A short travel day is scheduled. But that does not necessarily mean we will follow the 'schedule'. Actually it was a mere 4 miles out of Austin, Nevada that we saw the sign.
ICHTHYOSAURS 56
The sign pointed off the highway to the south. I drove passed the sign maybe a 100 yards and then made a U-turn, no need to halt for traffic, as this is after all, "The Loneliest Highway in America". A change in schedule is called for as adventure beckons. We had 7 miles of paved road and 49 miles of gravel road. You would think that there was nothing to be found down the dusty gravel road, but we passed ranches, a set of cabins for rent on the Pease River, and a settlement on the Paiute Reservation. We came upon a couple of forks in the road that were unmarked as to which way led to the ichthyosaurs. In such cases I try and take the road more heavily traveled (apologies to Robert Frost), as this makes all the difference in the Nevada wilderness.
We find that we have wandered into the Berlin ghost town State Park. But signs again pick up and guide us toward the fabled ichthyosaurs, large land reptiles that evolved into sea-going predators during the Cretaceous (65-100 million years ago). On a chalk outcrop up behind the mining ghost town is a covered pavilion that protects 9 or 10 of the world's largest ichthyosaurs yet known. The covered display housing the partially excavated fossil beds is locked. The local ranger staff only opens the display area at 10 and 12 on weekdays. We get there at about 10:20. A couple from Alaska tells us we just missed the tour. We chat awhile, but know we can't hang around for 2 hours for the next peek-inside chance. We peer through the windows and can make out large ribs, skulls, some phalanges and tail bones. Sorry that we are not inside, but still a pretty cool site to see. Sue poses for a photo with an ichthyosaur painted to scale on a concrete retaining wall.
We opt to go back and wander about the remains of Berlin, a former gold and silver mine active in the first years of the 20th Century. The building are well documented as to what function they had in working of the ore deposits for this mining town.
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| Berlin mine stamp mill Ore carts from the mine shaft enter the back of the stamp mill, dump their load into hoppers that then direct the ore into crushers and then stamp mills that reduce the size further for processing |
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| An old Ford left in Berlin |
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| A belt driven stamp machine |
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| Sue finds many sparkly specimens in the tailings - but leaves them in place in the State Park |
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| Interior of the stamp mill |
It comes time to try and find our way back to Highway 50 and make our way to the home of my cousin Norman in South Lake Tahoe that afternoon. We check a recently acquired Nevada highway map, and find our location and see that there is a short cut across 50 miles of desert to get back to a paved road. We are traveling in a Hyundai, smooth ride, better mileage than the SUV we left in the garage back in Texas. But for these off-road adventures, I prefer the high clearance 4Runner. I always keep a mental check of the odometer on these back country trips in case I have to end up hiking back, I'd like to know how far I need to go for help.
I think we were on track for the first 26 miles, but then we came to a 3-way split. One road heads north (that's the direction we ultimately want to go), one heads NE and another stretches to the west. We decide to choose the north road. Five miles out, the road has gotten much rougher, and has begun to wind around a set of hills. The last thing I want to do is blow a tire or knock out my oil pan way out here. I have no idea when the next vehicle may travel this way, it could be days. This really is a lonely road in the middle of the desert. I swing around on the hillside, and get us back to the triple junction. I choose the NE route, and in 35 miles we are back on pavement. I stop at the stop sign, check for traffic (I see nothing) and turn to the west.
I recall the advice given by a survivor of the ill-fated Donner Party that was headed to California as well; "Hurry along a fast as you can, and don't take any short cuts." For us, that was a good adventure.
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