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Meadow Valley,
Carp, Elgin, and the Delamar Mountains
Lincoln
County, Nevada
The morning was overcast. The grounds of the Casablanca in Mesquite were rain-soaked, and we knew we were in for a nice juicy storm. Grateful that the altitude precluded the rain turning to snow, we headed west on I-15 from Mesquite in search of an exit from the freeway that would take us to the little dot on the map, Carp, Nevada.
Within moments of exiting the Interstate and heading north on a graded road into an endless forest of Joshua trees, the occasional raindrops began to solidify and become more frequent. As we gained altitude heading toward the Mormon Mountains, the gravel road disappeared under a thin blanket of snow. The only indication that we were in the Mormon Mountains, other than the map, was the depth of the snow. We had to stop to take a few photos of an uncommon occurrence in southern Nevada's Mojave Desert... snow accumulating on cacti and Joshua trees.
Descending the Mormon Mountains, the snowfall subsided. Within a few minutes we found ourselves overlooking the Meadow Valley near a place called Lyman's Crossing. A few miles to the south was the town of Carp. Little remained of the community, but it was clear that the place was still home to a handful of ranchers and farmers. The Meadow Valley in spring must be a beautiful place--a tree lined stream flowing through a green valley, with an occasional train passing through on the tracks that likely contributed to the rise of communities in the area. On a gray December morning, however, green was nowhere to be found. The absence of life was accentuated by the abandoned cars and buildings in the area.
North from Lyman's Crossing about 20 miles was the tiny hamlet, Elgin. A one-room schoolhouse, a guest ranch, and a few scattered homes suggested the area remains active. The schoolhouse, however, is now a museum and historic site. Visitors may obtain keys at a nearby home if they are interested in looking inside.
From Elgin we ventured back up a snowy pass along the Delamar Mountains. Ryan was concerned at the rapidly increasing depth of the snow. Once we reached the top, the ground flattened out and we happened upon a rancher who told us the road ahead would improve and that we should have no problems getting back to highway 93.
Along the way were several inviting vistas of the Meadow Valley Mountain Range and the Delamar Mountains, both with numerous canyons and the appearance that they held great exploring opportunities. However, weather and daylight were working against us. So we remained on our path.
It's always a pleasure to happen upon a pile of junked cars full of bullet-hole ridden dresses. It's happened before and I expect it will happen again.
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