Ron4RNevada
New member
160407 – A Different Way to Rawhide – Trek 300 – April 7 2016
How about that: the 300th documented trek since I started this back in August of 2002. Lots of memories; three trucks and a bunch of knowledge gained exploring mostly north-western Nevada, a bit of northern California and a smattering of Idaho, Utah and Arizona. This trek is to places that I have been before but taking a much different route to get there.
I left at approximately 9:00am from Fernley; stopped briefly to top up at Harmon Junction (just past Fallon; and then on to Salt Wells. At Salt Well I turned off the highway and headed across Eightmile Flat towards the Cocoon Mountains. Once on the bench on the far side I turn east on the old Pony Express Trail and followed along the “beach line” between Fourmile Flat and the mountain. The track was really crappy!
The track was sand that was firm due to our recent snow on Monday but the wheel ruts were generally deeper than the ten inch clearance under the Toyota chassis plus there were a lot of rocks jutting out. I spent most of the time in Low Range and First Gear trying to keep the tires up on one of the rut banks and the center bank while not hitting the pointy rocks. Across this are I was averaging 9 miles per gallon = a new low. After about fifteen miles of this I finally reached Wightmans Well. A local rancher was pumping water into an old tank truck to go around and fill cattle water tanks.
From Wightmans Well I turned south on a much better road going up Fourmile Canyon. My original plan was to visit the Red Ant Mines but I changed my mind and decided to explore the canyon all the way to the top and go on towards Rawhide. I stopped at the summit to reconnoiter. While sitting there an older gent about my age in a 1962 International Scout came across a ridge and we compared notes. After he headed back towards Sand Mountain I continued on towards Rawhide.
Perhaps two miles past the summit I decided to check out an un-named canyon headed east into the Sand Springs Range for perhaps two and a half miles. The track is basically just the bottom of the wash; mostly gravel and small cobbles with an occasional large rock sticking out. At several points crossing dry falls was required. These falls were where the aplite (a variety of fine grained orthoclase and quartz granite) formations crossed the wash. Without a spotter I had to get out and plan a line; get back in and drive the front wheels onto the rock; get back in and plan the line again to make sure the rear wheels were correct; get back in and finish the crossing.
After about two miles the canyon forked, the right one came to a four foot high rock fall that could possibly be crossed by a rig with about 16 inches of clearance, steep fore and aft approach angles and some steel at the lower extremities; definitely not a stock 2013 4Runner. I took the left fork and got another half mile. Other than some great scenery the canyon had a couple of prospects and one mine tunnel that I didn’t venture more than a few yards into. Returning down canyon the rock falls were much easier to navigate. The high point in the canyon for me was at 6143 feet. Once back on the main track I continued south towards Rawhide.
As I met the road that runs from Rawhide to the Walker River Paiute Reservation I spotted a lot of old mining activity on the slopes of the Agai Pah Hills and Ghost Dance Ridge. This mining area was called Regent. This was a silver and gold mining area. The hills are quite chewed up with roads mine shafts and tailings piles.
After leaving Regent I took the well graded road south east thru the present day site of Rawhide and the National Mill. The old town and all signs of the original Gold mines are gone. Now the Nevada Scheelite Company has been strip mining several square miles of the area taking out tungsten ore (scheelite).
After leaving Rawhide I turned north on the highway 831 through Fairview valley and the gunnery/bombing range to highway 50 and then west back to Fallon and Fernley.
Corral between Fourmile Flat and Cocoon Mountain
Sand Mountain across flat
a mile long 700 feet high
rock and sand and rock and sand and - - - -
an adit in the aplite
when you do your own spotting
I probably could have done it in my old LR Discovery - better approach angles - better clearance - everything tucked five inches above the eleven inch frame height - no plastic body parts like the T4R
E rated tires help a lot
Ahhh - solitude -
Mines at Regent site
NV Scheelite workings
How about that: the 300th documented trek since I started this back in August of 2002. Lots of memories; three trucks and a bunch of knowledge gained exploring mostly north-western Nevada, a bit of northern California and a smattering of Idaho, Utah and Arizona. This trek is to places that I have been before but taking a much different route to get there.
I left at approximately 9:00am from Fernley; stopped briefly to top up at Harmon Junction (just past Fallon; and then on to Salt Wells. At Salt Well I turned off the highway and headed across Eightmile Flat towards the Cocoon Mountains. Once on the bench on the far side I turn east on the old Pony Express Trail and followed along the “beach line” between Fourmile Flat and the mountain. The track was really crappy!
The track was sand that was firm due to our recent snow on Monday but the wheel ruts were generally deeper than the ten inch clearance under the Toyota chassis plus there were a lot of rocks jutting out. I spent most of the time in Low Range and First Gear trying to keep the tires up on one of the rut banks and the center bank while not hitting the pointy rocks. Across this are I was averaging 9 miles per gallon = a new low. After about fifteen miles of this I finally reached Wightmans Well. A local rancher was pumping water into an old tank truck to go around and fill cattle water tanks.
From Wightmans Well I turned south on a much better road going up Fourmile Canyon. My original plan was to visit the Red Ant Mines but I changed my mind and decided to explore the canyon all the way to the top and go on towards Rawhide. I stopped at the summit to reconnoiter. While sitting there an older gent about my age in a 1962 International Scout came across a ridge and we compared notes. After he headed back towards Sand Mountain I continued on towards Rawhide.
Perhaps two miles past the summit I decided to check out an un-named canyon headed east into the Sand Springs Range for perhaps two and a half miles. The track is basically just the bottom of the wash; mostly gravel and small cobbles with an occasional large rock sticking out. At several points crossing dry falls was required. These falls were where the aplite (a variety of fine grained orthoclase and quartz granite) formations crossed the wash. Without a spotter I had to get out and plan a line; get back in and drive the front wheels onto the rock; get back in and plan the line again to make sure the rear wheels were correct; get back in and finish the crossing.
After about two miles the canyon forked, the right one came to a four foot high rock fall that could possibly be crossed by a rig with about 16 inches of clearance, steep fore and aft approach angles and some steel at the lower extremities; definitely not a stock 2013 4Runner. I took the left fork and got another half mile. Other than some great scenery the canyon had a couple of prospects and one mine tunnel that I didn’t venture more than a few yards into. Returning down canyon the rock falls were much easier to navigate. The high point in the canyon for me was at 6143 feet. Once back on the main track I continued south towards Rawhide.
As I met the road that runs from Rawhide to the Walker River Paiute Reservation I spotted a lot of old mining activity on the slopes of the Agai Pah Hills and Ghost Dance Ridge. This mining area was called Regent. This was a silver and gold mining area. The hills are quite chewed up with roads mine shafts and tailings piles.
After leaving Regent I took the well graded road south east thru the present day site of Rawhide and the National Mill. The old town and all signs of the original Gold mines are gone. Now the Nevada Scheelite Company has been strip mining several square miles of the area taking out tungsten ore (scheelite).
After leaving Rawhide I turned north on the highway 831 through Fairview valley and the gunnery/bombing range to highway 50 and then west back to Fallon and Fernley.
Corral between Fourmile Flat and Cocoon Mountain
Sand Mountain across flat
a mile long 700 feet high
rock and sand and rock and sand and - - - -
an adit in the aplite
when you do your own spotting
I probably could have done it in my old LR Discovery - better approach angles - better clearance - everything tucked five inches above the eleven inch frame height - no plastic body parts like the T4R
E rated tires help a lot
Ahhh - solitude -
Mines at Regent site
NV Scheelite workings
