2016 WAYALIFE Memorial Weekend Kick Off to Summer Camping Trip

wayoflife

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
For Cindy and I, Memorial Day weekend is when we like to kick off the summer camping season and for 2016, we decided to do it out in the middle of Nevada and up in the Toiyabe Range. As luck would have it, our good friends Sharkey and his daughter, JeepFan, GemHunter and their daughter Tina, MTG, Wendy and their kids, Trail Bud, Moochie and OverlanderJK were all able to join in on the fun. In addition to just resting and relaxing, we also spent some time exploring canyons in the area and paid a visit to the old county seat of Nye County, the ever charming ghost town of Belmont. Here are some photos from our trip, I hope you enjoy them.

Rubicat all packed up and ready to head out for fun and adventure!
main.php


Hooked up with Doug before making our way down to Tonopah, our rendezvous point with everyone else coming along.
main.php


Stopping along Walker Lake to stretch and take in the view.
main.php


Burger and strawberry shake time at Socorro's! A wonderful hole in the wall joint the tiny town of Mina.
main.php


main.php


As the sign above the window states, this is "NOT FAST FOOD" but it's surprisingly good for being out in the middle of nowhere.
main.php


Home for the night - Tonopah Station.
main.php


Boop-Boop-e-Doop. How nice it is to be welcomed by Betty Boop herself.
main.php


Look out! We've got a badass over here!
main.php


For fun, Cindy and I decided to get the Diamond Jim suite which comes with a really nice bar.
main.php


"I have seen the elephant!"
main.php


After settling in, we decided to take Tessa for a walk up in the hills and enjoy the amazing wildflower display.
main.php


Tessa taking a moment to smell the flowers too.
main.php


On the way back to the hotel, we came across this beautiful Jeep Gladiator J2000 pickup truck with a 327 V8 under the hood.
main.php


main.php


Even though I have one already, I sure would LOVE to have bought this one too!
main.php


Yea!! Tony, Steph and Tina are here!
main.php


It's Picon Punch time!!
main.php


CHEERS!!
main.php


With the arrival of Sharkey and Moochie, it was time for another round - CHEERS!!
main.php


Posing with Bob's Big Boy the following morning before heading out.
main.php


Fortunately, camp was only about an hour or so away and in spite of it being a holiday weekend, we were able to find a great spot all to ourselves and get setup in no time at all.
main.php


main.php


main.php


Kicking into R&R mode.
main.php


While there is a creek that normally flows through the canyon, an aqueduct had been constructed for the historic farm down in the valley and it flowed right next to camp.
main.php


Being the lovely day that it was, Cindy and I decided to go for a short hike, to see what was around us and enjoy the pretty wildflowers.
main.php


main.php


main.php


main.php


A look back at camp.
main.php


On the other side of the canyon exploring some of the caves.
main.php


main.php


Later on in the day, we decided to get in our Jeeps and do a little exploring and some rock-hounding.
main.php


main.php


Looking north up the Big Smokey Valley with carpets of wildflowers spread across it.
main.php


main.php


Looks like a little rain might be heading our way.
main.php


Working our way up a nearby canyon to see what's up there.
main.php


Ummm, I don't think anyone's been up this way in a while.
main.php


The thicket got a lot worse before it got remotely better and so we let the rest of the group know to hold up while we pushed our way through until we could turn around. Once we got to the clearing, we came across an old mine.
main.php


main.php


main.php


Back at camp, it was time for shot of bee sting!
main.php


CHEERS to a great time!!
main.php
 
wayoflife

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
The following morning, we loaded up in our Jeeps and headed on out to visit the old ghost town of Belmont, Nevada.
main.php


After a nice drive, we arrived at our main destination of the day.
main.php


main.php


Taking a stroll along downtown Belmont.
main.php


The old bank building.
main.php


What's left of the cosmopolitan.
main.php


main.php


Checking out some of the cool old machinery out on display.
main.php


Time to get a drink over at Dirty Dick's.
main.php


main.php


Lucky for us, they were open.
main.php


main.php


MTG giving a shot at a game some of the locals taught us - BUTT DARTS!
main.php


Oh yeah, time for a round of delicious bloody Mary's that tasted more like lunch in a cup!
main.php


CHEERS!!
main.php


Time to do what we came here to do and that was to take a tour of the historic Belmont Courthouse. Once the Nye County seat back between 1873 and 1905, this courthouse cost of $25,000 to build and was intended to be "built for the ages".
main.php


Lucky for us, our tour guide not only lives part time in Belmont but has direct connections to the history of it and was very knowledgeable.
main.php


Being that there was no wood in the area, it was fascinating to learn that all the wood used to make this courthouse came from Tahoe, was shipped by rail to Eureka, transferred to a narrow gauge rail line, taken as far as a siding known as Alpha and then brought the rest of the way to Belmont on wagons.
main.php


After the county seat was moved to Tonopah and the Belmont courthouse was closed, the jail cells inside were removed and sent to Gabbs back in the early 1940's where magnesium was mined during World War II. Being that the population consisted of fine men who had been arrested but agreed to work there as part of a plea deal, it didn't take long before there was a need to lock a few of them up again from time to time. This cell was returned to Belmont so that it could be put on display.
main.php


main.php


Doug trying to encourage Jackson to step inside.
main.php


Help me!
main.php


Before there was Ikea - The jail cells were pre-fabricated and a system was needed to help the installers know what panel went where. Here you can see the matching marks that were used to do just that.
main.php


Here you can see the back wall of the courthouse that was removed so that the jail cells could be extracted.
main.php


Door to nowhere. It's unknown why this door from the actual courtroom was made being that there's no record of a balcony or staircase having ever been connected to it.
main.php


Just inside the courthouse, there are 3 photos that shows what it looked like at its worst in 1964, in 2013 after the Friends of the Belmont Courthouse took over it and then in 2015, pretty much what it looks like today.
main.php


Going through and learning about the various rooms in the courthouse.
main.php


main.php


main.php


After the courthouse was completely abandoned in the mid 1920's, people continued to visit it and leave their mark on its walls.
main.php


main.php


main.php


Many of the people who came through it were workers from the USWPA.
main.php


Here you can see that a note was left for a Herman Barnes who owes Jaxesine $10.00 for 5 fees.
main.php


This is an interesting list of goods that were removed from the courthouse during a small pox outbreak in another town.
main.php


So, it should be interesting for some of you to know that well before there were Jeeps, when people were needed to go out and survey a remote area that was difficult to get to, a "Wrangler" was hired and this signature was one that worked for the USGLO.
main.php


Here's a love poem with a riddle in it that was left by man heading off to war. Can you solve the riddle?
main.php


One of the most famous signatures on the courthouse walls is one that was left back in 1969 and by a man of nefarious origins. At the time, there was only one person living in Belmont and she was tough old lady named Rose. When this man and his family tried to set up camp and not knowing who he was, Rose approached them and explained that the land they were on was private. She let them know that the could go north to Pine Creek and setup camp there. On their way back to their ranch out in Death Valley, Manson and his family stopped in again, thanked Rose for her help and left without incident. Sometime later, Rose went to Bishop and just happened to see a newspaper with a photo that had people she had recently seen. Of course, the photo was of Charlie Manson and his "family".
main.php


Over the years, people in the area came to the courthouse and removed whatever it is they could for use in homes and other buildings. Here you can see where the original old floor meets a new section that was recently installed. Apparently, the way this building was built, the floors were put in first and then partitions were added later and so when someone decided they needed some flooring, they cut away a large section of it... by hand!
main.php


Heading on up on a staircase painted with faux stonework.
main.php


main.php


Up in the actual courtroom.
main.php


main.php


main.php


main.php


main.php


Here's what the door to nowhere from the inside. Notice how low the doorknob is - an interesting example of how much we as people have gotten so much taller over the years.
main.php


Way before there was UPS and tracking numbers. During the restoration of the courthouse, many of the original window frames were removed so that new ones with glass could be installed. Here you can see one of the old prefabricated window frames with detailed information as to who ordered it - S. Talman, from Belmont, NV., what carrier it would be shipped on - Care E&P Rail Road and to the destination of Alpha, the end of the rail line at that time.
main.php


Climbing up to the attic.
main.php


Final staircase to the top.
main.php


View from the cupola.
main.php


main.php


Down in the museum looking at some of the cool artifacts that were found in the area.
main.php


main.php


main.php
 
wayoflife

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
After our awesome tour, we decided to have some lunch at a nearby park and play some horseshoe.
main.php


main.php


On the move again, we made our way east and stopped over at the ruins of the old Combination Mill. Built in 1868, this massive 40-stamp mill cost $225,000 to build and was given the title "Queen of the Southeast" by contemporary press. Today, just a few retaining walls, foundations and a tall brick chimney are all that remain.
main.php


main.php


main.php


main.php


The vault like room behind this steel door was the bullion room and it locked up refined silver until fast freight stages could haul it off to Austin to the north.
main.php


main.php


main.php


main.php


main.php


main.php


Remnants of one of the many stamp mills.
main.php


Our next stop was over to the Monitor-Belmont Company 10-stamp flotation mill. Built in 1915, this mill was designed to rework old mine dumps and could treat an average of 120 tons daily.
main.php


main.php


main.php


main.php


main.php


main.php


main.php


In our Jeeps again, we headed north up the Monitor Valley on a Nevada Superhighway and with no signs of civilization as far as the eye can see.
main.php


main.php


main.php


main.php


On our way back to camp with the sun going down.
main.php


Almost ran over this Great Basin Gopher Snake which measured about 4.5 feet in length and tried to become Sharkey's friend.
main.php


To an awesome day out exploring and the coming end of a great time out with good friends - CHEERS!
main.php


I hope you enjoyed following our adventures as we kicked off our summer with a camping trip out in the middle of the Nevada wilderness. A big thanks needs to go out to all our friends for joining us and helping to make it so much fun. :cool:
 
cozdude

cozdude

Guy with a Red 2-Door
Wow! Those were were some great pics! Lots of history on this trip! Looks like a great time!
 
TRLJNKY

TRLJNKY

New member
Looks like an awesome trip thanks for sharing. Saw one of the rides on the highway heading home. Was waiting to see the update
 
MR.Ty

MR.Ty

Token East Coast Guy
Man that looks like it was such a fun weekend! It's awesome that you all got to see those cool old places. Thanks for sharing!
 
RebelconJk

RebelconJk

New member
Great pics as always!! Looked like you guys had a blast! That's crazy that the Manson family had a visit there! :eek:
 
dcbjk

dcbjk

Caught the Bug
Amazing pictures Eddie and Cindy the history that yall explored was amazing seeing all the old artifacts that are still standing today to tell the stories. Thank yall for sharing the experience and the beautiful photography.
 
JAGS

JAGS

Hooked
Still lamenting the fact I had to miss this trip. Looks like a great, relaxing time. Thanks for sharing your pics and adventures Eddie. [emoji106][emoji41][emoji41]
 
Moochie

Moochie

Active Member
I had a great time hanging out with some good friends! Nevada is full of historic sites just waiting to be explored. Thank you Eddie & Cindy for taking the time to show us a small portion of it! :)
 
Moochie

Moochie

Active Member
I don't think we could have gotten a more interesting guy to guide us through the old courthouse. You could tell he loved passing on his knowledge to us curious guests!
ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1464817459.734038.jpg
 
MTG

MTG

Caught the Bug
You are the king of trip recaps. Excellent pictures and description. We had a fantastic time on this trip and we are already looking forward to the next one, whenever that is. :yup:
 
AllAmericanInfidel

AllAmericanInfidel

Caught the Bug
Awesome pics and story! It's exploration trips like this that got me into a Jeep in the first place. No matter how fun the trails are, it's trips like these that will always be my favorite! One of these days I'll be back West again!
 
JeepFan

JeepFan

Hooked
Eddie! Thanks for posting up this awesome trip report! We had an amazing time and what a great way to kick off the summer; with great friends exploring history rich Nevada.

Looking forward to the next adventure...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom