Htchevyii Posted June 2 Share Posted June 2 We headed out from our home in Northern CA yesterday in the '88 MJ. Our 8 hour trip turned into 9-1/2 after a quick lunch, fuel stops and road construction. We treated ourselves to a rustic cabin, burger and cocktail at the historic Middlegate Station. Today we headed to Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park for some fossilized dinosaurs and the Berlin Ghost town.Then a 50 mile dirt road to more abandoned mines and homesteads. 650 miles so far. We are camping at an abandoned mine tonight. 9 more days of exploration to go! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiatslug87 Posted June 2 Share Posted June 2 Nice!! How do you find and plan your trips? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GonzoTheGreat Posted June 2 Share Posted June 2 Hell yeah! Looks like a great time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Htchevyii Posted June 2 Author Share Posted June 2 19 hours ago, fiatslug87 said: Nice!! How do you find and plan your trips? Oh, a combination of ways. YouTube, the Adventure Taco, 4x4 and ghost town books as well as Google satellite and Gaia GPS. It usually takes something to get the idea started though such as a video, blog post or picture. Most people are pretty secretive of their favorite spots and will only give vague areas, so that's when the detective work begins. Even if we know of a cool spot, we then start researching the area to find more things worth seeing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Htchevyii Posted June 2 Author Share Posted June 2 Dixie Valley NV is a weird spot. In 1995, the Navy basically forced homesteaders and ranchers to sell them their land so the area could be used for jet fighter training. Supposedly they flew dozens of subsonic low flights every day, blowing out windows and wearing the people down so they would sell. Many buildings were leveled, but some remain. There is old military equipment scattered over the area, both US and foreign as part of the training. Since it's all electronic with no live fire, the public is allowed in the area. It's weird, cool and creepy all at the same time. It kind of a shame as it's a beautiful place with spring water everywhere, surrounded by dry desert. We will have an upcoming video with more details, but here's a few pics from today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Htchevyii Posted June 2 Author Share Posted June 2 A few pieces of military equipment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Htchevyii Posted June 4 Author Share Posted June 4 Well we rolled out of camp at 6:00 AM today and checked into a vintage motel in Winnemucca NV at 6:30 PM. Of the 12-1/2 hours we probably spent around eight on the road and the rest hiking, exploring and having a Basque lunch at a legendary restaurant. We were going to try to camp at the Jumbo Mine, but 40-50 MPH winds convinced us otherwise. The road to it had a lot of elevation gain and switch backs, but the Comanche chugged right along. We also visited the Eureka Mine up a somewhat rough and washed out road. I believe that we traveled at least 150 miles on dirt roads today with speeds ranging from 5 MPH to 55 MPH, depending on conditions, most were on the faster side. There is a 100 degree or so heat wave coming and we've got to get to higher elevation before we die. We've done it before and the black MJ with no AC absolutely sucks. Despite my best attempt at heat insulating the floor, firewall and tunnel, radiant heat just keeps building to an intolerable level. A few pics from the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Htchevyii Posted June 6 Author Share Posted June 6 The weird Thunder Mountain Monument by Rye Patch on HWY 80, the almost ghost town of Imlay and the Humboldt Ghost town. For some reason, the photos upload in no particular order. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Htchevyii Posted June 7 Author Share Posted June 7 From Lovelock NV we headed to Tunnel Camp and Seven Troughs ghost towns. They were really cool. We also saw a herd of wild burros. The crazy thing about NV is that on most days we traveled for hours and hours without seeing another soul. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Htchevyii Posted June 7 Author Share Posted June 7 Alright, we made it home. We ended up rushing our trip because of a heat wave bringing up to 107 degree tempatures to locations on our route. In a black truck with no AC, it's not a fun time. The relaxed pace that we had planned evaporated and we were on a mad dash trying to see everything possible while losing 3 days of our trip. We found a steep and windy trail that lead to a remote cabin overlooking the Black Rock desert and awesome rock formations. From there we headed to Gerlach for more fuel and then on a 75 mile dirt road shortcut to Susanville CA. We found a nice creekside camp then got up early to get through Red Bluff CA before the projected 107 degree high. The little MJ traveled 1552 miles and over hundreds of miles of dirt and gravel roads without a complaint. We averaged 16.72 MPG and burned 92.75 gallons of fuel at a cost of $430. The only thing that happened to the truck was the tire carrier's pin sheared it's head off. It was quickly replaced with a spare bolt and we were on our way. Videos are coming soon if anyone is interested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
js33rd Posted June 23 Share Posted June 23 This was a good video. Nevada is so big and easily explored by us in California thankfully. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Htchevyii Posted June 23 Author Share Posted June 23 Thanks. Yes, we have discovered that there is a lot more to see there than is readily apparent. We are currently returning from The Gambler 500 near Bend OR. While it is a really beautiful area, there is just so much traffic and so many people everywhere. It kind of tarnishes the experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Htchevyii Posted July 6 Author Share Posted July 6 Part 2 is live for anyone who's been following along. We saw some neat stuff @ Dixie Valley! I particularly liked the old military stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Htchevyii Posted July 7 Author Share Posted July 7 Oh and here's part 1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WranglerMangler Posted July 7 Share Posted July 7 Another awesome video. Thank you for posting. My wife and I really enjoy watching your adventures. Keep up the good work. The XJ looks great with the new paint job. Your videos are showing up on YouTube shorts now too! Liked n subscribed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Htchevyii Posted July 8 Author Share Posted July 8 Awesome! Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Htchevyii Posted July 20 Author Share Posted July 20 Here's at video from the trip! One more to go. We explored the Eureka Mine, Jumbo Mine and Paradise Valley NV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Htchevyii Posted August 19 Author Share Posted August 19 and the last video of the trip. Amazing scenery in the Sheepshead mountains overlooking the Black Rock desert. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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