Nevada's Great Basin

[tamrock]

I spent most of this last week in northern Nevada. I didn't have much of an opportunity to take pictures of around the north part of NV, but last Thursday I started my trip back home on the long and open hwy 93 road going south into Ely, NV from Well's to connect to hwy 50, also known as the loneliest hwy in America, unless you know where to look for a cure to all that loneliness , but I was okay, as I'm so fascinated with all the wonderful scenery of the Great Basin part of this country. Much of hwy 50 is parts of the original old Lincoln Hwy. I made a stop at a big copper mine and these are some of the sights around to town of Ely. After all that, I headed east into the night across Utah 50 and made my way to the town of Salina, UT just in time to watch the 2nd half of the Bronco's vs Colts, which turned out to be a really good game for Denver. I went to sleep happy.

 

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[ronwoodcraft]

Great pics as usual Grant!....I always enjoy that drive.

 

[Jim in Idaho]

Nice pics, Grant! If you didn't, but get back there again, you should visit the railroad museum in Ely...really terrific!
Jim

 

[tamrock]

Nice pics, Grant! If you didn't, but get back there again, you should visit the railroad museum in Ely...really terrific!
Jim

I'd like to. Seems when ever I'm in around Ely I've got no time to spare, because other places I need to go are far away and I need to keep a move on. The woman I married asked me out first. She called and asked if I would like to go visit the railroad museum in Sacramento, CA. Somehow she thought I'd like that and she was right.

 

[BosnMate]

love the big lonesome in Nevada. The outfit I worked for, it was 18 miles out to the back well. Took 90 acres to winter one cow. Now days the BLM and environmentalists have screwed up the ranching on federal land. I won't talk about that, all I do is get mad. What the heck is that concrete marker in the second picture.

 

[tamrock]

love the big lonesome in Nevada. The outfit I worked for, it was 18 miles out to the back well. Took 90 acres to winter one cow. Now days the BLM and environmentalists have screwed up the ranching on federal land. I won't talk about that, all I do is get mad. What the heck is that concrete marker in the second picture.

I enjoy that country also and wish I had a year to explore as much as could of this region. Ya just know there's treasure out there somewhere? The concrete post are what marked the route of the old Lincoln highway. I believe this one is a reproduction. Old vehicle roads were often marked in this way and then Rand McNally introduce their highway maps and I think McNally also was given a commission to start numbering the countries roadways. I guess it was very confusing matter before the 1920s trying to figure out all the route's back in those times.

 

[aa battery]

nice drive but be sure to carry toilet paper.

 

[scruggs]

Beautiful little town at the foothills. Super photos!

 

[RudyT]

Amazing photos!! Thanks

 

[Kray Gelder]

Nice!

 

[uglymailman]

No pics. of the inside of the Saloon & Brothel? We left Grand Jun.,CO. headed to Arch Nat. Park. Ended up in Cisco,UT.. Then on to Arch Park. Lost on dirt roads & some of the most beautiful country we have. Nice pics.

 

[Jim in Idaho]

I'd like to. Seems when ever I'm in around Ely I've got no time to spare, because other places I need to go are far away and I need to keep a move on. The woman I married asked me out first. She called and asked if I would like to go visit the railroad museum in Sacramento, CA. Somehow she thought I'd like that and she was right.

Another thing that's cool is to go west to Eureka. If you go out north of there, it's possible to still find a pole or two of the original telegraph that went across the country.
Jim

 

[tamrock]

No pics. of the inside of the Saloon & Brothel? We left Grand Jun.,CO. headed to Arch Nat. Park. Ended up in Cisco,UT.. Then on to Arch Park. Lost on dirt roads & some of the most beautiful country we have. Nice pics.

::Insida house ...

 

[tamrock]

Another thing that's cool is to go west to Eureka. If you go out north of there, it's possible to still find a pole or two of the original telegraph that went across the country.
Jim

I was gonna go down to Eureka, but when I jumped in the car I had a waning light that was telling me I had low tire pressure in the FR tire, so I thought I better go to Elko and get that checked out. It was nothing and I just headed east to Wells and then dropped down to Ely. I've never herd of the these old telegraph poles before. Ya know the early non-threaded glass insulators they used on those sell for big bucks to insulator collectors. I saw one on eBay go for I think over a thousand bucks one time. Ya know there gotta be some out there laying on the ground. I do know where there is a few miles of abandoned old telephone line strung out and hanging in spots that's all 9 gauge, methinks? solid copper wire. The insulation on it, is so old and dry-rot, it just breaks off like peanut brittle when you bend it. I'm baffled as to why no one has heisted all that yet, Unless I go by it again and it's no longer there? It's been 5 or so years since I drove by it last?

 

[Jim in Idaho]

I didn't know that about the insulators, Grant....thanks! heck, I didn't even know the old ones weren't threaded. Guess I better pay more attention...LOL I'm really surprised there's any copper wire left, too. There was about 20 miles of wire along 93 north of Wells, up to the Wine Cup Ranch turnoff, but I checked it and it was high-tensile steel with a small copper core. I have strong hands, and it was all I could do to cut it with my linesman's pliers. That explained why it laid there for years. I think somebody finally took it, probably during that last high-value scrap period in '06.
Jim

 

[tamrock]

I didn't know that about the insulators, Grant....thanks! heck, I didn't even know the old ones weren't threaded. Guess I better pay more attention...LOL I'm really surprised there's any copper wire left, too. There was about 20 miles of wire along 93 north of Wells, up to the Wine Cup Ranch turnoff, but I checked it and it was high-tensile steel with a small copper core. I have strong hands, and it was all I could do to cut it with my linesman's pliers. That explained why it laid there for years. I think somebody finally took it, probably during that last high-value scrap period in '06.
Jim

The stuff I saw was maybe 20 miles north of Battle Mountain along a dirt road.

 

[uglymailman]

I think telephone/telegraph wires are not copper. Don't give the meth head scrappers any ideas. Good luck.

 

[BosnMate]

In the early 60's, when I was working on the Nevada ranch, the telegraph had crossed the ranch property, 18 miles from the Hooten well pony express station, to Fort Churchill on the Carson River. Only the stumps of the poles were left, early ranchers took advantage of the poles for lumber. Also the wire, except for the occasional scrap had all been picked up. When the ranchers cut down the poles, they pryed off the insulators and left them. A friend of mine found one still on the block of wood, and the izing glass still on it. I took a saddle horse and road the line looking for an insulator. I found the rams head from one, but never found one attached to the block. Here is what they looked like, at least on that part of the line. There are other styles of rams horn insulators.




This looks just like my friend found, only the izing glass was still on it. Now I have to go look for the one I found, and take a picture of it ----- if I can find it in all of my junk. If I can't find it, it's just the metal rams horn part, no wood.

 

[Chadeaux]

I was gonna go down to Eureka, but when I jumped in the car I had a waning light that was telling me I had low tire pressure in the FR tire, so I thought I better go to Elko and get that checked out. It was nothing and I just headed east to Wells and then dropped down to Ely. I've never herd of the these old telegraph poles before. Ya know the early non-threaded glass insulators they used on those sell for big bucks to insulator collectors. I saw one on eBay go for I think over a thousand bucks one time. Ya know there gotta be some out there laying on the ground. I do know where there is a few miles of abandoned old telephone line strung out and hanging in spots that's all 9 gauge, methinks? solid copper wire. The insulation on it, is so old and dry-rot, it just breaks off like peanut brittle when you bend it. I'm baffled as to why no one has heisted all that yet, Unless I go by it again and it's no longer there? It's been 5 or so years since I drove by it last?

After Hurricane Betsy back in the 1960's, we walked down the railroad tracks and picked up dozens of these:

They had been removed by the power & light folks and thrown on the ground. We took several crawfish sacks (30 lb I think) and filled them all up. My dad thought they would one day be worth something, but some how they disappeared from his shop over the years. I could sure use a few to sell (see them selling for almost 2 c-notes each!).

 

[fmrUSMC_0844]

Nevada is a beautiful desolate state. This last April my family and I went to Las Vegas for the gold show and decided to take a detour back home to Salt Lake. We went up the Extra Terrestrial Highway and made out way to the back gate of Area 51. Saw the camo dudes and the sensors and got out of there for lunch in Rachel Nevada. We coasted in to Elko on fumes LOL!! There was absolutely nothing out there!