Tag Archives: jeep

05-03-22 – Canyonlands National Park

Posted by on June 20, 2022 No comments

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I set off on a road trip that would include driving Shafer Trail and Potash Road through Canyonlands National Park. When I made it back to pavement I raced over to the southern entrance to take in the Needles District and go to the end of the road, with a quick stop at Newspaper Rock.

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Canyonlands National Park is an American national park located in southeastern Utah near the town of Moab. The park preserves a colorful landscape eroded into numerous canyons, mesas, and buttes by the Colorado River, the Green River, and their respective tributaries. Legislation creating the park was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson on September 12, 1964.

The park is divided into four districts: the Island in the Sky, the Needles, the Maze, and the combined rivers—the Green and Colorado—which carved two large canyons into the Colorado Plateau. While these areas share a primitive desert atmosphere, each retains its own character. Author Edward Abbey, a frequent visitor, described the Canyonlands as “the most weird, wonderful, magical place on earth—there is nothing else like it anywhere.”

Source: Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canyonlands_National_Park

05/01/22 – The High Road/Jungo Road/State Route 49

Posted by on June 16, 2022 No comments

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Former State Route 49, also known as Jungo Road, is an unimproved road from County Route 447 (former State Route 34) near Gerlach east to Winnemucca via the ghost towns of Sulphur and Jungo. It crosses the Kamma Mountains northeast of Sulphur. Most of the route runs parallel to the Feather River Route, a rail line originally built by the Western Pacific Railroad. In addition to an access for the ghost towns, the road also is an access for the Black Rock Desert from the East.

Although still commonly referred to as State Route 49, the dirt road is not maintained by the Nevada Department of Transportation. It was eliminated as a state route as part of a Nevada state route renumbering project that began in 1976. The highway last appeared as a state route in the 1980 edition of the official Nevada Highway Map. Today, the portion of the road within Humboldt County is designated County Route 55.

Source: Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevada_State_Route_49

05-01-22 – Fly Ranch Geyser

Posted by on June 9, 2022 No comments

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I’ve been waiting to visit the Fly Geyser for well over a decade, and I finally got my chance! This beautiful feature is on private land and can only be visited by attending a nature walk hosted by Friends of Blackrock. Do Not Trespass! The poor decisions of others resulted in access being denied to everyone for many years.

Fly Ranch Nature Walks

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Fly Geyser, also known as Fly Ranch Geyser is a small geothermal geyser located on private land in Washoe County, Nevada, about 20 miles (32 km) north of Gerlach. Fly Geyser is located near the edge of Fly Reservoir in the Hualapai Geothermal Flats and is approximately 5 feet (1.5 m) high by 12 feet (3.7 m) wide, counting the mound on which it sits.

In June 2016, the non-profit Burning Man Project purchased the 3,800 acres (1,500 ha) Fly Ranch, including the geyser, for $6.5 million. The Burning Man Project began offering limited public access to the property in May 2018. The geyser contains thermophilic algae, which flourish in moist, hot environments, resulting in multiple hues of green and red, coloring the rocks.

The geyser has multiple conic openings sitting on a mound: the cones are about 6 feet (1.8 m), and the entire mound is 25 to 30 feet (7.6 to 9.1 m) tall. The Fly Geyser is the result of man-made drilling in 1916, when water well drilling accidentally penetrated a geothermal source. The temperature of the water exiting the geyser can exceed 200 °F (93 °C).

Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fly_Geyser

2022 Road Trip – Roadside Randomness

Posted by on May 30, 2022 No comments

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For my 2022 birthday I took a road trip through Gerlach, NV and onward to Moab, UT. Here are some things I saw along the way.

04-04-22 – Jawbone Canyon

Posted by on May 12, 2022 No comments

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Jawbone Canyon is a geographic feature in the Mojave Desert and a Bureau of Land Management area located in Kern County, California, 20 miles (32 km) north of Mojave on CA 14. The area is a popular destination for hikers and off road vehicle enthusiasts.

Europeans first settled in the canyon around 1860—naming it Jawbone because its shape resembled a mandible—and the trail was used as a trade route from Keyesville into the Piute Mountains (not to be confused with the Piute Mountains of the eastern Mojave Desert). During the Kern River gold rush, several gold mines operated in the canyon; the most successful of these, the St. John mine, yielded nearly $700,000 worth of gold between 1860 and 1875. The Gwynn mine, on the Geringer Grade, ran six claims yielding a total of $770,000 worth of gold and quartz before ceasing operations in 1942. Mining continued throughout the 1940s, mainly focused on rhyolite and antimony.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jawbone_Canyon

03-20-22 – Jawbone Canyon

Posted by on April 1, 2022 No comments

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Jawbone Canyon is a geographic feature in the Mojave Desert and a Bureau of Land Management area located in Kern County, California, 20 miles (32 km) north of Mojave on CA 14. The area is a popular destination for hikers and off road vehicle enthusiasts.

Europeans first settled in the canyon around 1860—naming it Jawbone because its shape resembled a mandible—and the trail was used as a trade route from Keyesville into the Piute Mountains (not to be confused with the Piute Mountains of the eastern Mojave Desert). During the Kern River gold rush, several gold mines operated in the canyon; the most successful of these, the St. John mine, yielded nearly $700,000 worth of gold between 1860 and 1875. The Gwynn mine, on the Geringer Grade, ran six claims yielding a total of $770,000 worth of gold and quartz before ceasing operations in 1942. Mining continued throughout the 1940s, mainly focused on rhyolite and antimony.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jawbone_Canyon

03-05-22 – Jawbone Canyon

Posted by on March 17, 2022 No comments

[flickr_set id=”72177720297408392″]
Jawbone Canyon is a geographic feature in the Mojave Desert and a Bureau of Land Management area located in Kern County, California, 20 miles (32 km) north of Mojave on CA 14. The area is a popular destination for hikers and off road vehicle enthusiasts.

Europeans first settled in the canyon around 1860—naming it Jawbone because its shape resembled a mandible—and the trail was used as a trade route from Keyesville into the Piute Mountains (not to be confused with the Piute Mountains of the eastern Mojave Desert). During the Kern River gold rush, several gold mines operated in the canyon; the most successful of these, the St. John mine, yielded nearly $700,000 worth of gold between 1860 and 1875. The Gwynn mine, on the Geringer Grade, ran six claims yielding a total of $770,000 worth of gold and quartz before ceasing operations in 1942. Mining continued throughout the 1940s, mainly focused on rhyolite and antimony.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jawbone_Canyon

Note: These images were taken with the Samsung S22 Ultra, which I have since returned because I find the images over-processed, but I’m posting them as a review of that device, and because this was a new-to-me area.

10-27-21 – 395 Autumn Road Trip

Posted by on November 4, 2021 No comments

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I got the new Pixel 6 Pro, and took an Eastern Sierra 395 Road Trip to try out the camera. I stopped at Red Rock Canyon State Park and went looking for autumn color near Bishop, with a quick stop at Alabama Hills to try out the night mode.

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The Eastern Sierra is a region in California comprising the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada, which includes Mono and Inyo Counties. The main thoroughfare is U.S. Route 395, which passes through Bridgeport, Lee Vining, Bishop, Big Pine, Independence, Lone Pine, and Olancha, with Bishop being the largest city in the area. It is sparsely populated but well known for its scenery; major points of interest include Mono Lake, Bodie, Mammoth Lakes, Manzanar, and parts of Yosemite National Park and Death Valley National Park.

Source: Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Sierra

10-03-21 – Sierra Autumn Roadtrip

Posted by on November 4, 2021 No comments

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I took a road trip through the Eastern Sierra in search of autumn colors after another long, hot summer of isolation. This short trip took in Virginia Lake, June Lake Loop, and the Obsidian Dome area.

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The Eastern Sierra is a region in California comprising the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada, which includes Mono and Inyo Counties. The main thoroughfare is U.S. Route 395, which passes through Bridgeport, Lee Vining, Bishop, Big Pine, Independence, Lone Pine, and Olancha, with Bishop being the largest city in the area. It is sparsely populated but well known for its scenery; major points of interest include Mono Lake, Bodie, Mammoth Lakes, Manzanar, and parts of Yosemite National Park and Death Valley National Park.

Source: Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Sierra

05-11-21 – Burr Trail

Posted by on July 3, 2021 No comments

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Travel Utah’s Beautiful Backcountry Along the Burr Trail

Located just outside the northeast region of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in Bullfrog, the Burr Trail offers excitement for the adventurous explorer. Views of features like the Henry Mountains, Waterpocket Fold, the red Circle Cliffs, Long Canyon, and Pedestal Alley await the traveler who wishes to explore this interesting road. To fully enjoy the journey always be well prepared. Make sure you have plenty of water, a first aid kit, proper footwear, sunscreen, a hat and a means of communication.

History of the Trail

John Atlantic Burr was born in 1846, during his family’s journey from New York to San Francisco on the SS Brooklyn while sailing across the Atlantic Ocean. Once they arrived, Charles and Sarah Burr then set out to Salt Lake City with their new baby. As part of the early pioneers from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the Burr family eventually moved south in 1876 and founded the town of Burrville, Utah.

John Burr grew up to be a cattle rancher in the rugged backcountry of Utah. Living in such a desolate area, he needed to develop a route to move his cattle between winter and summer ranges, as well as to market. This cattle trail through the rough, nearly impassible country around the Waterpocket Fold, Burr Canyon, and Muley Twist Canyon came to be known as the Burr Trail.

Source: National Park Service
https://www.nps.gov/glca/planyourvisit/driving-the-burr-trail.htm