roadhound
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Do I have other Hobbs? Do dogs have fleas? I have the following at hand: Pacific Highway, National Old Trails, Bankhead, Old Spanish Trail, Shenandoah Valley, National Dixie Highway, Costal Highway, Mohawk Trail, Santa Fe Trail, and a few others in stacks somewhere.
Any preferences for the next addition?
Keep the Show on the Road!
Pacific Highway...no wait, Coastal Highway...no, no, Old Spanish Trail..no, on fourth thought, National Old Trails...wait, make it Pacific Highway. I can't decide. It's like being at a buffet with all of your favorite foods. Which dish do you want to pig out on first? They're all good.
Roadhound
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Rick,
I looked on the web to find when Scotty’s Castle was built, According to the web, Johnson (Scotty’s benefactor) built the ranch in the late 1920’s. So it wouldn’t appear on a 1924 map.
As for snow plows in Death Valley....I can imagine several possibilities when you suggest ...think something wetter than sand.
Certainly those dry washes and playas occasionally run water across roads. What is a “snow plow” anyway?. They don’t run rotary plows in Death Valley...or do they? If by snow plow you mean a grader, then I’m game....mud, wet salt, dead fish, sage brush, or old prospectors!
I found the 1928 issues of Touring Topics. There is a lengthy article on Panamint City, with several photos (including the town, Surprise Canyon and The Narrows. The text appears to be a bit long on tall tales, reminiscences and the like, and short on contemporary (1928) details until the last two pages. The photos should be interesting if you know Panamint (I don’t) o rplan to go there. It was apparently long dead and abandoned by 1924.
I have posted the 1928 article and photos at www.pair.com/davepaul/americanroad/Panamint/
Keep the Show on the Road!
In my mind a snow plow is a vehicle, usually a truck, with on of those large steel blades attached to the front. I've lived my whole life in the relatively mild climate of California and the last time it snowed here was in 1976. There aren't a lot of snow plows to be seen here.
The last time I was in Death Valley significant rainstorm had followed us into the valley. We were staying at the motel in Stovepipe Wells and we could hear the rain hitting the tin roof most of the night. I woke up before the sun, peeked out the motel window, and could see stars. I could also see snow on top of the range to the west. I got up, got dressed, grabbed my camera gear, and filled my coffee mug at the front desk. As I was driving towards Furnace Creek, in the light just before dawn, one of those snowplows was clearing the roadway of a couple of inches worth of mud and some significant size boulders from the rains the night before.
The total precipation that night was 1/2 of an inch, almost half of Death Valley's total for the entire year.
Very timely on the Panamint City article. I am trying to convince my son that the trail through Surprise Canyon to Panamint City would be a good one for his troop to hike while there. The road to where Panamint City is can no longer be navigated by auto as large rocks have fallen blocking narrow canyons. Also, the National Park Service has blocked the trail a few miles from the entrance to Surprise Canyon in an attempt to prevent over ambitious off roaders from causing damage to the site. If all goes well maybe I can find the spot where the photo of the auto going through the narrow pass was taken.
Roadhound
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Yeh, how about sand plows?
The Automobile Blue Books and ACSC Tour Book from 1911 through 1926 don’t give notice to Death Valley. However the 1924 Rand McNally Auto Trails map at least shows the roads in the area. See images below and enlargements.
I am now kind of interested as to when it became a recognized tourist site. I believe it became a National Monument in 1933, and my early 1940 AAA Tour Books describe it well. I have the full run of the Automobile Club of Southern California (ACSC) Touring Topics Magazine for three years in the second half of the 1920’s. Perhaps they will note the development of the valley as a touring location. Now all I have to do is find them!
The best maps I have seen are the old USGS Topos. I would start at Chico State, but UC Berkley has some too. I know Chico State has the 1927 update and I did spot Wild Rose Canyon on someone’s on line topo as I was browsing. I would do a search on the words Los Angeles County Library USGS Historic Topos (no quotes). That should get you to a site with links to historic California Topos. If you need assistance I am full of advice!
Of course there is a ton of modern stuff on Death Valley which would no doubt readily answer most questions...but where is the fun in that?
1924 Death Valley Map 1 from Rand McNally Auto Trails map
1924 Death Valley Map, section 2
Keep the Show on the Road!
I seem to recall that Scotty's Castle was a popular destination in the early 1900's. If I remember the tour guide said that most guests came from Southern California by auto.
The one thing that look odd about the 1924 map is that the Panamint Valley is not identified. I don't have my Delorme in front of me but it should be about where the Pinto Range is identified on the 1924 map. Also, Ridgecrest and Trona do not yet exist. I will have to look at these maps more closely.
You're on the right track with the plow. Think wetter.
Roadhound
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Rick,
I did an overlay of the 1927 USGS topo of the Keeler Darwin area on the Google Earth map. Unfortunately I don’t know how to share a live version, so you will have to look at jpgs. None the less, the road alignments are interesting and might provide a few reasons to turn off the modern road.
www.pair.com/justfolk/AR/Darwin1.jpg
www.pair.com/justfolk/AR/Darwin2.jpg
www.pair.com/justfolk/AR/Darwin3.jpg
I hope you enjoyed the 1913 story of the Indian woman and the camera at Tippets. You know Rishel was instrumental in getting the Lincoln re routed via Wendover.
Keep the Show on the Road!
Keep!,
Those maps are fascinating as was the story. I am always amazed at the resources you have at your fingertips (or in that pile in the corner as the case may be) and thank you for sharing them with us. I guess the question to be answered is going to be whether those roads are still there and are they driveable?Google Earth should help but nothing beats an onsite inspection.
I opened up another thread specifically for Death Valley.
Roadhound
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In another thread on this forum Keep the Show on the Road! and got sidetracked in a discussion about early roads in the vicinity of Death Valley. I had mentioned that I was heading in that direction in November and as typically is the case he was able to post some early maps of the area the piqued my interest.
This will be my 4th trip to Death Valley and I hope to do some exploring of early roads through the area. I may be somewhat limited in my explorations as I will be accompanying my son's Boy Scout Troop, however, should the opportunity for exploration arrive I want to be prepared.
My first trip to Death Valley was over 27 years ago traveling with my parents. That trip was special because it was the first time I was given the opportunity to drive on a family vacation plus I had graduated from a Kodak Instamatic camera to my then new Olympus OM-1 SLR. The picture quality improved dramatically although I still had a lot to learn about composition and exposure. I had also just finished Mr. Jensen's Earth-Space Science course and was looking forward to seeing the horsts, grabens, alluvial fans, and sand dunes that comprise the geology of the area.
My second trip to Death Valley was between Christmas and New Years 1985. I had reached a critical time in my life and needed to do a bit of soul searching. Death Valley was the perfect place to clear the mind. I spent a few days camping near Furnace Creek while I hiked various parts of the park during the day and froze in my sleeping bag at night.
The third trip was less than 5 years ago when I took my family on a spring break vacation to the desert. We expected temps in the mid-80 to low-90's but what we ended up with temps in the mid 60's and half a years worth of rain in one night. When the desert gets even a little bit of rain it comes to life and this trip was full of wind and wildflowers.
I will hold off on explaining why there are snow plows in Death Valley for now but if anyone wants to make a guess, share an experience about a trip to Death Valley that they have taken, or offer up some advice please post.
I am particularly interested in the road coming into the park from the west that goes through Wildrose Canyon.
Keep the Show on the Road's! 1941 Map of the Death Valley Area
A few pictures from my last trip to Death Valley
Roadhound
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That is fascinating!! I somehow would not expect a waterfall out there. Was it spring fed?
I looked up the area on a 1913 USGS TOPO reprinted in 1927 (at Chico State). I have the impression, but it needs to be verified, that the reprinted USGS topos updated roads to the reprint date. If so, it is interesting that there is no main road from Owens Lake to Death Valley as late as 1927. It also explains why my mid 1920’s ACSC strip maps show the road east from Owens Lake as going to Darwin, not Death Valley. I don’t think Death Valley was recognized as a National Monument until the early 1930’s.
I am going to do a little map research on the old road.
Thanks again for the photo and post!
Why not start a new thread with Death Valley in the title so we get some feedback on the area...
Keep the Show on the Road!
From what I have been able to discover Darwin Falls is a year-round spring fed waterfall. There are a couple of more falls further up the hillside that require a bit of rock climbing to get to. I didn't go any further than the first of the falls.
I will certainly open up a Death Valley thread soon, after I re-edit some of my pictures. Last time I was there I was shooting a combination of film and an early point and shoot digital. I'm not really satisfied with the pictures I currently have up on my website and would like to make them look just a bit better before I start linking to them.
I am certainly interested in anything you dig up regarding roads in and out of Death Valley. It is probably safe to make the assumption that most of the early auto roads in the area were geared more for access to mines in the area and not tourism.
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Just one for me: South Bend, Indiana.
In the fifth edition of the Lincoln Highway guide:
Tracy, California
Hayward, California
Not in the guide, but along the route:
Dublin, California
San Leandro, California
Although I don't currently live in a Lincoln Highway city the office I currently work in is less than 100 yards from the Lincoln in Dublin, CA.
Roadhound
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Keeler looks like an interesting stop if for nothing else than the quirkiness of the place. There are some photos posted on Google Earth that also show the yacht club and other beach related activities. My trip there and back will be both single day affairs with three days sandwiched in between. It will be about a 9-10 hour drive. Keeler is not to far out of the way from the route I would likely be traveling so I should be able to fit in a short detour. Cerro Gordo may have to wait until a future date.
The map shows Darwin Falls as well as the road between Panamint Springs and Darwin. Five years ago I traveled that road from Panamint Springs as far as the head end of the canyon that Darwin Falls is in. I didn't attempt to drive any further as the road got extremely rough and I was in a minivan at the time. I doubt that I would attempt to go all the way to Darwin today in my current vehicle.
Darwin Falls is interesting as well. It sits in a canyon about 1/2 mile back off of the road. From the road their is no sign of the falls or water for that matter. As you walk into the canyon you first notice that the ground is damp. As you near the back of the canyon it narrows and suddenly you have to hop across a small stream. In the back of the canyon is a nice, peaceful, waterfall. It would have been a nice place to sit and enjoy the quiet but my kids, 5 and 9 at the time, were more interested in throwing rocks and anything else they could find into the pond.
DARWIN FALLS
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Rick
Mono Lake is a unique subject. The lake has been the subject of some pretty serious fights to maintain the water level, as LA siphons off the water from the area. As a consequence the Lake has lots of advocates.
You know my fondness for the east side of the Sierra and the El Camino Sierra (AKA US 395) and my long family ties to the area. I think I mentioned that my grandfather spent a good deal of time at his employer's lodge just above Lee Vinning on the road over Tioga Pass, and in the mining sites (Bodie and Aurora) near the lake. Your earlier reports covered much of that area.
I didn’t ask before, but did you also get some images and stories about the Tioga Pass road? I drove that baby when part of it was still dirt, and honestly the road went up and over tree roots, it was that primitive. It is still a drive that some people really fear, especially as it comes down the long slope from the top to Lee Vinning and the lake. Imagine that drive when there were no guard rails! There was still a road like that in the Snake River country of eastern Oregon until just a few years ago. Driving on the outside edge was certain to leave you with sweaty palms and real relief when you reached the flatlands! Now it has guard rails in the worst spots...which I confess I appreciate.
Hope you take some more trips soon!
Keep the Show on the Road!
Thanks for the compliment DennyG. Always appreciated.
Keep!,
You may be pleased to know that the water level in Mono Lake has been stabilized as a result of the Lake's advocates. The laws around water diversion have been written so that the water level cannot be below a minumum level that keeps the islands within the lake isolated from the shore, thus keeping predators away from the nesting areas. The level is nothing near what your Grandfather would have seen, however, and the salinity level would be much higher too.
Next trip on the calendar is to Death Valley in November just prior to Thanksgiving. This will be another Boy Scout outing where I lend my vehicle to carry the gear but don't have any Scoutmaster responsibilities. I am hoping to break away for a day and explore The Racetrack and Eureka Sand Dunes if the scouts don't have that on their itinerary. There are also some charcoal kilns and townsites in the mountains west of Stovepipe Wells that have me interested too. The group may be small enough with sufficient off road capabilities that they may include those destinations in their outing. My son is the Senior Patrol Leader for this outing so I may have some influence in the schedule of activities.
I haven't yet done any road research for this trip and maybe I can get you to nudge me in the right direction. I know there was a toll road near Darwin that I have traveled a small portion of as well as some earlier roads that are visible coming into the park from the west. Other than that I have no clue about the early roads near the park. I'm sure you must have something in that vast library of yours.
Posted below is a shot from near the top of Tioga Pass. I drove down the Tioga Road in the dark and although it is still a steep descent I didn't have any of the views that would make my palms sweat. I put the truck in a low gear, and took my time getting down. Later in the day when I traveled back up I was on the side of the road next to the hill and was not subjected to any palm sweating views then either.
Roadhound
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I got 3 of 7, but I consider this a badge of honor. Afterall, it IS a question about those evil interstates!
I got 4 right. All were WAGs.
Roadhound
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Rick,
Wow and double wow! I know I have never seen better photos of Mono Lake. On a scale of 10, they are a 12!
Are you working to get these published? With winter coming maybe a few snow shots along with these and you have a calendar. I don't know that business, so I don't know the entry points or the economics, but I hope you are getting an agent.
Keep the Show on the Road!
Thanks Keep! Appreciate the compliments.
I wish I knew how the publishing industry worked. I've been trying to figure it out for a few years now without success. You would think that the calendar industry would be a profitable one for photographers but that is not the case. Photogs that I have talked to about tell horror stories of a lot of work with little profit. Typically the publishers make you pay up front for the printing and its up to you to find a distributor. Plus, you're dealing with a product that has a finite shelf life. There is an online service that will sell and print out the calendar on a as needed basis that I have looked into. All I need is the time to put the photos together, wait, don't want to wish for that, I need the steady paycheck that my current job provides.
The economic reality of photography as a career is that the percentage that wish they could get paid for taking pictures for a living is far, far greater than those that are. I make a few bucks selling my photos but it hardly covers the cost of gas to get to the location not to mention the cost of the equipment and everything else involved.
The way I figure it I've got 20 years until I retire. By then I should have quite a stockpile of photos and selling them can become my retirement job to cover the gaps in Social Security and the Pension plan that will have long since been raided by the corporation. I got it all worked out
Roadhound
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Last August I was camping in Yosemite with a group of Boy Scouts and was able to break away from that outing for a day and tour nearby Mono Lake, US395, the ghost town of Bodie, as well as doing some field investigation for Keep the Show on the Road! That road report can be found here. After I posted a sunrise shot of Mono Lake Keep! requested that I share some of the other photos from that morning. It has taken me a few months to get around to processing the remainder of those pictures but here you go.
Pre-dawn light and the silhouttes of the tufa towers
Sunrise across the Mono Basin
The morning sun shining on the South Lake tufa towers
The morning sun shining on the Eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada Range.
California Gulls feast on the multitude of brine flies along Mono Lake's shoreline.
Afternoon view of Mono Lake from the Visitor's Center looking north-east toward Black Rock Point.
Roadhound
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RoadHoiund,
I popped up a 1911 San Jose to San Francisco via the East Bay. If that one is intereeting, I'll do some more. Any specifi areas needed?
Now we're talkin! Looking at that map and reading the description I think I know where most of the landmarks and cross streets would be today. There is a Masonic Home identified on the map that was still there the last time I drove by. It is also amazing to note how much the geography has been altered in the last 100 years. The island of Alameda wasn't even an island back then and the SF Bay is larger than it is now. The three ferry terminals reaching across to SF would be on the land now.
A 1000 Thank You's!
Do you have anything that shows the San Ramon Valley, where I 680 is now, between Fremont and Concord\Martinez?
Roadhound
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Keep, I would like to commend you on this endevour. I haven't had much time lately to follow this thread or your progress but I took a look this evening and the website looks fantastic. With all the scanning that you are going to do adding content will be no small task but I know it will be appreciated by me as well as others. I look forward to seeing some west coast maps posted.
Roadhound
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The only practical way to get from Winnemucca to the coast I know is the way you went...i.e. the Pikes Peak Ocean to Ocean/ Victory/ Lincoln. The Applegate Trail went from Winnemucca across the Blackrock Desert, passed near what is now Cedarville (a rare authentic western town today well worth a visit), over Fandango Pass (I love that name, and have been over it a couple of time), south of Goose Lake (actually through it) then toward Klamath Falls and ultimately into the Willamette Valley from the south. It is a wonderful route to explore (with no railroad spikes!), but you will have to add wagon trails to your auto trails interests to qualify.
I want to add that you are a great asset to this Forum! Thanks for your terrific contributions!
Keep the Show on the Road!
My contribution to this forum will never be close to what I have recieved so far. I am glad that I can provide something.
What I like about this forum, and the information that is shared, is that it inspires me to research subjects that I had never heard of before. Take the Applegate Trail for instance. Until yesterday I had never heard of it, now I want to explore it. I found this website that gives a good photo essay of the Applegate route as well as the Lassen route.
I like to think of the early routes taken by immigrants headed west (Oregon Trail, California Trail, Lewis & Clark, etc) and the the later the routes chosen by the railroads as predecessors to the auto routes to come. Some of the pioneer trails never made it to asphalt while others became the foundation of some of our modern roads. Take the California Trail for instance, US 40 and later I-80 were able to cut across some of the more challenging sections of the California Trail but there is a large section through Nevada that I-80 follows closely. The Lincoln Highway roughly follows the Pony Express Trail through a good section of Utah and Nevada. US 99/I-5 follows the Applegate Trail through Oregon. I'm sure there are many more examples.
Roadhound
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BTW, ppoo has come on board. He is a Pikes Peak Ocean to Ocean pro, but says his direct knowledge of the western sections is less developed. You might want to share a bit of your route, as I think it was on, or pretty close, to the PPOO for some distance (as you well know).
Maybe ppoo can help validate what I think was the PPOO. The section I was going to follow was part of the original roadbed of the CPRR going east from Wells and roughly following the same path as the present day Union Pacific line through Cobre. A description that Keep had sent prior to the trip let me to believe that this was the case. I know I printed out what I recieved but will have to look for the soft copy.
I remember reading about the group following the old route and the punctured tires. That would sure dissuade me. I carry one of those cans that re-inflates the tire, but a railroad spike would make a hole too big to close with the goo in the can. I think that is one road to definitely avoid!Flat tires can be disconcerting, but I think of the times when you carried 2 to 4 extra casings and tubes, and did your own patching. Makes the $10 insignificant. And, no, I was not referring to something I personally experienced!
But boy I wish I had one of those fancy trucks with tire pressure sensors. My car has a flat tire alarm also. When I get one, the car starts to swerve, and if I don’t heed the warning, there is a flop flop sound, followed by a grinding sound with sparks identifying the location of the problem. I don't have to pay $10 to reset it either!
I believe all new cars are required to have the sensors now, at least that is what the tire guy said. I didn't even know I had it until the warning light went off. I'm sure I had read it in the manual but forgot about it.
Fortunately the symbol was easy to understand plus I could feel the truck start to handle differently. I recall the California Trail connection with Lovelock...wasn’t that Big Meadows.....I forget. And BTW the area around Winnemucca is also connected with the Applegate Trail cutoff of the Oregon Trail. They headed west across the Blackrock Desert and into Oregon from the south. But hey, we are talking auto trails here!I believe you are correct. Lovelock may have been called Big Meadows before they changed the name to that of the storekeeper who ran the trading post. Lovelock is also known as the banana belt of Nevada because of its fertile soils and relatively mild climate.
Wasn't there also an auto trail that went from Winnemucca to the coast?
Roadhound
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Rick, is there anything back there on that section of 40 that people might need to get to? I'm curious about why the road is barricaded only on one side. jim
There is a road that comes off of the highway about midway through the loop. I would assume that they want to prevent drivers from coming directly off of the Interstate and force them to access from the West only.
40 43'39.73N 116 00'50.76W
Roadhound
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We finally see the beginning of the journey!
Once again I wish I could take a trip through that area. Someday..
Old U.S. 40 looks like it still gets some use, at least compared to the lesser-used roads around here, which have grass growing in the centreline.
Now to reread your entire series of posts from this trip.
Tracy
Sorry for taking so long, a few other projects came up over the last few weeks that required my attention. I do hope that this series of postings was able to give you a feel of what it is like to drive in the western deserts and show that there is more to it than sage brush and jackrabbits, maybe even inspire a few of you to take a similar trip.
That posting was also my 100th post. Woohooo! This posting is 101 which is also a good number and one of my favorite highways.
That section of US 40 wouldn't get much traffic across it. The Eastern end is still connected to I-80 but it is barricaded off. Although it is accessible from the east side if you drive around the barricade the only real access is from the west side. Although, now that I think about it, I suppose that it could be used as a temporary bypass for westbound traffic if the tunnel on I-80 had to be closed for any reason.
Being in a desert might also explain the lack of vegetation growing through the cracks. Its also a BLM Wildlife Refuge so I doubt that they do any spraying to control the vegetation.
Roadhound
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In July my father, son, and I embarked on a journey to follow the Lincoln Highway, Pony Express Trail, and US 50 west from Salt Lake City. That journey was chronicled in a series of postings that can be found in the Lincoln Highway forum. To start the journey we first needed to drive east in the general direction of Salt Lake City from our starting point in Angels Camp, California. While that 680 mile drive could have been done in a single day we stretched it out into two so that we could explore some of the historic trails and roads that follow the Interstate 80 corridor.
We got an early start from Angels Camp arising at 4:30 am and on the road by 5:30. Following CA 49 into Jackson we then turned east on CA 88 and with the sun rising in front of us we followed it over the Sierra Nevada range and into Nevada. In Minden we turned north on US 395 and followed it into Carson City before turning east again on US 50. We followed 50 until we reached Silver Springs and turned north on Alt US 50\Alt US 95. We reached I-80 at Fernley and then headed east towards our first stop of the day in Lovelock.
Lovelock is interesting in that it is one of the only towns along the I-80 corridor in Nevada that existed before the Transcontinental Railroad was built. The town served as the last refuge for immigrants on the California trail before they traveled further west across the desolation of the Carson Sink with wagon trains stopping to rest their teams before the perilous journey ahead.
Carson Sink west of Lovelock, Nevada
The Interstate bypassed Lovelock in 1983 and the stoplight on that is currently on Main Street was the last one to regulate traffic along this route between New York and San Francisco.
After gassing up and in Lovelock we took a few photos of vintage motel signs and relaxed for a few minutes at the Pershing County Court House before we journeyed further eastward. The original flight plan called for a tailgate lunch in the ghost town of Unionville. We never made it to Unionville. While we were driving towards the ghost town we missed the road that we needed to follow and while turning the car around I was able to embed a very sharp rock into the tire just above the treadline on my right rear tire. Within 90 seconds the tire was completely flat.
My ‘gung-ho lets explore the desert’ attitude immediately became extremely conservative with the priority of getting a replacement tire or fixing the flat. Using the GPS I looked up tire stores in Winnemucca and instead of eating lunch in Unionville we tailgated at a tire store in Winnemucca. Fortunately the flat was repairable and the repaired tire became my spare. I did learn that tire shops now charge a $10 fee to reset the pressure sensors that are in the rim when they repair a flat.
We continued on westward for our next planned stop at Palisade. Very little of the town of Palisade still exists with no buildings and only a cemetery to mark the spot. For many years Palisade was a transfer point for the Nevada Northern Railway and Southern Pacific Railroads bringing ore up from the mines to the south. More recently it has been considered as a transfer point to deliver nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain.
The Humboldt River and both east bound and west bound Union Pacific tracks run through Palisade.
Our next destination was Carlin Canyon which is about 5 miles east of the town of Carlin off of I-80. Carlin Canyon is a horseshoe shaped canyon that at various times in recent history hosted the California Trail, Transcontinental Railroad, Victory Highway, and US 40. The Interstate and rail lines all now bypass the Canyon through tunnels leaving a very nice, abandoned, stretch of highway to explore.
US 40 Roadbed in Carlin Canyon
After our exploration of Carlin Canyon we continued east giving consideration of where to stay for the night. Our options were motels in either Elko or Wells, or camp for the night. We opted to camp for the night in a campground located in the mountains Southwest of Wells. Located at an elevation above 9,000 feet the Angel Creek campground featured an alpine lake and very comfortable temperatures. After a dinner of Top Ramen mixed with dehydrated vegetables we slept under the stars and dozed off watching satellites trace their way across the sky.
We awoke with the sun and after a quick breakfast of oatmeal and fresh apples we proceeded into Wells to refresh our ice and bread supplies. Northwest of Wells is the ghost town of Metropolis which we drove to and explored before continuing east.
Victory Motel on 6th Street in Wells, Nevada
7th Street in Wells, Nevada
My original plans had us following an old section of the PPOO from Wells to Montello, Utah, but after the previous days flat tire experience I wasn’t quite ready to venture to far away from pavement. So we got back on I-80 and headed east to Nevada 233 before turning north.
We followed 233 into Montello stopping briefly to look at some of the older looking buildings and to take a few pictures. After Montello we had the option of driving towards the railroad stop of Lucin or continuing on Nevada 233. Nevada 233 turns into Utah 30 after crossing the border. Shortly after crossing into Utah we found a dirt road that took us down to the abandoned Transcontinental Railroad railbed.
Montello, Nevada
This section is now part of the Transcontinental Railroad Back Country Byway and while it is open to vehicle traffic we opted to walk a short section instead. The section between Lucin, Promentory Point, and Ogden was bypassed in the early 1900’s when a bypass was built across the Salt Lake between Ogden and Lucin. The rails were pulled up in 1942 to recover the iron as part of the war effort. Prior to leaving on the trip I read an account of a group from Utah that traveled the same section and nearly every vehicle on the journey suffered a flat tire from railroad spikes. During our short walk it didn’t take long to find a spike lying on the roadbed.
Grandfather and Grandson walk along the the abandoned transcontinental railroad roadbed.
Road hazard to drivers along the Transcontinental Railroad Back Country Byway
We continued on Utah 30 through the towns of Rosette and Park Valley before turning onto a gravel road that took us towards the railroad siding of Kelton. There we followed the abandoned railbed further east towards Promontory Point. For the next 40 miles we followed a well maintained and graded railbed that lead us to the sight where the Golden Spike was driven connecting east with west.
Oue re-enactment of the Golden Spike ceremony at Promontory, Utah
I was pleasantly surprised to find upon arrival at the Golden Spike National Historic Site that there were 2 replicas of the original locomotives on the tracks in the same spot where they would have been on May 10, 1869, when the spike was driven. The original locomotives present during the ceremony had long since been sold off as scrap which completely amazed me. If I recall, both engines lasted for another 30 to 40 years before being sold off to the scrapper for the sum of $2,000.
There was a man from Australia that was running around the engines taking video and still pictures of the engines that I had the opportunity to talk to. It turned out that he came from Australia for the sole purpose of seeing that site and the presence of the two engines belching steam had him over the moon. I thought I had journeyed a long way to see a couple of trains.
After looking around the Golden Spike site we drove some more of the railbed stopping at the Last Cut, Chinaman’s Arch, and The Big Fill as we continued east and finally getting ourselves back on pavement.
Chinaman's Arch is a naturally formed arch that was named in honor of the Chinese laborers that built the Transcontinental Railroad
We made one last stop before heading to Salt Lake City and a warm shower and that was at the Thiokol Rocket Museum that lies just outside the park boundaries on Utah 83. Coincidently enough the museum is within a few hundred yards of the transcontinental rail line. From steam engines to the Space Shuttle in a matter of a few miles.
The Space Shuttle Booster Rocket and other rockets manufactured by Thiokol on display.
The next day we would start our journey along the Lincoln Highway.
Continue on to Part 2
Roadhound
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I just wish my ability to scratch this growing itch were not so sharply limited by availability of funds. :-(
I too feel your pain. If it weren't for a lack of time and lack of $$$ I would be following as many of these old roads as I possibly could.
This last road trip wasn't to expensive. In total it probably cost less than $400 for me which isn't bad for a week long vacation, and that is including getting the flat fixed in Winnemucca. It did help that my father was splitting expenses with me. It also helped that we camped out half the time. A $12 camping spot is a lot cheaper than a $70 hotel room. Tack onto that the money saved by cooking over the Coleman and eating lunch on the tailgate and it makes the trip much more economical. Road trips get expensive when your staying at a Hotel/Motel every night and eating three meals a day at a resturaunt. Last year when we took a 2 week trip from California to Saskatchewan I budgeted $160 a day for expenses and ended up spending well beyond that. I think I'm still paying off that trip.
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Outstanding Keep! Thanks for posting those. I am already looking at the calendar for next year trying to figure out when I can go back there. The first photo is almost exactly what it looked like for us with very dark, threatening, clouds. I really regret not stopping at Stonehouse too.
If we haven't caused the folks east of the Mississippi to start itchin for a journey west by now I don't suppose there is much else we can do.
Roadhound
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I got a morbid chuckle at the sinking in the mud photos you linked to. I guess I should add that to the ways I almost lost my Toyoda Land Cruiser in the old days. We were traveling in two rigs across the outback of Eastern Oregon and the track seemed to cross a large dry lake bed. It was flat, dry, and dusty, and the day was a scorcher.
We had gone about a mile straight across the dry lake, and I was in the lead. My two friends were in the rig behind me. I was throwing up a huge cloud of dust, so they were staying quite a ways back. I’m doing maybe 55 or 60 across the perfectly flat surface, and I note that very gradually I am slowing down, despite adding more gas. I pulled out the 4 wheel drive knob and gave it more throttle. More dust, and more slowing.
Something is wrong. Have I plugged up the air cleaner with dust and the engine isn’t getting enough air? I stop and get out to open the hood, and when my foot hits the ground, the ground shimmies, like a very large and thick bowl of Jello. I note the Land Cruiser is nearly down to the rims in two inches of dust, and under the dust is gray mud. I am sinking into the “dry” lake bed. I put her into reverse and she spins all four wheels because I have already sunk another inch into the mud.
The rest of the story is a rush to get two boards we had along under the wheels and back the Land Cruiser out as fast as possible. I backed most of a mile without slowing down, and enjoyed the Land Cruiser through other adventures.
I hasten to add, there is nothing anywhere on the Lincoln that includes a dry lake bed, or I think anything that would challenge a mini van. Of course I wouldn’t drive a Corvette over it, but that is only because I wouldn’t want to shake the dickens out of it on washboard. Did you encounter anyplace with rocks or washouts that would be a problem? Of course I always prefer two vehicles just for common sense... if something breaks.
Keep the Show on the Road!
That's a scary story! I did bring some boards along on our trip too.
I too got a bit of a chuckle out of the link, especially considering who it was that got stuck. They probably thought that all there expensive vehicles would have no problem making it out just because they cost a lot of money.
The reason the original route is the way that it is was because they wanted to avoid the salt flats as much as possible. The whole route skirts around the south end of the lakebed and although getting off the road in the wintertime might be treachorous the summer has minimal danger.
There was nothing that we encountered during the desert section that couldn't be driven in a sedan. The road itself was in good condition and well maintained, all things considered. There were some sections that had a lot of washboarding that might shake a Vette up a bit. but it didn't slow us down much. It was dusty though. I used the four wheel drive some but it was usually in sections where the dirt was soft, not because we were climbing across rocks. Considering that we were traveling alone I didn't want to take to many unnecessary risks.
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Thanks again everyone for the positive feedback. If I have been able to inspire anybody out there in cyberspace to take this journey then I will consider these postings successful. This truly was a special trip for me and hopefully not a once in a lifetime adventure. I'm ready to head out again.
In regards to a mass road trip through the area it would be an interesting thing to coordinate. I could see challenges through the Utah desert just because of the distance you would need to travel with no facilities readily available. You may have to break the trip into two groups with those that want to journey across the desert, and those that don't, and they could meet up again on the other side. Speaking of the Salt Lake Desert I happened across this yesterday... It's not in the exact same area as the Lincoln but it does give an idea of some of the dangers.
I have many more pictures from the trip that I will be posting up on my website and I still have the first 2 days of the journey to cover.
BTW Keep, please share your photos. Nobody, especially me, will do a side by side comparison and judge a winner. The photos, and insight, you shared when I started asking questions last spring where extremely valuable to me both in helping to plan the trip and giving me an idea of what to expect. I constantly use the photos of others to inspire me, everything from Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, and Galen Rowell, to the casual photographer showing pictures from one his vacations. Its all good.
Roadhound
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Part 6; The Road Home
In July my father, son, and I embarked on a journey across the deserts of Utah and Nevada following old trails, railroads, and highways.This is the final installment of that journey and covers the 7th day of that trip. All the photos posted so far, plus some that weren't included in the road reports, can be found at http://www.rwphotos.com/Scenics/scenicmain.htm
The final night of our adventure was spent at the Lincoln Motel in Austin, Nevada. The motel, like the town, had a nostalgic feel to it. The mattresses on the beds could not have been any more recent than the 1960's, same with the carpets. In short, the motel could have used a bit of sprucing up.
We entered into town the evening before with the tired look of the travelers who had just journeyed across the desert. Gone were the snappy conversations and the desire to explore new things. Replacing them were tired eyes, low energy levels, and for me a pounding headache. Very little was said as we ate our meal at the International Cafe. My son and I had burgers while my father had the prime rib dinner. All agreed that the food was good.
Afterwards we walked the length of the town at sunset and then settled into our motel room to catch up on reading, writing, and to watch the 2 channels on the TV. The PBS documentary on a mansion in Carson City was not interesting enough to keep my sons attention so he turned to harassing me and his grandfather by throwing towels at us while we tried to catch up on some reading and writing.
International Cafe
Main Street Austin\US 50
Austin Nevada
Austin Garage, Austin, Nevada
Moonrise Austin
As we left town we made a side trip to Stokes Castle. The 3 story tall hand-hewn granite castle was built as a summer home by Anson Phelps Stokes, a mine developer, in 1897. The Stokes only used the castle as a summer retreat for a short time before selling it off in 1898 with the rest of their mining assets.
Stokes Castle
Continuing on we headed west on US 50 for a short distance before turning south on Nevada 722. If US 50 is the "Loneliest Road" then Nevada 722 should be called the "Really, Really, Really Lonely Road." I've driven Sitgreaves Pass on Route 66 twice now and as much as I enjoy it Nevada 722 exceeds it by far in my mind. This stretch of road is about 60 miles long, travels down a long and well irrigated valley, winds through a magnificent canyon, and ends with the road winding down the canyon wall before it reaches historic Eastgate. During the entire stretch not another vehicle was to be seen with the exception of the rancher tending to his horse herd on an ATV. This is my new favorite stretch of road and I hope nobody else hears about it.
Nevada 722 winding its way towards Eastgate
Nevada 722
Nevada 722 was built as an upgrade to the original route of the Lincoln which ran approximately where US 50 is today. It became US 50 when all the roads where given US Route numbers and sometime later US 50 was moved to where the Lincoln originally was, leaving this perfectly paved stretch of road to the locals, and me.
Near the western end of our excursion on Nevada 722 we stopped at Eastgate and looked around noting the dates and names that were carved in the wall. Upon reaching US 50 we turned east for a short detour to the Cold Springs Pony Express Station. A few days earlier there would have been no question about hiking out to the location of the station ruins but on this day the interest in hiking for an hour to see another pile of rocks lying on the ground just didn't sound all that appealing. We continued westward on US 50, stopping and exploring the Sand Springs Pony Express Station. The temperature was getting much warmer the further west we traveled and walking on the sand surrounding the ruins didn't make things any cooler.
Ranch House at Eastgate
Graffiti on the Eastgate bunkhouse wall
US 50
Sand Springs Pony Express Station walls and Sand Mountain
When your traveling alone its easy to see what you want and to set your own pace. When traveling with somebody else you run the risk of either yourself or one of your traveling companions turning grumpy. We reached that point when we stopped at Grimes Point and my son flat out refused to hike around the petroglyphs. Without regret the decision was made to expedite our return home and make it that evening instead of the following day. We did make a stop along the way at Fort Churchill and got one last bit of dirt road driving along the Pony Express Trail between Fort Churchill and Dayton.
Reaching Carson City we turned south on 395 towards Minden, took CA 88 over the Sierra Nevada Range to Jackson, and then south on CA 49 to San Andreas and my parents home just south of there.
As is the case with most road trips that I have taken I always discover places that I have missed after I have returned home. This trip was no different. The journey was a memorable one from many different aspects. The fact that it was with my father and son made it extremely special and I am sure it will be one that my son remembers later in life. Also, it was the first time that I had been camping with my father in the last 30 years, or since I was 12 or 13 years old. So many people have told me that they wish that had done something similar with their father when they had the chance.
The country that we crossed only whetted my appetite to explore it more and see the things that I missed on the first pass through.
1925 Dixie Highway Guide
in Dixie Highway
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There were three pictures that I found labeled as Dublin Canyon on the UM website. I do not believe that any of them were taken in Dublin Canyon and think that they were more likely in the east side of the Altamont Pass. I suspect that the Dublin Canyon area would have been much narrower with higher hills and some vegetation on the hillsides. Although that whole canyon has changed greatly I can't think of any spot along Dublin Canyon today that resembles those pictures.
Roadhound