Nevada Trip, Spring 2012

First night at Steven's Camp, High Rock Canyon area.

This trip was over a year in the planning which was mostly due to an unexpected postponement of the original date. Now I have delayed posting for over three months.

My brother, Bruce, and I planned to make a week to ten day camping trip in the Nevada desert (which could be anywhere in Nevada I guess). And we were going to tent camp with two vehicles. I wanted to take the Samurai over so we could visit rougher areas than we could take my truck. I have a tent and large air mattress for the back of the truck and Bruce would tent on the ground. Our desire was not to rough it too much but also get into some rough country. We did that.

The truck and Samurai were stuffed with supplies, tools, fuel, etc. A week or ten days is a long time when there will be no stores to replenish our stocks, or get a shower. I towed the Samurai as it is not a fun ride on a long highway trip.

Holey Rocks!

We began our stay near the upper end of High Rock Canyon at Steven's Camp. There was a nice very small stream and poplar trees. It was cold, windy and a tiny bit wet. We tried to time the trip before the desert got hot so we wouldn't need showers as bad or as often (we did sponge bath in frigid water).

It is a pretty cool ride through the canyon, but you do need some clearance. I used low transfer case gears because first gear in high was a little too fast over the rough rocky road.

Spent three days exploring around this area and rock-hounding.  Many of the roads we wanted to explore are now closed off by BLM. It can't be from overuse as they are deplorable (just what we wanted) and we only saw two other rigs in four days. I guess someone decided it is good to shut us out of most of the area.

Obviously the entrance to Yellow Rock Canyon.

Bruce in the emigrant wagon wheel tracks.

A nice overlook of the meadow to have lunch.

Living room size cave. Blackened with fire smoke inside.

Emigrant graffiti with my watermark :) near the cave.

Bighorn sheep, ewes and lambs.

There were at least five lambs.

On the morning we left this camp it was sleeting, raining, blowing, and dusty all at once. We traveled up into the Sheldon Antelope Refuge at Devaney Springs. It was grassy here but no creek. I'll post the rest of the trip soon. Lots of horses here.