Pahranagat Valley (5/23 thru 5/25/2020)

First a correction to my previous post from Tonopah.  The airplane I incorrectly identified as a B-29 was actually a B-24, as pointed out by my son, Randy, who is well versed in WWII history.  With this information, I checked and found the B-24 named Mizpah flew 80 missions over Europe and was salvaged in New Mexico after the war.

Leaving Tonopah, I drove toward the Pahranagat Valley and the very small town of Alamo with one of the few RV parks in the region.  Part of my journey was over Highway 375, also known as the Extraterrestrial Highway because it passes by the infamous Area 51.  Activities at this Air Force facility probably involve testing of experimental aircraft and are classified as Top Secret.  Some have concluded the secret activities must involve captured UFOs or development of flying saucers.  Speculation has been ongoing for many years.

Enterprising business owners have tried to take advantage of this notoriety.   For example, these signs identify a store that sells only jerky.

The Pahranagat Valley itself is surprisingly green and lush, a true oasis in the middle of the Nevada desert.  A stream running through the valley has created several lakes, providing plenty of water for irrigation.  As a result, there are numerous ranches in the valley with cattle grazing in dark green grass up to their hocks.  Large cottonwoods line the banks of the river.

Of course, I didn't come here to see cattle, but to visit some of the half-dozen petroglyph sites in the area.  My results were mixed, mostly unsuccessful to be honest.  At the Crystal Wash site, I followed my directions to hike up the wash looking for markers placed by BLM.  Unfortunately, the markers are small and hard to spot in an area with lots of sagebrush and boulders.  The first marker I found was Number 4.  To find 5 and 6, I was instructed, go back to Number 1 and turn left.  I never found 1 (or 2 and 3 for that matter), but I did stumble upon 5 and 6.

I also found several piles of rusty cans, possibly thrown there by miners who must have eaten lots of beans.  There is also what's left of a car that looks  like it was hit by a train.

Here is an overall view of the Ash Springs site and a photo of a marker, about 15 inches tall. The markers were somewhat easier to find at this site, but I still didn't find all 16 said to be there.

Other sites I learned required long drives over rough roads, so I decided to forego those and went instead to one of the nearby Wildlife Management Areas with a lake.  This was a beautiful spot, managed by the state, but it had little or no wildlife.  I got one photo of a Western Kingbird.

The National Wildlife Refuge, a Federal park with two large lakes and some petroglyphs of its own, was closed due to coronavirus.  Hard to believe that thousands of acres in the wilderness would be at risk for infectious contact, but all access roads were heavily barricaded.