2004 08, Nevada

2004 08 09 Smoke Creek Desert, Nevada

This part of the Nevada desert is relatively close to Truckee, a 2-4 hour drive depending on how far into it you want to go, and it is a good visual "warm up" for longer trips.  I can find out of I am really interested and if my eyes are working.  I left about 10AM and was back about 10PM.  I have been to this area many times and always like it.  In spite of being relatively close to Reno there is simply not much out here.  No water, not much ranching, a lot of high desert.  The Black Rock desert is to the north of the Smoke Creek Desert, about 3-4 hours from Truckee, and every year it is home to Burning Man.  (Personally I think Burning Man is pretentious and dopey and the BLM ought to order it  moved to some other part of the state, perhaps the fairgrounds in Reno.)

Anyway, I made the same lap around Pyramid Lake and Smoke Creek that I have made many times before.  I did drive further north onto the playa of Black Rock, but the air was rather dusty due to winds, so I did not stay.  Here are some snaps taken along the way.

The tufa towers that you see through this standard issue Nevada shot up car are on the Paiute Indian reservation and are marked "no trespassing".  I could probably get out there and do some photography without incident but I want to contact the reservation authorities and get permission to be out there at a sunset sometime.  These tufa towers are the same sort of formation found at Mono Lake to the south.

Here's an exterior shot of the Bonham Ranch.  It would have been very interesting to see this place when it was "living".  It's hard to imagine getting a living out of this very harsh environment, but someone did for quite a while.

Here is why the ranch is here.  I am sure this water is very minerally since it has a smell.  Not a bad smell, but minerally.  I wouldn't drink it.  I suppose the occupants must have.  There are several springs still going here and it is strange to walk around and hear them splashing.

The interior looks worse each time I am through.  I expect that one of these trips I will find the place burned to the ground.

Same.

My favorite corner of this house.  You can see the "Meth lab goes here." graffiti.

And, here's the most fun I had all day.  This happened about 5 minutes before the sun went over the  mountains.  I was on the way to the low pass between the Pyramid Lake area from the Smoke Creek desert.  It made a very fine whubba whubba whubba noise..  and it looks like it was dropped into a chipper shredder.  I don't think it is repairable, eh?  But, I do think I could go to work for some NASCAR driver.  I got this changed in about 10-15 minutes.. I had the Jeep re-loaded and was ready to get going again when the sun was over the mountains but the sky was still light.

The sunset was nothing to yell about - too much dust in the air.  But it was a good day.  Today I have to find a tire ..