We five. George, Kevin, Kathy, Lindy and Rob |
A quick drive to Mina (125 mi.) was nice, for a change. Because we haven’t seen them for so long (a
month) and because they love us so much, our Pahrump neighbors, George and
Kathy, decided to meet us for the 4-day stay.
Son Kevin from Reno also joined us.
In all our years of camping, I can’t remember anybody joining us at a
campground before. How fun is this?!
This is the size of the animal whose bones are found in the pit. |
George and Kathy have explored this area in the past and
knew the interesting things to see. Our
first tour took us on a road east and up to 7,000 ft. above current sea
level. The word “current” is important
because millions of years ago, this area was submerged in an arm of the Pacific
Ocean, a whole different measure of “sea level.” Ichthyosaur State Park was once underwater
and the monsters that lived in this area, called, “fish lizards,” were massive mammals
that lived in the sea but breathed air.
As the tides went out and the oceans dried up and receded during a warming
age (this happened before the automobile), these ichthyosaurs became stranded,
beached in the mudflats.
Rob and Old Icky |
Three dinosaurs altogether... |
Sketch of the skeleton of an Ichthyosaur |
Lindy in the machine shop - Berlin mines |
Berlin mines mill |
Near this park are the mines at Berlin, NV. It is a ghost town now and the mines, of
course, are abandoned, but it is always fun to imagine what life would have
been like a hundred years ago out here in this desolate place where Lindy would
have been found in petticoats, bloomers, a long skirt and a bonnet. At its peak, the population of the town was
about 250, miners, foresters and charcoal makers, a doctor, a nurse, a teacher,
blacksmith and other machinists and, of course, a prostitute. The silver haul from Berlin in 1900 totaled a
significant $849,000 ($26,055,810 today).
Seems the humans of the 1800s and 1900s spent a lot of time
“digging.” Nevada is dotted with
hundreds of small old abandoned mines.
Some were successful for a while, hauling away salt, basalt and gypsum
and when the diggers got lucky, precious metals. We drove many miles on the gravel back roads
finding remnants of earthen huts and caves and old mine entrances, abandoned
and sealed off. “Nope, nothin’
here. Let’s go dig over there.” Belleville was a fairly large township that was
elaborately terraced. It functioned as a
mill for ore that was brought there from the nearby Candelaria mine. The sign describing the ghost town of
Belleville says that it was “famous for murders, drunken brawls and
‘sporting.’” In a town of 500 people
with 7 saloons, the art of “sporting” can be left to our imaginations but maybe
we can assume that it involved chicks.
As technology advanced, business slowed in towns such as this and
Belleville was abandoned in 1892.
Thirty-six stars on Old Glory, one added to welcome Nevada into the union |
Time out for a picnic in Ione, N |
Ione is described as "the town that refused to die." This residence raises a few doubts in my mind. |
Ione, NV was once the seat of Nye County and was founded
in 1863, a year before Nevada became a member of the USA as its 36th
state. Finding a shady spot for lunch
was a challenge in the three days we spent driving around the Nevada desert in
search of ghost towns. Ione is still
populated by maybe 6 hearty souls and a small park in the little town with a picnic
table under the shade trees provided the perfect spot for a picnic. The good folks of the old town of Marietta
had the decency to build a wall a hundred years ago so that, today, we could
huddle into a shady spot for a beer and a sandwich.
These are the surviving walls of Smith's General Store in Marietta |
Finally, dusty, hot and tired, we five have exhausted our
curiosity of antiquity (for now) and last evening we settled in for a steak
dinner accompanied by fine red wine.
Today, we packed up and hugged each other “good bye.” Our next stop: 1640 Red Rock Drive. It has been a fascinating month for Rob and
Lindy. Noobee did a fine job and we are
home safe and sound. That’s all the
stories I have left in my fingers. Till
next time, love to you all.
No, no, no, no, no!!! Say it isn't so. Too quick. Leave again. Need more t-logs. High point of my day. Hugs!! Sharon
ReplyDeleteOver too soon, but glad you got away and shared.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed the trip, and glad you're safely home! Thanks for taking us all along on another interesting trip!!
ReplyDeleteGreat stories as always. Miss you.
ReplyDeleteyou two always take such nice pictures.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing, interesting and educational as always.
ReplyDeleteTake care, stay safe.
Inga.
Thank you, thank you! We had a wonderful time dropping in on your daily adventures, especially Virginia City. Mustang & Johnny
ReplyDeleteOhh, great stories thnxs for sharing
ReplyDelete