Overton, NV (10/29/2018)

After a week-end of relaxing in front of the TV, watching football games, I was ready for some adventure on Monday.  My plan was to drive a back road I had learned about last Spring, but didn't get around to on that visit.  But first I drove by the local reservoir looking for waterfowl.  The only ducks were too far for photos, but I took a couple shots of the reservoir.  The water level is extremely low, just like all others in the region.

Next, I drove by Stewart's Point on Lake Mead, another seriously depleted reservoir.

You may notice an automobile parked on what appears to be an island.  Wondering how it got there, I went down near the water's edge and saw the "land bridge" that was hidden from view up above.  Still, what a cool spot for a family picnic.

Finally, I finished the 35 mile drive to the eastern end of Bitter Springs Scenic Backcountry Byway, part of the Lake Mead NRA.  This 28 mile trail goes through/over the Muddy Mountains and comes out near Valley of Fire State Park.  I drove eight miles from the western end last March.  It was very scenic, but also very rocky, so I turned around at that point.  Now I wanted to try it from the opposite end.

The first mile was pretty muddy from the downpour just a week earlier.  Right away, I encountered four wild horses drinking from the puddles.

As I drove along, the "road" alternated from very rough to fairly smooth, much of the time in a rocky wash.  In a fit of compassion, BLM had placed trail markers periodically to keep me on track.  There were plenty of "optional" trails created by the ATV crowd, some of which looked better than the official trail.  After about eight miles, I noticed there had not been any signs for a while, and the trail was getting significantly worse.  Eventually, I could go no farther and saw that the ATV tracks I had been following had also turned back.  Thankfully, the ATV driver had broken a new trail back, avoiding some of the roughest parts. 

Once back on the official trail, I had never seen where I went astray.  I did see some BLM trail markers lying in the bushes, obviously swept away by the recent flood.  Maybe the trail had been washed away by the same flood.  I really didn't mind too much that my trip had been cut short.  While the scenery was pretty good, it wasn't as good as other back roads in the area.

There were quite a few places where recent flooding had undercut the walls of the wash, causing the walls to collapse into huge piles of boulders.  Glad I wasn't there when that happened.

On my way back to Overton, I looked for side roads that I have not driven.  Mostly they led onto mesas where free camping is available, and many of them had RVs parked there.  People camp in such places as a way to quickly get their ATVs into the desert.

Nearing town, I spotted a road that looked interesting, so I turned in.  This was a very smooth road, making me think it led to an old mining operation.  Soon I noticed two flexible pipelines, about a foot in diameter, lying along the road.  For five miles, that's all I saw, other than pretty red rock the road had been cut through. 

 

Then I came to obvious active mining facilities and knew I shouldn't be there.

I tried to find a shorter way out, and I could see the highway about 1/4 mile away.  Unfortunately, every road in that direction ended at a washout too deep and steep for me to try.  Finally, I headed back the way I came in.

When I saw the white truck approaching, I knew I was caught.  Someone had called Security and they were coming to get me.  I stopped alongside the truck and let Bubba lecture me about violating private property, and worse yet, taking pictures. 

Back in camp, I did some research and found the mine is removing silica sand, 99.5% pure, for use in making glass, product packaging and other items.  I had seen their distribution facility on the highway, where tanker trucks and railroad cars were being filled.  Now I knew they were hauling sand.

Beaver Dam, AZ (10/23 & 10/24/2018) and Overton, NV (10/25 thru 10/28/2018)

The last couple days in Beaver Dam involved almost no back road touring, but were used for catching up on chores and just relaxing.  I did spend a little time going out for sunrises and sunsets, as well as getting more familiar with this community.  (I won't call it a town, since there is almost no town there.  One lodge and one convenience store, both of which sell lottery tickets and were inundated with Power Ball customers.)  I was pleasantly surprised by some very nice neighborhoods of fairly new and attractive homes. 

 Lots of pretty plants adorned the residential areas, many of which are not known to me.

 I do recognize a cereus cactus, but there are many varieties and I am not familiar with most of them.

After moving to Overton, NV, I continued to take it easy, watching football and World Series on TV, catching up on laundry and taking short drives around town.  Quite a few birds posed for me, but I'll share just a few.

One of the more numerous bird species here is the Gambel's quail, which likes the low growth plants so plentiful in this desert.  Hundreds of these guys hide underneath low branches to feed, scurrying from one patch to another and minimizing time in the open.

 The phainopepla is an interesting bird.  I learned they drink very little water, getting liquid from mistletoe berries.  They will eat more than 1000 berries each day, providing they can find that many.  I don't recall seeing much mistletoe in the desert.

 The northern flicker is my nemesis bird.  Hard to get close to, I often see only their white rump as they fly away from me.  A pretty member of the woodpecker family, the Western variety has red shaft feathers, while those in the East have yellow.  This photo was taken from such great distance, I didn't know what it was until enlarging the photo.

A group of eight wild turkeys were wandering through town.

On one trip into the wilderness, I ran across an abandoned operation that I believe must have been mining of some type.  More recently, it has obviously become a popular spot for graffiti artists.  I wonder if the one who painted the upside down flag realizes that is a distress signal.

Sunsets here are pretty nice, too.

A couple more attractive landscape plants that I can't identify.

Gold Butte N M, NV - Little Finland (10/22/2018)

On this day, a powerful thunderstorm rolled through the area, starting at 4 am with torrential rain, hail and lightning.  As a result, Gold Butte Rd had numerous places where washouts had covered the pavement with rocks and dirt.  I was confident  the gravel roads would be OK, but to reach Little Finland requires driving in Mud Wash and North Mud Wash for a total of nine miles, so I had some concern about conditions there after the storm.

Getting to Little Finland proved to be no problem for the LRJ, despite many washouts and long stretches of mud.  Here's what it looked like when we arrived, and it was much worse after the return trip.  It took $10 in a wash bay to get the sticky, icky mud off.

 Here is an overall view of the plateau.

This was my third visit to Little Finland, and I try to explore a different area each time I go.  There is still a lot to see, so I'll keep going back.  Also, at some point I need to spend the night there to get the best light.  Given the conditions, I did not want to drive out after dark.

The color and shapes of the Aztec sandstone at Little Finland are incredible, unlike any place I've ever seen.  Walking around there is both a joy and a challenge, trying to photograph these formations to convey the beauty and mystery they hold.  As always, lighting is a key factor.

 

 There are famous "wave" formations in other places, but Little Finland has a few of its own.

I know that some of the horizontal slabs of rock have petroglyphs on them, but I have yet to find them.  That's another reason to keep coming back.