I finally got to take my grandson(6) camping! We went to Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park in Central Nevada. http://parks.nv.gov/bi.htm It is one of my favorite parks mainly due to its remoteness and facilities. I think my daughter relented because I had been asking all summer and now it was nearing its close.
I spent a couple of days making sure my 1960 Land Rover bitsa 88 "Ignotus" was ready for the trip. Fresh oil and topped up boxes and swivels.
All my camping and recovery gear was packed along with some spares should something I could fix go south on me.
On a warm Sunday evening I picked him up at his house and headed to Highway 17 to get on the road. Unfortunetaly everyone from "over the hill" was leaving Santa Cruz to go home. It was bumper to bumper all the way to Highway 82. A trip of 20 min took 45!
After negotioating our way thru San Jose and Pleseanton then over the Altamont pass and Tracy we hit Highway 120 and connected with Highway 99 North. I took this way thinking that it would be less crowded as most peoples take 5. Somewhere along 99 I was thinking that my headlights were crap even though I had them on relays to get straight power from the battery.
Braden is asleep by now and I am crusing along doing around 60 by the gps. I didn't want to go over Highway 50 with a less than full fuel tank so I stopped in Elk Grove. The fuel station with diesel was closed(?). As I started to pull out I notice that I had no reflection from my headlights on the windows. I stopped and got out they are not on, confirming that the switch is on, Braden wakes up as I lift the bonnet. A few moments of wire twisting determines that the inline fuse spring is weak and not making contact, so streaching it out makes the light come on! I drove around 100 miles and no one flashed me or cops pull me over!
We drive on to another exit and refuel it is about 2300 now and my goal is Topaz Lake for the night. Orginally I hoped to be there by 2 but now I can see that ain't gonna happen. But I press on.
Braden sleeps on as I drive up Highway 50, I picked it because It has plenty of places for peoples to pass me on the uphills and I should be able to maintain a better speed than going over Sonora Pass where I use first gear at the 9000+ summit. Highway 50 tops out around 7450, I don't think Ignotus was ever lower than third gear.
Because it was sooo late only a couple of cars passed me at all. One memorable incident was in South Lake Tahoe a car quickly came up behind me and then just followed me... I was doing the limit 35mph (gps) and after a few minutes I slowed down to get them to pull around me so the headlights weren't blinding me. Twenty or so seconds later they did just that, It was a local police! Probably running a check on me.
Ignotus made it up and over the Serrias and down into Carson and South on Highway 395 where every hill was a challenge to get up. Nevada has long hills with straight roads and my 62 HP diesel was working hard! Finally We made it to Topaz and I couldn't find the exit so I went up and down the highway a few times until I realized it was in the middle of the construction zone( Hey, it was about 0330)
A couple of miles later and it was me setting up the tent and putting out the pads and bags. Then Braden in the tent and myself followed...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
I awoke about 0730 and packed my stuff away. Braden was out like a light until 1030. I let him sleep because I reasoned that I would rather he was rested than cranky.
If I wasn't rested I could deal with it! He played by the lake as I took down camp and we skipped stones and looked at the fellow campers jet ski. Then it was off to the Topaz Casino for breakfast.
After breakfast we fueled Ignotus and headed North on 395 a few miles to reach Highway 208. 208 took us thru Smith Valley and crops of onions and something that looke like it might have been cabbage. Thru towns of Wellington and Smith, Yerrington and Schurtz on Highway 95. Braden was finally getting to see the desert and he enjoyed taking pictures of the mountains.
Afer a few hours we were passing Walker Lake and into the city of Hawthorne. Hawthorne had a McDonalds so we stopped for an ice cream, it didn't taste like real dairy to me.
We picked up food at the local Safeway and fuel and ice at the Scotties gas station. Filled up all the jerry cans and put ice into the camelbacks(!).
Then we were off, down 95 towards Luna but the turn off to Highway 361 is just before Luna. 361 takes you NE to Gabbs, NV. It was going over these mountain ranges where Ignotus began to overheat on the long climbs, requiring me to stop on a couple of them. Braden learned to read the temp guage.
We rolled thru Gabbs about 1400hr in the heat of the day and turned off onto 844 to cross the Paradise Range. I had to stop 3 times due to overheating and while the bonnet was up 3 vehicles passed us and not one stopped to see if anything was wrong..........Triva; Nevada has more mountain ranges than any othe state.
Soon enough Berlin was insight and we rolled into town, ghost town that is.
We stopped and Braden asked if there were any ghosts so I explained about ghost towns. We stopped at the stamp mill and I told him about how the gold was extracted.
Next we went to find a campsite. Of the 14 sites only 1 was taken so we got the choice and I picked my favorite #11, close to the toilet and water and trees to deflect the morning sun.
Again I set up the tent and pads and bags, got out the kitchen and chairs and the ever important toys! By now it was 1630.
Later I cooked burgers and we had a campfire complete with S'mores. I showed Braden the night sky and how to find the Big Dipper and the North star. Don't think it took but I had fun.
After a good sleep(Braden snored) I woke around 0730 and Braden around 0800 and water was boiled for oatmeal.
While we wee eating breakfast the other campers packed up the RV and left leaving us alone in the campgrounds. After eating and cleanup we decide to check out the other campsites to find the best one. We found one with a leaking water spigot that was like a small sprinkler. We saw a jack rabbit. Taking a break in #7 as we sat on the table we could hear a jet roaring down behind us. I told B to look to the front as I knew it would be past before we could see it. Just as we looked to the front it went just overhead at about 200ft altitude! It was an F16 doing I'm guessing about 200mph, later we both agreed it was the highlight of the trip!
We headed off for the 1000 tour of the Ichthyosaur pavilion. The tour was enjoyed by all, but Braden was shy as usual at first. After the tour he took pictures of the fossils.
We saddled up Ignotus again and headed South a few miles to the ghost town of Grantsville. Here we drove up the tailings pile to the mine site after inspecting the mill and attending bulldozer.
I took the steep downhill and Braden didn't even blink an eye!
Next was a loop drive around Grantville pass to the Reese River Valley and back over Union pass to the park(BISP). Along the way we parked under the shade of some pinion pines and had lunch as we watched the ants on the ground. This is when tailgates are nice!
Once to the top of Grantsville pass we went 4wheeling on a side road, not far but it was steep up and down weaving among the trees. Then back to the road and down to the Reese Valley where we turned North.
A few miles later and I reigned Ignotus to the left up an unmarked road, the road to Union Pass. I like this road it is visually interesting and fun to drive! After a while we came to a turn off to the right where a large tractor tyre has been turned into a pool for a spring. Braden and I watched the bugs swimming around and enjoyed the coolness of the shade from the close bushes.
After this break it was on up to Union Pass.
At the top of the pass I turned left and went up another road until it got soo tight in the trees and a steep side slope that I thought it prudent to turn around. The branches were hitting the windscreen and top all at the same time it was very tight! Back at the pass we dismounted and I showed Braden the view and the cactus growing among the rocks.
From there it is downhill to BISP and after a while Braden asked to steer, so we cleared off the center seat and he sat next to me and did a fine job of steering until we came to the park boundry.
It was back to the Ghost town of Berlin to look at some of the buildings we did not see the other day, like the Assay office and the stage house and stable.
Soon it was time to head back to camp, being very warm we went and played in the "sprinkler" it was very refreshing to splash cool water on your head and torso!
Burgers were on the menu again tonight as was the campfire and S'mores. B had a slight issue with monsters but in the light of the flashlight turned out to be a clump of grass. I told him there are no such thing as the monsters he imagines.
The fire dies around 2200 and we went to bed. I awoke again around 0730 and started the packing up process and checking fluid levels in Ignotus. When Braden awoke there was another round of oatmeal! Then the Rover was packed and we were off for home, some 490miles away.
I was worried about the overheating issue and stopped in Hawthorne at the NAPA store for a new radiatior cap and extra antifreeze. Then we went to McDonalds for lunch.
As we got into the 88 a guy pulls up next to me and says he "has one of those, a short one and a 109" After a short talk we go to see the Rovers. The short one turns out to be a 1951 series 1 in need of alot of TLC and the 109 a 1967 series 2a with the NADA 6 cyl petrol engine. All are for sale as are other vehicles he is disposing for a friend of his who passed.
The tour with Andy took about an hour and then we were off to Carson City.
We arrived in Carson at 1700 and went to In-and-out burger for dinner and to let the traffic die down. After refueling ourselves we refueled Ignotus and headed up the Carson Grade on Hwy 50W.
A wide 4 lane, peoples had no problem passing me as I smoked(it is a diesel) my way to the top. There was not much traffic anyway on this Wednesday evening. Braden finally got to see Lake Tahoe in the daylight and there was nothing eventfull on the drive home. We followed 50 to Sacramento and took Highway 5 South it flowed pretty good but he Northboutd lane was full of construction stops from Sacto to Stockton, making me glad I had taken 99 North on the way over! Somewhere along Highway 5 my speedo cable broke. It is kinda usless anyway being so inaccurate, I use my Garmin gps instead. Plus it gives me all kinds of info and charts!
I dropped a sleepy boy off at home around 0100, then I went to my home and took a shower and hit the hay myself!
I think it was a good trip but too much car time for a 6yo although he slept thru alot of it.
Ignotus did well with the exception of the overheating issue, I think the radiator needs to be boiled out as the antifreeze turned rusty when hot. It was something like 1000miles in 4 days, and about 30hours in the car, including the loop drive. I didn't keep track of mpg.
