“Getting there isn’t half the fun--it’s all the fun”
--Robert Townsend
Friday, October 19
Awhile back when I heard that there was going to be a statewide geocaching event in Tonopah, I secretly wondered if we would have any fun. I mean we’re talking about Tonopah. The last time we visited Tonopah they were experiencing a severe shortage of toilet paper so, naturally, we haven’t been back. But to answer the question, no, we didn’t have fun...we had a BLAST!! And yes, they found more TP.
Linda and Larry (L3-Geo) arrived Thursday night so that we could be on the road at first light the next morning. All of our most memorable geocaching adventures start with the morning sun searing our retinas and today was no exception as we headed east. We could have spent the whole day in Fallon but we were on a mission to find just one special cache located out in the desert east of Fallon. But, of course, “just one” morphed into three for all the usual rationales geocachers use. This cache was special because we needed it for the “Well Rounded Cacher Challenge”. That’s right! The Nevada Delorme Challenge wasn’t enough. Now we’re on to another one.
The reason for bringing L3-Geo to this cache was because we knew it required a special extraction tool of some kind and Larry carries one of each in his magic fanny-pack. No matter what we need or how big it is, it’s in that fanny-pack. Once we located the cache and determined what we needed, Larry did his magic and we had the cache in hand. After that we headed west along farm roads (and passing several caches) until we found Hwy 95 and turned south. It was still early and we had all day to cache and explore our way down to Tonopah.
Before caching (BC), we drove this route several times never giving any thought about the history of the area. Today we learned about the old filling station built in the 1920’s to service traffic on the newly constructed highway and Hawthorne’s rich railroad, mining and military history. By the time we arrived in Tonopah we had just enough time to check-in and unload the Jeeps before the sun set. After a mediocre Mexican dinner we went back to our rooms and prepared for the next day.
Saturday, October 20
Early the next morning most of the event caches were published and it was clear that most of them were located in a roughly circular pattern northeast of Tonopah with the town being about in the seven o’clock position. In addition to this circle there were caches east and south of Tonopah. We decided that most cachers would start in town and cache in a clockwise direction so we went the other direction hoping to collect more FTF’s. So, after a quick bite to eat and grabbing a few caches in town, we headed east on Highway 6. The route took us east on Highway 6 and then north on Highway 376 for about 4 miles. There we headed west on a dirt road and this is when things got really fun. As we drove west up into the San Antonio Mountains we found ourselves completely alone and snagging all the FTF’s. But our reverie was short lived when, just before the summit, we looked back and saw an SUV stopped at one of the previous caches. The race was on! You never saw two old men move so fast! But, inevitably, we lost the race. We really didn’t have much of a chance. “Whtwolfden” was driving his wife’s SUV and didn’t seem to care how fast he went over the rocks and his son was about 12 years old and literally flew out of the car and nailed the caches before we managed to get our legs under us.
Shortly after meeting “Whtwolfden” we met a group of cachers at a windmill. We had first noticed them while we were at another cache and wondered why they were just standing around when we arrived. Well, it seems that the cache was placed at the top of the windmill and one of them had managed to climb up and retrieve it but the experience was too traumatic and no one wanted to climb back up to replace it. Not a problem. After I signed the log I climbed up to the top, replaced the cache and started to descend when Linda yelled at me to stay there while she found her camera. Despite the wind blowing me and the windmill around I waited while she searched for the camera. I suspect that she took longer than necessary to find the camera because everyone was having too much fun watching me ride a bucking windmill. It wasn’t until later that I found out that one of the windmill’s legs wasn’t anchored. No wonder they didn’t want to go back up!
Several caches later we found ourselves back on Highway 95 north of Tonopah. We decided to pick up a few more before stopping at McDonald’s for lunch. Unfortunately, McDonald’s was having a serious odor problem so we quickly exited and ended up at casino cafe. We ignored the typical casino smell and atmosphere and had another mediocre Tonopah meal. After lunch we spent a couple hours picking up the caches south of Tonopah.
Two of those caches were at Klondike, a ghost town roughly 13 crow miles south of Tonopah. In 1900, Jim Butler brought some ore samples he had collected at Tonopah Springs to the assayer in Klondike. The story goes that the assayer thought the samples were worthless and threw them away but Jim thought otherwise. On his way back to his ranch, he picked up some more samples and eventually had them assayed in Austin, NV. That assay found large amounts of gold and silver. Butler stacked his claims around what is now Tonopah and all the miners from Klondike moved to Tonopah. Now there is nothing but a few rusting pieces of metal where Klondike used to be and Tonopah is...what it is. Which begs the question, why does Tonopah still exist? It’s certainly not because of the food. The answer lies southeast of the town. The Tonopah Test Range is part of a huge military facility which includes Nellis Air Force base and the famous yet super-secret Area 51. This just might explain the strange alien food and smells we’ve been experiencing.
Sometime, while we were south of Tonopah we realized we had missed two caches on a mountain top in the general vicinity of the morning adventure. We still had plenty of time before the dinner event at the Elk’s Hall so we headed toward the mountain despite the increasing winds and decreasing temperatures. It took about 45 minutes of 4-wheeling to get there but we were surprised to discover that we were the only ones to find the caches. Maybe it was the howling bitterly cold wind that had discouraged the saner cachers from venturing up on top of the mountain. If that’s true, then that would make us.... Yep.
We made it back to Tonopah in time to shower and “dress” for dinner at the Elk’s Hall. The festivities were fun and the food was...ok because I like my steak well done. I understand the ones who chose the chicken all met later at McDonald’s.
Sunday, October 21
The plan today was to head back to Reno while cleaning up a few caches that we had either skipped earlier or recently became aware of. But first we went back to the Elk’s Hall for breakfast. Again the festivities were fun and I wasn’t entirely surprised when I broke my cutlery on the pancakes. After breakfast there were a few announcements and celebrations and then we were out of there. We had places to go and caches to find and time was wasting.
The first three caches took us to (1) Slime Wash, (2) the site of a major junction for the Tonopah-Goldfield Railroad and (3) to Miller’s, a booming railroad town between 1904 and 1911. Now, I understand the significance of the last two places but why show us Slime Wash? Maybe for it’s unique name.
While we were at Miller’s we had to make a decision whether to get a couple more caches that were out in the desert northeast of Miller’s. The first was two miles away and the second was another 4 miles. As we were trying to figure out how to access the dirt road and discussing whether we even had the time and inclination to venture out into the unknown, we looked up to see “Whtwolfden” pointing the way. Actually, he had just returned from the first cache 2 miles away and said the roads were so bad he decided not to go on to the second one. Well, if he can do it in his wife’s SUV we can certainly make it, so we accepted the challenge and went for it.
Aside from some deep ruts, the road was much better than we were lead to believe and we found the first cache quickly. Because we had such an easy time of it so far, we decided to go on to the next one. Fifteen minutes later we reached the cache and realized it was going to take a half an hour to retrace our steps. The other revelation was that there was ANOTHER cache ONLY 4 miles from here. The more cache crazed members of the group were saying, “It’s only 4 miles from here!” and I’m thinking, “Yeah, but that’s now 10 miles of dirt road back to Highway 95. What the hay, the gas cans are full so...why not. We took off down the road and then it ended. Disappeared is a more accurate description. The sagebrush had gobbled up the road and it was gone. Well, maybe.
Behind and to the left of a particularly large bush the sagebrush wasn’t quite as dense. In fact, with a little imagination, it could be argued that there used to be a road there. We were on a playa so there weren’t any rocks to worry about and the surface was firm so we carefully rolled in that direction. There definitely was a pattern developing where the lack of vegetation indicated where the wheel tracks had been. Notice I said ”wheel“ and not ”tire“. If this was a road it hadn’t been used for a very long time, perhaps before rubber tires.
The question as to whether it was even a road was soon answered as the little moving yellow dot on GeoJeepette’s laptop tracked exactly with a jeep trail on the map. As we became more confident we slowly increased our speed and found ourselves making good time across the playa. Aside from the half dozen washed out areas and the occasional stray bush the ride was remarkably smooth. Then, even this so-called road ended as we entered a dry lake bed. Beyond the lake bed was a raised berm which I assumed was a flood control dyke. Just great! We came all this way to be stopped by a dyke. ”So what do you think that is?“, I asked GeoJeepette as I pointed at the dyke. She replied, ”That’s Highway 89“. What! No one told me there was a highway out here! Why are we blazing trails through the desert when we could have taken the highway? Oh, that’s right, it’s about having fun.
As we climbed up the berm onto the highway surface we really didn’t have to worry about traffic because, since Highway 376 was built east of Tonopah, Highway 89 is rarely used. It is essentially abandoned and in disrepair but we gratefully used it to go down to the access road that took us to Crescent Dunes and the next adventure. Yes, there was a cache to be found but it was really about the adventure.
The cache was located about 900 crow feet behind the southern most, and probably largest, dune. We should have walked but I hate walking in loose sand. I told L3-Geo to wait and I would go ahead. The plan was that if GeoJeep got stuck, L3-Geo could pull us out. So I put GeoJeep in dune buggy mode and headed around the south side of the dune. Now GeoJeep is no stranger to sand but what we saw as came around the side of the dune made GeoJeep shudder. Deep, thick drifts of sand blocked the way. It was the end of the line but if we stopped and tried to turn around we would surely sink up to our axles. That’s when I saw a cleft in a small dune and announced it was a road. I knew GeoJeepette thought I was having a reaction to my medication but she only uttered a short quiet noise as we went up into the cleft. And through it and down the other side onto a road. A real road. Just like I knew what I was doing. It wasn’t the medication after all. But this was no place to be stopping and there was definitely no room to turn around so we powered forward through the thick heavy sand until we reached a small area where we could stop, made a multi-point turn and headed back. By now I knew it was a big mistake coming this way and we were on the way back to tell L3-Geo not to come this way. Too late!! They had followed our tracks through the cleft and were headed in our direction and there was no place to stop. I was taught that while driving on sand dunes to never stop on the level or uphill so when we reached the top of a very small hill I stopped and yelled into the CB for L3-Geo to do the same.
Here we were, two Jeeps facing each other in a trench on a sand dune. Hummm, what to do? I decided we might as well think about our dilemma while we walked over to the cache. By the time we got back to the Jeeps we had a plan. While I watched and made sure L3-Geo stayed in his tracks he would slowly back up. I emphatically added that it was very important not to stop. The plan didn’t specify how far he was supposed to back up but that didn’t really matter because we were winging it anyway. Everything was going great but as we were approaching the cleft, I realized that backing up, around and over it would be tricky at best. L3-Geo solved that dilemma when he lost sight of me in his rear vision mirror and drove off the road and kept going and going and...Stop! At first I couldn’t believe what was happening and then I couldn’t believe our luck. L3-Geo had found the only semi-firm sand in 400 feet and his Jeep was sitting on top, not in, the sand. How did he know? From here it was easy to turn around and attack the cleft. We went first and, then, he followed. We made it.
The decision to go back on dirt roads to Miller’s or take the old highway back to Tonopah was an easy one. Once back in Tonopah, we stopped at Burger King for lunch and gas (for the Jeep). Only a geocacher can head north out of town and end up back in town 3 hours later for lunch. While the four of us were sitting around the table at Burger King planning our trip home, I thought about the sand and how close both of us came to getting stuck. I then realized this was the best meal I’ve had in Tonopah. It sure beats roasting lizards on GeoJeep’s exhaust pipe while we waited for help. Oh wait! That’s right! We were ten miles from the nearest civilized road, nobody knew where we were and there was no cell coverage.
Wow, this is a great burger...
After topping off our tanks, we left Tonopah (again) and headed north. The plan was to pick up a couple of caches along the way and arrive in Fallon before nightfall. The next cache was about 60 miles away so we turned off the GPSr’s and settled back for the long drive. After about 45 minutes of travel, just as we were passing Candelaria Hill, the phone rang. It was L3-Geo. A cache just showed up on their laptop and they were wondering whether we wanted to go for it. When I heard ”It’s just off the road“ and ”It won’t take that long“, I knew it was time to power up the GPSr’s. I knew about this cache and had eliminated it from the list because of the 3 terrain and 3 difficulty rating. The comment about being snake country didn’t thrill me either. But the group consensus overrode my concerns.
When we arrived in the area of the cache we discovered that we could drive to within 200 to 300 feet of the cache. We also discovered that the cache was on top of a large rock outcropping on the side of a steep hill, but, it looked doable. Because of my stunt on the windmill, I was elected to scale the rock. On my way up the hill to the outcropping, my previous concerns were justified when a ”cute“ little baby rattlesnake slithered across my path and into a bush. I called out to L3-Geo and, as the little guy made a run for it, L3-Geo confirmed the sighting. As I ascended the outcropping, I just knew mama snake was lurking nearby quietly deciding who would be her next victim. After I certified the outcropping as snake free, I went about the business of retrieving the cache. The ammo can was in a crevasse about 3 feet below the top and the only way to snag it was to lie down on my stomach, stretch out over the edge and...wait for mama snake to bite me in the ass. Well, that’s what was playing over and over in my mind as I grabbed the cache. I was treated to the same mental image as I replaced it. I think, in the future, all caches should also have a rating for anxiety.
We made a hasty retreat and continued north to the next cache.
Near the junction of Highways 95 and 360, south of Mina, is the site of an old terminal for the Carson-Colorado Railroad. From here, badly need supplies were hauled by wagon to the new, booming town of Tonopah. Later, the railroad was extended to Tonopah and the terminal slowly disappeared. Today all that’s left are lots of old nails, spikes, a few decaying railroad ties and a cache. If you prefer to drive to your caches, approach the cache from the rock house.
Now it was really getting late and even though we had more fun than anyone would have anticipated, we needed to concentrate on getting back home. No more unscheduled diversions into the scary unknown. But, as we approached Fallon and the sun was about to disappear, I was reminded that we needed to pick up just one more cache. The reason: To make the number of finds in three days an even 100!
We watched the sun finally set while we were in Starbucks fortifying ourselves for the final leg of the trip back to Reno. Who would have ever thought you could have had so much fun in Tonopah, Nevada? Not me.
We won a geocoin and each received another geocoin from Jeremy of groundspeak. After lunch we wandered around the park and found 5 caches. Then it was time to head on out to get more caches before heading to dinner. We picked up another 40 caches by the end of the day and celebrated our success with a bottle of wine at dinner. After dinner we again visited the Whole Foods parking lot to log our caches using their free internet access. When we arrived back at the hotel, we all collapsed. It’s exhausting work finding caches in the wind and cold!
We won a geocoin and each received another geocoin from Jeremy of groundspeak. After lunch we wandered around the park and found 5 caches. Then it was time to head on out to get more caches before heading to dinner. We picked up another 40 caches by the end of the day and celebrated our success with a bottle of wine at dinner. After dinner we again visited the Whole Foods parking lot to log our caches using their free internet access. When we arrived back at the hotel, we all collapsed. It’s exhausting work finding caches in the wind and cold!
