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Pilot
Peak to Park Valley
Box Elder County, Utah, Elko County, Nevada
Driving
across the vast Bonneville Salt Flats most folks don't seem to notice
the spectacular Pilot Peak towering above the desert north of Wendover.
From the vantage point of Interstate 15, Pilot Peak looks quite dry
and uninviting. It is named, however, for it's usefulness to early
travelers as a beacon as they crossed the desert.
Wendover was our first overnight stop along this trip that took us up the eastern edge of the Pilot Range and then into the Goose Creek and Crittenden areas of Elko County. Wendover's famous Stateline Hotel gives great rates on weeknights. You almost can't afford NOT to stay there. The buffets are good, the entertainment is, well, okay, and Ryan loved the poker machines.
The Stateline Hotel
and Casino. I remember crossing the desert in the family car as a
little kid and stopping here for breakfast--way back when the waitresses
all looked just like "Flo" and still called you, "honey."
It's still a great place, but it seems to have lost some of that old
Nevada charm.
The eastern side
of Pilot Peak from near Montello, Nevada
We spent a little time trying to find Buell,
a reputed ghost town in the Pilot Range not far from Montello. We
were unsuccessful. Our long bumpy road ended abruptly at a gate near
this lovely green meadow. We suspected this was probably Tuttle, another
ghost town. Tuttle is reportedly privately owned and not accessible
to the public.
The Montello store is run
by a charming lady with whom we chatted for a while before venturing
out into the great unknown. She told us about Crittenden Reservoir
north of town and that we'd do well to stop and fish. We stopped and
took a few pictures, but weren't properly equipped for fishing in
75 mile per hour winds.
Montello
Crittenden Reservoir was
a sight for sore eyes. The area is very drought-parched this year,
but Crittenden appeared full and looked very inviting. The reservoir
is privately owned, but open to public fishing with the following
conditions: no camping, trout limit is one over 17 inches.
The California Trail: Numerous
markers such as this one reminded us that travelers had passed this
way long before us, with much more to deal with than dust and high
winds.
If you remain on the road
that takes you along little Goose Creek in Nevada, the first community
you'll come to is Grouse
Creek, Utah. We've been here a time or two before. Grouse
Creek is one of our favorite places. The folks here are so kind
and seem to be happy to have you around, unlike the feeling one might
have passing through a private ranch in Nevada looking for a camping
spot.
We ended up camping along the Raft River nearby where we had previously had some pretty good fishing luck. This time the elements were against us, and the water was too low, so we bundled up and went to sleep hoping for a better scene the next day.
The Grouse Creek
Mountains
The next day we
spent south of Grouse Creek in the Rabbit
Springs area. We then headed back for I15 via highway 30 through
Park Valley and Rosette, ranching communities on the south slope of
the Raft River Mountains.
Rosette
Park Valley
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