blair.
Now, Blair is a place that I will revisit this fall/winter. I have some of the original photos of the town and it is mind blowing at how much is NOT there now! We drove the trail up to the top above the mill and wandered there for a while. I want to go back to that point for some night photography and possibly to camp. There are plenty of trails that I did not get to explore. The trails themselves are very easily drivable by a stock 4WD or high clearance truck. After spending another hour or so there doing my thing with the camera, we headed out for Hawthorne. (or so I thought).
This is where I need to back up a bit and say that originally this was going to be a trip for just the 7 year old grand daughter and I, then some plan changes and I was going alone, then my grand daughter was back home and then my daughter decided she wanted to go along and bring the two year old! So.... here I am with the FJ packed to the point of popping like a tick, my daughter, the 7 year old and the 2 year old headed out across the desert! At any rate, the original plan was to go from Blair and stop off in Coaldale, Candelaria, Belleville and then on to Hawthorne and camp for the evening. Well as life is what it is with three women in the truck, we had to go get food and have a "real" potty. This dictated a 60 mile round trip diversion over to Tonapah. No complaints from me, just a quick glimpse at a place I intend on making a trip of its own out of. Luckily for me, I am blessed with some great women in my life. The 7 year old has a genius IQ, and the 2 year old is looking like she's following in her footsteps so for all that could have been a pain in the ass on the trip, it was not. The really had a great time!
Back on the road from Tonopah finally we headed for the stop in Coaldale, NV. Well as luck would have it, there was what appeared to be some new "occupants" at Coaldale so we just flipped on the video camera and made a quick drive through the block to at least see the old Motel, garage and diner. After Coaldale we were back on the road and headed for Candelaria. The road to Candelaria was for the most part an easy trail. On the way out to Belleville, it got a little rough in some spots with large embedded rocks but still no big deal. Again, having seen photos of what was the town of Candelaria and seeing her now, was just astonishing. It was hard to imagine a railroad and the giant population wandering through "town" when there are so little standing structures left. We wandered around finding many of the old stone foundations and basements and even sifted through a few of the old garbage piles but left everything there where it belongs. One of the coolest finds there to me was the safe that looked like it had its door blown off many, many years ago. We decided to pass on stopping at Belleville on this trip and head on for Hawthorne.
The ride up to Hawthorne was pretty uneventful with the exception of about a 45 minute stop on 95 for road construction near Mina, NV. My original plan was going to be camping on Lucky Boy Pass or at Walker Lake, but seeing as how I was on Estrogen Overload, I elected to stay at Whiskey Flats Campground in Hawthorne. Now the fun started! It seems like the instant we got out of the FJ, the wind stated blowing. It started alright, and was about 35 mph almost al night. Originally I had a small tent that would hold the one big air mattress I had. With ALL the girls going, I made a last minute trip to Bass Pro Shop and bought one of these Coleman instant condominium tents. They must come in an excellent airfoil design because the first thing it did once unfolded was want to take flight! I brought two tie down cords so finally got creative and used one of my tow straps to secure the tent against the relentless wind! We ended up bringing the grill inside the tent because it wouldn't stay upright or lit outside! Forget the campfire! What the hell, Smores over a propane flame is better than none at all! I woke up about 1am and found the two year old looking face to face with me and then pointing up and saying "Stars, Grandpa, See 'um". So, I had to spend a half hour star gazing with the kid. We went back to sleep and were up, showered, fed and on the road by 7am.
So that is about it for the first day! I'll work on the rest of this as I can. The real trail running is just getting started!
Pics coming soon.....
_________________ 2010 Black FJ AT 4WD. Yaesu 2M, Cobra CB, Garmin GPS, PIAA 540 ATP lights. nick@excopLLC.comhttp://www.facebook.com/LasVegasAmsoilDirect Youtube Exploration channel http://www.youtube.com/user/FJGhostTowner
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I am off every Friday if you wanted to meet and have a coffee some evening before then.
