THE GREAT NEVADA EXPORATION

August 18 - 25 1990, JONES & KILBERG

About 5 am Saturday, while Jim and I were still in our sleeping bags, we watched Venus resting right on the limb of the new moon with Jupiter only a short distance away, a beautiful sight. The Valley of Fire Nevada State Park was the location for the 14 of us to meet at 7:30 saturday morning and we drove into the park and took a short hike in the area of Atlati Rock and investigated the many petroglyphs on the surrounding rocks and cliffs. Then on to the Visitors Center where we learned that Highway 169 through the park was washed out near the east entrance. As we had to backtrack west to I-15 and U.S. 93 this caused us to cancel our visit to Rogers warm spring and the Lost City Museum, both at Overton. We drove to Ash Spring and lunched while bathing in the public hotspring just north of the commercial springs in town. Twenty or more people could sit or swim in this nice spring and we saw a camper's tent on the BLM land. After lunch we drove 5 mile north to the intersection of 93 and State 375 and looked for Crystal Hot Spring. The warm water is there but totally overgrown with brush, and it's located on private property, so we drove on. After gassing up in Caliente (which has the sister station to the R.R. depot at Kelso) we visited the White Pine County seat, the old mining camp of Pioche (where 75 men were buried in its Boot-Hill before the first death by natural causes had occurred). Then on to Great Basin National Park where we got the lest sites in Upper Lehman Creek Campground.

Early the next morning we were awakened with a few drops of rain and by 6am the clouds and wind were very threatening. none the less, we drove to the trailhead where we met more strong wind, rain and some snow. Falling back to plan B, we took the tour of Lehman Cave. After our tour, the wind had calmed and there was a patch of blue, so up to the trail and in a couple of hours all were on the peak. We spent that night in Upper Wheeler Peak Campground at 10,000 ft, had an acceptable breakfast at the "Y Cafe and Bar" north of Baker (has showers), then west on U.S. 50 with a jaunt to the Ward Charcoal Ovens State Monument (like the Wildrose charcoal kilns), where some of the group managed to get separated. Then through Ely and north on 93 and State 229 through Secret Pass in the Ruby Mtns to Elko. We spent the afternoon checking out the Western-Stockmen-Gamblers flavor of town, had a Basque dinner at the Star hotel and celebrated Dean Acheson's birthday, and then camped at the Spring Creek private campground.

Tuesday 13 of us climbed Ruby Dome up Hennon Canyon. It was the first time in my 5 climbs there was no snow. I had hoped we would eat dinner at a great family-style restaurant in Lamoille called Breitenstein's. They're closed on Tuesdays and one should call ahead to warn them, but their local reputation is very good. They're on the main highway, east of Lamoille and the phone is: 712-753-6356. That night we camped about 30 miles south of Carlin just off hiway 278.
 
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