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Hickison Petroglyphs BLM
Sportsman Beach, Walker Lake Rec Area
Lahontan SP
Eagle Falls, Lake Tahoe
Washoe SP
Dayton area BLM
Left Ely after doing laundry, nice laundry place there and little $$ but nice, clean and well kept. Headed Westward to the Hickison Petroglyph Rec Area.
Nice area, Free BLM Camping.
Limited smaller sites but a few pull throughs.
Campground is BLM and a little worn for wear. It's right off the famous Hwy 50, Loneliest Highway.
The petroglyphs were ok, but hard to see.
Appears vandals have defaced a lot of it, so sad.
Two short walks/hikes, one out the to point and one up to the top.
Both have pretty good views of the area.
I stayed here for apx 5 days or so, had snow come in 2xs, dusting really, but was a little chilly and windy.
I wanted to go down to Goldfield, NV just south, for photoing, old miners stuff.
I was routing down through the valley. Looked for even more back roads, but turned out to be dirt roads which is ok for a few miles but not 2 hrs worth...
Got down to Goldfield, drove through town and realized that the things I wanted to photo were a bit scattered and not a lot showing there. Somehow, I had in my mind, there was lot more and closer together i.e. walking distance, not hiking distance. So skipped it and headed out to Walker Lake, Hawthorne, NV
Coming into Hawthorne, I needed to get some DEF (Diesel Exhaust Fluid)
"Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) is a non-hazardous solution, which is 32.5% urea and 67.5% de-ionized water. DEF is sprayed into the exhaust stream of diesel vehicles to break down dangerous NOx emissions into harmless nitrogen and water. ... DEF is not a fuel additive and never comes into contact with diesel." aka, Goat/Sheep/whatever Piss. And yes, the joke is that you, HU-Mannnn, just pee into it... DEF is best purchased at a Walmart or O'Reillys and I've paid apx $8-Walmart to $30- gasstation by Great Sand Dunes, CO. for a 2.5 gal. I now carry at least one container, most of the time two. It's just another gauge to watch, just like a fuel gauge.
While there, O'Reilly's Auto, I asked about the camping areas. Filled up and headed out. First place right north of town, just before you go along the mountainside, is the first park. Much neglected, no one there, so took some pics for reference and headed back out.
Came up to the Sportsman Beach, Lake Walker Rec Area, NV just north of Hawthorne, Army ammo storage.
Sort of 3 different camping areas.
1st one, right off the highway.
Down one lane, up the other. Only 3 cliffside "Rooms with a View"
Needed some clean up, but nice.
2nd one was just below the 1st, lower down, more of an open lot, maybe more for just parking than for camping.
3rd one, much like 'Goldi and the Three Bears', is just beyond that one, dirt road and probably more preferable than the other two.
One road with a loop at the end. Preferred sites on the cliff overlooking the lake and all booked up.
Dry camping, no hookups. Restroom right there.
Apparently there is some camping below that, but soft sand etc, aka "Get Stuck" kept looming in my mind.
Stayed there for several nights, windy.
First night was good, no wind..
next two nights windy, couldn't BBQ the Gourmet Tube Steaks and time to move on.
Headed out to Fallon, NV, needed to pick up mail at the PO, get the basic FFBs (Fuel, Food n Beer) and head out West to Lahontan SP Lake. I had to Dump and wondered if there was a station on the East end, there was, but no water. Dumped then headed to the West side where they had one also with water.. filled up, started searching for a site.
Lahontan SP is a little tricky. They have an East side and a West side.
There was a Paved Camping ground there, saw some pics and figured I'd easily find it. But Nooooooo... it's a dirt road just past the main booth. While there are signs posting which way to the campground sites, who bothers to read directions.
I figured I'd find it just by driving around. big place it is... So eventually succumbed to my male-hood and looked it up. Clearly stated, Site #7.. so, I had just passed #6 and drove happily down the road to the next site, Site #8... Huh?? WTF, Over...
Apparently after driving between 6 and 8 the ranger truck appeared and so, contrary to popular belief, I rolled down the window and, Gawd, I hate this part, ASKED !!! for directions as in "Where is the paved #7..."
Oh, it's back on the the other side, north of the lake, nearer to the highway.
Ok, Got it.. finally found it.
Apparently, the North side are "Even Numbered" and the South Side are "Odd Numbered", go figure, but?? they do have signs guiding the, sigh, just have to read them and keep in mind if it says #7 - #9 it doesn't mean there's a #8 in there.
and it was pretty much full so went out on the dispersed area.
Not bad, nice place, didn't go too near the water due to rising and soft sand, been there, done that.
Hung out there for a few days. There is a camping fee, $17 night but no one at the main gate and no one checks. Rangers just drive by. I paid on the way out, but probably could have just driven through after hours and paid nothing. After all, it was dispersed, no hookups etc. but it's not the right thing to do.
I was lucky to have a friend take me to Lake Tahoe and to the Eagle Falls for a nice view and nice drive around the lake. I've never 'Actually' been to Tahoe, so it was nice. Thank you.
It was nice to see Lake Tahoe, but unless I hit the lottery, wouldn't want to live there.
Two lane road going around and I would guess Summer Time Traffic would be horrible. So, nice to see, wouldn't live there.
From Lahontan, I moved over to Washoe SP. (Gallery pics for various stays) I was trying to find BLM land, free camping, so stopped in at the BLM office. Only 2 real places one 10miles so of Carson City and another one over just west of Dayton, but hilly.
It was getting on in the afternoon, and I was getting cranky so just said the Hell with it, and headed to Washoe, $17 for 3 nights and then for 3 more. Couldn't afford to stay anymore.
Left for haircut, Walmart and then to the BLM land near Dayton. I drove through the Dayton SP, pretty rough park, limited spaces and not really good at all. They do have a Dump N Fill station for $7 and I used it later.
Headed out the BLM, just up the hill from Dayton and tried to find a spot. Most sites are pretty uneven and had to watch for Red Ant Hills or holes...
Since I wasn't really looking for a "Nice Spot" I was able to one on a side road.
There's a lotta trash/junk at the sites so not an ideal place to spend the next 10 days, but O'Well...
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| (Yah, have to be careful or you'll have ants all over the camper) |
After a few days, tanks were getting full and fresh water down to out, so went into the Dayton SP, paid the $7 and did a Dump N Fill. then back out to the same place, waiting for Payday 7 days away...
The only good note was that I was contacted by Torklift and they were offering/donating the 'GlowStep - Stor N Go' steps for the truck camper Evaluation. I accepted and eventually they shipped,
so I'm set for an Install next Wed, 17th May.
So, right now, May 13th, just sitting biding my time till Payday...
Trip Planning for the next leg an onward into Canada if I can.
(canx as of 5/30/2017)
I'll be traveling some or a lot of the back, dirt roads, being careful to not getting stuck. I was hoping that I would be able to get the Bumper & Winch setup,
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| (with 16.5 Warn Winch) |
but that's been delayed for probably 6-months. sigh, courts, PITA they are.
I'll get the steps installed on Wed, do laundry, hit 'Wallys' for the FFBs, stay at Washoe SP for 2-3 nights and 'Git'er ready for the next leg'....
It's Fun in the Sun till the clouds roll in...
cheers..
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