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Camp at Cassidy Mine If you're brave enough, you can get a rig like this motor home to the great campsite at Cassidy Mine, overlooking the Black Rock Playa. |
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Train passing Trego Trains tend to slow down when passing Trego Hot Spring; never know what might be frolicking in the pool. |
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Fly Geyser 1 This is a hot artesian well, not a real geyser. It goes off continuously. The colors are from different types of heat-tolerant algae. |
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Fly Geyser 2 Fly Geyser resulted from an attempt to drill a water well for ranching use. The hot, mineral-laden water has built up the cones just since the 1980's. The site is on private property; please don't trespass. |
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Welcome To Nowhere The little town of Empire is at the south end of the Black Rock playa, a couple of miles from Gerlach. You get gas and whatever else here or in Gerlach, or you don't get it. |
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Downtown Gerlach Main drag through Gerlach on a busy holiday weekend. |
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Union Pacific freight train The rail line runs along the southern edge of the playa. This west-bound train has slowed as it approaches Gerlach. |
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Train through downtown Gerlach West-bound freight train slowed but didn't stop while rolling through Gerlach. RR crossings are a serious hazard out here. |
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Stan and Jewel in the Calico Mountains This colorful range is on the west side of the playa, several miles north of Gerlach. |
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Calico Mountains 1 The hiking here is actually pretty good; not too much effort yields great views. |
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Calico Mountains 2 From this vantage point, you can see east across the playa. |
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Calico Mountains 3 This shot gives some perspective on just how big the playa is. Montana ain't got nothing on Big Sky compared to Northern Nevada. |
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Doobie Lane 1 Doobie Lane is a dirt road north of Gerlach. These modern-day pictographs were created over several years by a guy known as Doobie, who has since gone to his reward. |
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Doobie Lane 2 Doobie apparently needed to rest occasionally. I mean, there was a whole lot of rock moving and painting going on. To see the whole thing, ask for directions in Gerlach. |
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On the playa A Kodak moment in mid-playa. This shot illustrates a basic rule of Black Rock travel - don't go out there with only one vehicle, even if you are feeling real lucky. |
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Driving the playa In formation with several vehicles rolling across the playa, I stuck my camera out the window. This is major fun, but the dust is fine as powder and seeps into everything. |
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Camping out You can camp pretty much wherever, but most people do as we did and find a spot along the edge. After watching people zoom around out there (including us), you'll understand that it's safer to be out of the traffic zone. |
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Playa sunset The setting sun broke through the bottom of the clouds and cast a desert version of alpenglow on mountains across the playa. If it rains, you need to get off the playa as quickly as possible, or risk getting seriously stuck. |
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Soldier Meadows Road Gravel road along west edge of the playa. Check a map; this route takes you to some cool places. |
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License plates This interesting monument along Soldier Meadows Road displays plates from far and wide, along with other artifacts. |
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Trashed trailer This thoroughly bullet-ventilated trailer graces the side of Pahute Peak, near an old mine. |
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Room with a view With no glass in the windows, the old trailer has a nice clear view out across Mud Meadow. |
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Canyon view The view is your reward for hiking up a canyon on the west side of Pahute Peak. |
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The Black Rock Officially known as Black Rock Point, this volcanic formation was an emigrant landmark. A hot spring and several acres of grass provided relief for pioneers crossing the desert. One journal described bathing here as "exceedingly refreshing." |
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Trego Hot Spring This is a ditch on the edge of the playa, having been dug to channel water away from the railroad tracks. The tracks are only a few feet away, so you can wave at the train crews when freights roll by. |
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Sunset at Trego We camped near Trego Hot Spring and caught this spectacular sunset. The radio tower is right by the tracks. |
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Double Hot Spring Caution! It is Double Hot because there are two large pools and the water is scalding. Respect the danger - people and pets have died here. |
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Double Hot Spring Springs like this are HOT! The colors are from algae that thrive in a heated environment. |
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Soldier Meadows From one of the smaller hot springs, you get a good view across the large expanse of Soldier Meadows. There is a nice (and free) BLM campground here. |
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Soldier Meadows Hot Spring - small pool At smaller springs dotting the hillside, numerous soaking pools have been built with rock dams. Beware! Stay out in spring; the grass is full of chiggers that will eat you alive. This knowledge comes from personal experience. Soak in fall or winter. |
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Soldier Meadows Hot Spring - big pool This huge pool is just right for a soak and swim. Along with other nearby springs, this waters several acres of grass that were vital to helping the emigrants recover after crossing the Black Rock. |
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Purple sage This small shrub gives off a minty odor, and is also the inspiration for many a western tale of riding the purple sage. |
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Black Rock Hot Spring This spring is more user-friendly. At the base of the Black Rock, it provided water and grazing for emigrant survivors crossing the playa. |
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Desert evening primrose A beautiful flower of the Black Rock Desert, stimulated to bloom by abundant winter and spring rains. |
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Hardin City Only a couple of old stone foundations remain of this mining camp. Turned out that no precious metals actually existed, and to this day no significant deposits have ever been located. |
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Wild rose Another lovely Black Rock wildflower that grows in dense thickets near water. |
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Pahute Peak This is another landmark along the emigrant trail as it leaves the Black Rock playa heading north for Soldier Meadows. It is pronounced "Paiute", like the Native Americans. |
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Canyon hiking Water and wildflowers fill an unnamed canyon slicing through the side of Pahute Peak. Ah, spring! |
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Sunrise at Bogg Hot Spring Located up near the Oregon state line, this one is really hot. We visited in the fall when cold nights cooled the water sufficiently for a nice early-morning soak. |
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Soaking at Bogg Hot Spring Having your own soaking pool a few steps from camp is a great way to start the day. It don't get no better than this. |