Tag Archives: USA

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.

05-14-21 – Jurassic National Monument

Posted by on August 23, 2021 No comments

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Jurassic National Monument, at the site of the Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry, well known for containing the densest concentration of Jurassic dinosaur fossils ever found, is a paleontological site located near Cleveland, Utah, in the San Rafael Swell, a part of the geological layers known as the Morrison Formation.

Well over 15,000 bones have been excavated from this Jurassic excavation site and there are many thousands more awaiting excavation and study. It was designated a National Natural Landmark in October 1965. The John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act, signed into law March 12, 2019, named it as a national monument.

All of these bones, belonging to different species, are found disarticulated and indistinctly mixed together. It has been hypothesised that this strong concentration of mixed fossilised bones is due to a “predator trap”, but any kind of definitive scientific consensus hasn’t been reached yet and debates still continue to the present day.

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

09-18-19 – Jurassic National Monument

Posted by on January 29, 2020 No comments

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Jurassic National Monument, at the site of the Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry, well known for containing the densest concentration of Jurassic dinosaur fossils ever found, is a paleontological site located near Cleveland, Utah, in the San Rafael Swell, a part of the geological layers known as the Morrison Formation.

Well over 15,000 bones have been excavated from this Jurassic excavation site and there are many thousands more awaiting excavation and study. It was designated a National Natural Landmark in October 1965. The John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act, signed into law March 12, 2019, named it as a national monument.

All of these bones, belonging to different species, are found disarticulated and indistinctly mixed together. It has been hypothesised that this strong concentration of mixed fossilised bones is due to a “predator trap”, but any kind of definitive scientific consensus hasn’t been reached yet and debates still continue to the present day.

Unfortunately I arrived only to learn that it was closed for the season, so I explored the surrounding area. I’ll return next year to see the visitor center.