RETURN to COWBOY COUNTRY - Another Epic Off Road Adventure Across Northeastern Nevada

[wayoflife]

After coming back home from being down in the Vegas area for almost a week, Cindy and I spent 2 days doing some laundry, paying some bills, changing the oil in our JL Wrangler and tidying up few loose ends before climbing back into our Jeep and hitting the road again. You see, even before we were scheduled to be home, we got a call from our good friend Jim, the owner of Dynatrac and he had asked if we might want to join him on an epic, week long trip across Northern Nevada. Of course, being that some of the places we'd be going to were also some of our favorite places in the whole state, there was no way we were gonna miss out on trip like this! The following photos and trip report highlight some of the fun we had and we hope you enjoy following our adventures.

While we had wanted to get an earlier start, like the night before, the soonest we could head out was on a late Friday afternoon. Because of it, this was the traffic jam we had to deal with getting out of town.

By the time we got onto the Extraterrestrial Highway, traffic was so bad that you could literally get out of your Jeep, walk around and take leisurely take some pics of the area.

Needing to take a break and let Tessa run around a bit, we pulled off the highway and drove out into the middle of a dry lake.

While we would have stopped for a drink at one of our favorite, remote watering holes in the State of Nevada, we were running a bit late and had to press. But, we did make sure to at least stop for a shot next to the famous, Extraterrestrial Highway sign.

And, since we were already at it, we decided to take a pic next to this shipping container painted with an Alien face and the words "Area 51" on it.

Ahhh, home for the night. The Overland Hotel & Saloon in Pioche, Nevada!

Unfortunately, we showed up just in time to say goodnight to our friends but fortunately, the saloon was still pouring up the libations and so, the party was on... if only with the two of us - CHEERS!

 

[wayoflife]

Pioche to Wells
After a long day on the road and a fun night imbibing at the Overland Saloon, it was time to get up and get ready to do it all over again.

Being that we were up early, Cindy and I decided to take Tessa for a walk around the bustling town.

Love the fact that there are some old miner cabins still standing just where they were built and left just as they were.

Before circling back to the Overland, we made a stop over at the old "Million Dollar Courthouse". Commissioned to be built back in 1871 and for a budget of only $26,000, the courthouse ended up getting its infamous name after taking more than 66 years to paid off, 2 years after it was condemned and at a whopping cost of over $800,000.

While Tombstone and Deadwood come to mind when thinking about gun slinging towns, no town was more lawless than Pioche, Nevada. In fact, the old Boot Hill Cemetery got it's name after 72 men were killed in gunfights and "buried with their boots on" before a single person died of "natural" causes.

What I love about this cemetery is that a lot of the graves have tombstones, or should I say, wooden markers that not only say who's buried there but how as well. This one belongs to Morgan Courtney, born in 1844 and died in 1875 at the age of 31 years old. He was "Feared by some, respected by few, detested by others" and "shot in the back five times by ambush."

This is one that I found quite amusing. It belongs to John H. Lyndh and he was "shot during a dispute over a dog" 1873.

View from the cemetery looking up at the old aerial tram going up toward Treasure Hill.

Back at the hotel, we met up with everyone and saddled up to the saloon for some breakfast - CHEERS!

After a nice leisurely morning, we finally hit the road and started our trek to the north.

Of course, a trip like this wouldn't be right if we weren't out in the dirt.

Our first stop of the day was out to a set of old charcoal kilns, a common feature that you can find in the hills and mountains near old mining camps.

Pressing further to the north through the Muleshoe Valley.

And, working our way up through Cave Valley.

It was spring out here and so we got to see some nice wildflowers we saw along the way. Here's some nice Prickly Poppies.

Shot of a bee nestled in a beautiful yellow flower on a Prickly Pear.

Working our way up into the Egan Range, we decided to make a stop and pay a visit to the residents of Ward.

Heading further up the canyon to visit the old town site of Ward. Back in 1875, this was the largest town in White Pine County with a population of over 1,000 people. After the Martin White Company of San Francisco purchased all the mining interests in the area, the town continued to grow and by 1877, there were almost 2,000 people living here. In addition to a city hall and post office, Wells Fargo opened up an office as well and an abandoned brothel was converted into a school house. To control the lawlessness that was running rampant in town, a group known as the 601 Vigilantes was formed to bring things under control. Of course, the "601" stood for "6 feet under, no trail and 1 rope" and as you can guess, crime dropped to zero. Unfortunately, much of the town was relocated as ore deposits dried up and a new boom at Cherry Creek was discovered and a massive fire on August 18,1883 destroyed a better part of what little remained. By 1885, there were only 25 people living here and with only one business remaining.

Continuing our way up, we headed over to the old Paymaster Mill.

Up until 1906, Ward was essentially a ghost town but after Nevada United Mines Company purchased all the holding from Martin White, the town saw a revival and it continued to grown into the 1920. In fact, to the best of my knowledge, the mine had remain active up until at least the late 1990's or maybe even longer. Today, modern buildings still remain but in ruins.

Taking a look inside.

While it's cool that so much has been left behind, it really is a shame that people have to trash everything they see.

There are literally row after row of racks that once held thousands of core samples here.

With it getting late in the day and with what looks like a storm coming in, we decided to head back down the mountain and work our way out to our home for the night.

And here we are, the Sharon Motel in Wells, Nevada.

To a great first day out on the trail - CHEERS!!

 

[wayoflife]

Wells to Jarbidge
Being that there was a lot of ground we needed to cover, we made sure to get an early start on our second day out in Cowboy Country. To kick things off, we drove through downtown Wells and imagined what it would have been like in its glory days. Here's a shot of JET Li in front of the historic El Rancho Hotel.

Built by Italian immigrant Leo Quilici back in 1949, the El Rancho was the first hotel in town to use steel in its construction and utilize electricity to light it up. For decades, it served as the social hub and entertainment center for local ranchers and railroad workers in the area. Having survived the devastating 6.0 earthquake of 2006, it stands as one of the last remaining historic buildings in Wells today.

After a short drive to the west, we made our way to the ghost town of Metropolis and made our first stop there, over at the cemetery.

Welcome to Valley View cemetery.

Like most cemeteries from this period of time, many of the graves are filled with young children and infants like Hyde who died in 1925.

Viola Pengelly was just a little over a year old when she died in 1922.

"Since you were already the best, you did not need an earthly test" is the message that was left on Walton Boy's tombstone.

Located just southwest of Wells, Nevada and established in 1909, Metropolis was the vision of a New York investment firm called, the Pacific Reclamation Company. Their plan was to build a modern city complete with graded streets, sidewalks, street lights and a 4 block commercial district that was surrounded by 40,000 acres of farmland. By 1911, Southern Pacific Railroad laid down a spur to the town and a beautiful 3-story brick hotel was built in anticipation of all the people who were expected to come. This is all that remains of the hotel.

What was supposed to make a master planned community like Metropolis possible was a dam built across Bishop Creek. This reservoir would have provide the water the town and farmers needed to sustain their growth but farmers down in the Lovelock area filed a water rights legal claim against Metropolis and won. Coupled with a severe drought and a plague of crickets, the town was all but doomed and by 1913, the newspaper had ceased production and many families had left. By the time this hotel burned to the ground in 1936, Metropolis was well on its way of being erased from the earth.

Our next stop is the one that most people come out to Metropolis for - to see the the old arch at the Lincoln School house.

For the families who decided to stay, things ultimately got better for them and a lot of that was thanks to the increase in water rights they got. For a period of 15 years, Metropolis actually thrived and the Lincoln School house opened its doors in 1914.

Unfortunately, those good times would come to an end as well and the doors of this school would be closed in 1947.

Before heading out of town, we decided to air down to help soften up the long ride ahead.

On the move again, the skies were starting to look more and more ominous.

We made a stop to ask a local for directions but I don't think she took to kindly to strangers.

Always love it when a wide open trail begins to narrow down to a 2-track.

Ummm, yeah... this hasn't been driven on in a very long time.

Okay, looks like we're on a more major thoroughfare again.

And look, a cute little bridge to cross.

Definitely loving all the wildflowers we've been seeing.

Yeah, it looks like we're heading into nowhere again.

Hmmm, where'd the road go?

Maybe these guys can help.

I think we're back on track again.

Nevada Super Highway!

Okay, gotta make another stop to look at all the pretty flowers.

And another stop to take in the beautiful scenery.

Okay, things are starting to get soupy now.

Out of the clouds and on the final stretch to our new home for the night.

Welcome to Jarbidge my friends - the most remote and isolated town in the lower 48!

Celebrating another great day out on the trail at the Outdoor Saloon - CHEERS!

 

[wayoflife]

Jarbidge
In addition to it being as green as it gets, the heavy rain we had falling on us all night and well into the morning made Jarbidge feel more like it was up in the Pacific Northwest than Northern Nevada. After a delicious breakfast at the Outdoor Saloon, we hoped in our Jeeps and headed out to do some exploring.

Having spent so much time out in the Desert, I think JET was really enjoying the change of pace and being able to get his feet wet.

Down in the canyon, we could see a cool looking mining structure of some sort and so we decided to work our way up a narrow shelf road to see what it is.

From the time gold was first discovered back in 1909 by David Bourne and the Elkoro Mining Company finally shut down in the 1930's, over $10 million in gold would have been produced in Jarbidge. At that time, this was the largest producing gold mine in the State of Nevada.

It may be hard to believe now but between 1909 and the 1930's, over $10 million in gold was produced in Jarbidge and this made it the largest producing gold mining district in the State of Nevada. To help move the precious ore from the holes they were being dug out of, elaborate tram systems were built and this crumbling multi-story building once served as the terminus for one.

Leaving the tram station behind, we continued our way up the switchbacks to find the mines it serviced.

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Being that winter had more or less just ended, none of the trails in the area had been cleared of deadfall and if we were going to proceed, we'd have to get our hands a little dirty.

After using a winch to do most of the heavy lifting, Lance and I finished things up by hand.

I think we're good now.

Up, up and up we go.

Making a stop over at the Bluster Mine.

Lance and Jim taking a look inside the fenced off entrance to the mine.

Looking down the mountainside, you can see one of the aerial tram towers still standing.

Just to the side of the mine, the old boiler that used to power machinery and most likely the tram as well still sits here.

Just below the boiler, you can see ruins and the old bull wheel that was used for the tram.

Wanting to see what else we could find, we continued our way up the mountain side.

Nearing the end of the trail.

And here we are, the Rex Mine. Or at least, the remains of the cabin that housed the miner who worked it.

Let's take a peek inside.

Love the cool old stuff still here.

While this is a room with a view, I think the brush needs to be cleared out a bit.

Back down at the bottom of the canyon, we decided to head back up the other side and do a bit of exploring there. Back in 1995, a heavy snow melt washed out a part of this steep road and the U.S. Forest Service decided to just close it permanently by blocking it with tons of debris and a huge boulder. Unable to use any mechanized equipment to clear the road as it would endanger bull trout and be a violation of the Clean Water Act, more than a thousand volunteers who called themselves the Shovel Brigade came out and cleared the 900 feet of debris and the 10,000 lb. rock and all by hand. If it weren't for them, this route would not be open today. Here's a sign that warns you of the steep grade ahead.

Time to head on up.

Back in town, I was told that this route hadn't officially opened for the season yet and I can see why now.

It was a bummer that it was so cloudy and rainy out but the views from up here were still killer.

We still really in Nevada?? Man, it just doesn't get much prettier than this!

After a long day out on the trail, we slowly and carefully slid our way back down to town on a very steep and muddy grade.

Back in town and coming across an open range. :crazyeyes:

Making a quick stop over at the General Store for some last minute provisions.

Right next to the General Store is the old Jarbidge Jail. If you can believe it, back in December 5, 1916, the very last stagecoach robbery in the United State occurred in this town. During the robbery, stagecoach driver Fred Searcy was shot in the head and $4,000 in gold coins headed for Jarbidge was stolen.

Soon after the crime, a local miner and town drunk Ben Kuhl along with two of his friends, Ed Beck and William McGraw were caught, placed in the Jail and convicted of the murder using an envelope with a bloody hand print that was found at the scene of the crime. This was the first time in history that forensic evidence was successfully used to convict someone for homicide.

In case you were wondering, the $4,000 in stolen gold coins was never found.

Oh man - I don't know if JET will ever be the same again. :icon_crazy:

To yet another awesome day - CHEERS!!

So, normally, the Red Dog Saloon across the street from the Outdoor Saloon only opens up during the winter. However, we had come to find that Jason Stegall, a local resident of Jarbidge had recently purchased both the Outdoor and Red Dog and was kind enough to open its doors for us.

To good times with good friends and basking in the red glow of the Red Dog Saloon - CHEERS!

 

[wayoflife]

Jarbidge to Elko
For those of you who've been wondering, Jarbidge is a bastardized version of 'Jahabich' which itself is simplified version of Tsawhawbitts (pronounced “tuh-saw-haw-bits”), the name of the Shoshone man-eating giant who lives in the canyon. As the legend goes, Tsawhawbitts prowls the canyon at night snatching men, women and children, throwing them into a basket and then devouring them in his cave. Believe it or not, Shoshone's still avoid this canyon to this very day for fear of this beast. Looking at the deep caves and massive hoodoos as you make the long drive out of the canyon to the north, one could almost understand how this legend was started.

Up by the Idaho border, the steep canyon walls give way to smooth rolling hills and eventually, plains.

But, for our purposes, we turned back into Nevada and back into bigger hills.

And, dropping back down into a canyon.

Before we knew it, we were pushing our way through one of Nevada's finest pin-striping machines. I have a feeling, this is gonna hurt!

Just when you think things will get better, the Jeep in front of you dives in for another round.

Let me tell you, the sound will make you clench your teeth and the hair on the back of your neck stand up.

Ahhh, we made it out alive!

So nice and grassy - I love it!

But wait - there MORE! :thumb: :grayno:

Another opening - hopefully it'll last.

Looks like this was once a well used road and one that went to an old ranch.

Remains of the old cabin that once stood here.

Old farm equipment still laying around.

On the move again and continuing our way to the south.

Making a quick stop to enjoy some of the wildflowers.

Hoping to enjoy a cold beverage, we worked our way up to Mountain City but sadly, we found that the watering hole here no longer exists.

Back on dirt again or, maybe I should say mud - we worked our way to the south.

Oh joy - cow crap all over the mirrors :icon_crazy:

I think we just gained a hundred pounds or so.

And, what in world is that green smelly stuff? :icon_crazy:

With plenty of daylight still in the sky or at least, I think there was behind all the clouds, we decided to hang out on dirt a bit longer and set out to cross the Independence Mountains.

Rain rain go away already...

Making a stop along the way to check out an old open pit mine.

Up and over the range and heading down the western slope.

It really is unbelievably beautiful out here.

WooHoo - the Taylor Canyon Club!

Bummer - they're closed on Tuesdays :grayno:

Guess it's time to just make our way down to Elko, our new home for the night.

After checking in and getting cleaned up, we headed over to one of our favorite restaurants in town - The Star!

When in Basque country, you drink like the Basque - give me a round of Picon Punches!

To yet another great day out on the trail - CHEERS!!

 

[wayoflife]

Lamoille Canyon & Jiggs
More because of the stink than the mud, Cindy and I decided to get up early the next morning and hose off as much of the crap clinging to JET as we could.

With the mud and crap free from our Jeep, I noticed these things stuck between the fender and body. I'm not gonna lie, I'm kinda annoyed that someone at Jeep didn't think about this.

After getting cleaned up and having a nice relaxing breakfast, we headed up to Lamoille Canyon.

With a little coaxing, we got everyone to do a short hike with us.

Tessa waiting patiently for us.

Looking back to where we came from.

After our nice little hike, we headed back down the mountain to have a drink back in town.

Ah - O'Caroll's

CHEERS!

After enjoying some cold refreshments, we headed out of town to do some more exploring. Just on the edge of town, we stopped over at the old Lamoille Presbyterian Church - one of the most photographed churches in America.

Up on top of Harrison Pass and enjoying the view.

Taking the road less traveled down the west side of the Ruby Mountains.

WooHoo - Jiggs Bar!! Time for some drinks

CHEERS to the 2-headed cow!

 

[wayoflife]

Tonopah
Originally, the plan was for Cindy and I to head down to Austin with the rest of the group but I got a call from Motech the day before saying that Moby was ready to pick up and we decided to cut our trip short. For those of you who may not remember, we had dropped him off about a week before to have a new bigger radiator and Camaro fan installed and to have his MoCAN system updated. Needless to say, after saying our goodbyes, we made our way down to Vegas and hoped to hook up with everyone again in Tonopah.

To help make the drive more interesting, we decided to make a few stops along the way and scope out potential whiskey stops for future reference. Unfortunately, the old Goshute Mercantile in Currie was no longer serving up.

As we made our way down 93, we came to a rest stop near the old town of Schellbourne and for those of you who don't know, this where the Pony Express once intersected this modern highway.

Down in the town of McGill, we stopped over at the McGill Club which is located in the old Cypress Hall building. While they weren't open at this early hour, we could see that they are still in operation and so this will be a stop we make again in the future.

Across the street, we parked in front of the McGill Drugstore - a literal time capsule that has remained unchanged inside since the day it closed in 1979. Once of these days, we'll have to take the tour.

Love the old Lincoln Highway markers.

After we left Ely, we boogied down to Vegas, picked up Moby and made our way out to Tonopah. Here's a stop we made along the way.

Ahhh, our home away from home!

To the end of good times with good friends and all out on the trail - CHEERS!

A super BIG THANKS needs to go out to our good friend Jim McGean for inviting us to join he, Tona, Lance and Charlene on this epic trip across Northern Nevada's Cowboy Country. We really had an amazing time! For those of you reading this now, we hope that you enjoyed following along on all our adventures.

As always, keep the shiny side up, all four on the floor and with any luck, we'll see you on the trail.

 

[Trail Bud]

Great trip report! Took awhile to read and look at the pics. Loved the wooden headstones with how they died. I could spend the day there. We should still do that .
I want to move to Jarbidge, beautiful!!! So green up there. The whole with the history is very cool.
Enjoyed the trip and I wasn’t there.

 

[Fridge81]

Great photos and history. Thanks for sharing!


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[19YJ94]

Great pics, looks like a lot of interesting places to visit. Have to get out that way sometime soon! On a side note it's cool how long the Lincoln Highway is, considering I live right off part of it in Indiana!

 

[longarmwj]

Stunning pictures. I didn’t realize Nevada has such a vast array of scenery. Everything from desert to fields to forest!


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[TrailHunter]

Holy History Lesson Batman! That was awesome. Seems like such a chill and scenic trip. First building to use Steel in the framework... Sooo Cool.. and that store from the 70’s... And all the Green in those hills... Killer Pics and Report!

 

[SilverBack775]

You’re in my parts of Nevada. This is where I grew up and hunted and rode horse and fourwheeled. Since 30 years ago. It’s amazing country up here. A lot of ranching and mining. [emoji106]

 

[SilverBack775]

Did a lot of chukar hunting in those places

 

[wayoflife]

Great trip report! Took awhile to read and look at the pics. Loved the wooden headstones with how they died. I could spend the day there. We should still do that .
I want to move to Jarbidge, beautiful!!! So green up there. The whole with the history is very cool.
Enjoyed the trip and I wasn’t there.

If you're serious, we'd love to take you out all these places. They are pretty far though so you'll need time off to make it happen. :yup:

Great photos and history. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks, glad you liked it

Great pics, looks like a lot of interesting places to visit. Have to get out that way sometime soon! On a side note it's cool how long the Lincoln Highway is, considering I live right off part of it in Indiana!

The Lincoln Highway goes from coast to coast. In fact, it was one of the original transcontinental highways here in America and has been around since 1913 :yup:

 

[wayoflife]

Stunning pictures. I didn’t realize Nevada has such a vast array of scenery. Everything from desert to fields to forest!

LOL!! It always cracks me up when I tell people from out of state that I'm from Nevada and the first thing they say in response is something in regards to Vegas. There a lot more to this state than I think most realize.

Holy History Lesson Batman! That was awesome. Seems like such a chill and scenic trip. First building to use Steel in the framework... Sooo Cool.. and that store from the 70’s... And all the Green in those hills... Killer Pics and Report!

Glad you enjoyed it

You’re in my parts of Nevada. This is where I grew up and hunted and rode horse and fourwheeled. Since 30 years ago. It’s amazing country up here. A lot of ranching and mining. [emoji106]

It really is beautiful country out there. We love it too.

 

[SilverBack775]

You’ll have to check out Paradise Valley. My uncle has a big ranch there. And the little bar there makes the best chorizo sandwiches.

 

[Andy5160]

Ahhhhhhhh I am speechless [emoji55] one day [emoji12][emoji12][emoji12][emoji12] I’ll make my way there


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[Ddays]

:daydream: *Sigh* Every time you post one of these adventure threads I want to say the Hell with everything and get in my Jeep and just go. You're a terrible influence on me. Can't thank you enough!

 

[Andy5160]

:daydream: *Sigh* Every time you post one of these adventure threads I want to say the Hell with everything and get in my Jeep and just go. You're a terrible influence on me. Can't thank you enough!

You have your Jeep [emoji30][emoji30][emoji30][emoji30][emoji30][emoji30]


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