interesting youtube on desert camping - Blackrock Mesa

[QinReno]

Yeah, maybe they just pass overhead and drop a bit of lightning on you. Keep your golf clubs in the van.
https://www.oregonlive.com/multimedia/index.ssf/2013/12/alvord_desert_lightning_strike.html
https://www.google.com/search?q=lightning+in+the+alvord+desert&source=lnms&tbm=isch

Now there is a real picture, east side of Alvord desert, came off the oregonlive page.

http://media.oregonlive.com/oregonian/photo/2013/08/-ab8563f45f3c64f2.JPG

 

[ChezCheese:-)]

Don't y'all miss trees in these places??

 

[highdesertranger]

not at all. I spend plenty of times in the trees. I don't need to be in trees all the time. the desert is a beautiful place. highdesertranger

 

[Knit]

Alvord desert a few days before eclipse in August 2017

Not sure why Tapa talk is no longer posting photos correctly.

 

[seak]

"...if you want to go there have your vehicle in A-1 condition especially tires.  anything less then an "E" rated tire and your in trouble.  that trailer in those pics suffered 2 flats in one afternoon.  I repaired one the other was junk,  we limped into Lakeview Oregon,  Denio has zero tire service."

IIRC in a past thread you advised limiting one's speed on gravel to about 35 mph in order to prevent tire damage. Did I get that right? I usually limit my speed on gravel to 45 mph, because the traction isn't great. I've never had a tire problem, but I haven't driven long distances on gravel, either.

 

[highdesertranger]

"IIRC in a past thread you advised limiting one's speed on gravel to about 35 mph in order to prevent tire damage. Did I get that right?"

yeppers, don't be in a hurry. slow down and enjoy the country. this is especially true right after the have graded the road. letting a little air out of your tires also helps but only if you are running load range "E" tires. I would not let any air out of passenger car tires and "C" rated tires. highdesertranger

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

I agree with HDR.  Slow down.  I do no more than 30 on gravel and 20 or less if it is rough or washboard.  I am not in a hurry and I don't like to beat up my equipment.  You can't stop fast on gravel.

 

[bullfrog]

I used to really enjoy seeing how fast I could go on gravel/dirt and when I got out west with wide roads and no traffic it was bliss floating along only touching the road now and then, except for destroying a tire and wheel every 2 hours or so, pure bliss I tell you!

 

[MrNoodly]

Don't y'all miss trees in these places??

Don't y'all miss seeing the sky from under all those trees?  Don't you miss seeing the horizon?

 

[ChezCheese:-)]

I went to visit my sister in Carson City once. She had a friend visiting. They waved out at the bleak landscape and said "Isn't it beautiful?" I was polite and just smiled and nodded vaguely. The friend said, "Oh, you're from Seattle? I lived in Seattle for a couple of years. I kept thinking, if they'd just cut down all these trees, they'd have a view." I said, Um, the trees are the view...

I'm glad she found a place that suits her soul. Me, I'm a forest person.

 

[QinReno]

I went to visit my sister in Carson City once.

You must have been looking to the east, because to the west are the Sierra and Lake Tahoe. Plenty of trees for 500 miles north to south. Too darn MANY trees, because so many are currently on fire.

 

[QinReno]

I used to really enjoy seeing how fast I could go on gravel/dirt and when I got out west with wide roads and no traffic it was bliss floating along only touching the road now and then, except for destroying a tire and wheel every 2 hours or so, pure bliss I tell you!

You and me both. I had Jeep Cherokees for 20 years. Nothing beats getting out on a dirt/gravel road, putting it in 4WD, and doing 4-wheel drifts around corners at 50 MPH or so. And then as you go flying by some guy who is going the other way, he yells "Slow down, you moron!". Some of us (like you) are lucky to still be breathing.

OTOH, one time I was driving rather slowly up a washboarded gravel road for 30 miles, and got tired of the bumping, so I put it in 4WD, stood on the gas peddle, and like you, went flying over the washboards. Then 40 miles later, my OEM catalytic converter blew into little pieces from the shaking. In the middle of Utah miles from anywheres. 

Note: don't try this at home.

 

[ChezCheese:-)]

Yes, it was to the east. East northeast. Looked like death to me.

 

[AreWeLostYet]

Burning Man is held in the Black Rock Desert near Gerlach, NV, somewhat to the south of the Steen Mtns. 60,000 people, costs $300 entry for the week last time I checked, and usually is tons and tons of blowing dust. Held end of August, when it's still hot as Hellfire.

The guy sailboarding says "This, the Black Rock Desert, which is where Burning Man happens" led me to believe they were at the site of Burning Man. Maybe not precisely.

I thought it was interesting the way they acquired their Kodiak tent.

 

[QinReno]

The guy sailboarding says "This, the Black Rock Desert, which is where Burning Man happens" led me to believe they were at the site of Burning Man. Maybe not precisely.

Yeah, he says that at 8:43 in the video. Prior to that he's talking about the Steens Mtns. The gal doing the video thinks the GPS directed her to Alvord. There may be a secret vortex or wormhole between that area and the Black Rock Desert in Nevada where Burning Man occurs.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burning_Man

 

[highdesertranger]

the desert seems harsh and void of life.  but if you take the time the desert is beautiful.

vista that stretch for miles,  oasis in the middle of what seems like desolation,  sunsets and sunrises that you will never see in the forest.  the smell of sage right after a rain storm.  the utter silence of snow falling on the wide open spaces.

herds of deer,  antelope,  and elk.  waterfowl by the millions in the spring and fall.  a covey of sage grouse,  quail or chucker exploding beneath your feet.  the sound of turkey trying to gobble up a mate.  a golden eagle carrying it's dinner gliding on the thermals.

and the night sky.  the milky way stretching from horizon to horizon.  stars so many stars you could never count. 

the desert is truly an amazing place.  all of these pictures were taken in the high desert of the great basin,















well there are a few pictures of the of they ugly desert.  highdesertranger

 

[bill71053]

Highdesertranger: How does gravel eat up tires? I'm seriously interested. Is the sharp edges after grading, or small pieces wedging in the treads? Thank you for responding.

 

[highdesertranger]

the sharp edges cut tires up. the softer the rubber compound and the faster you go the worse it gets. this is why passenger car tires aren't the best choice. spinning tires to gain momentum or getting out of tough spots really puts the hurt on tires. I have seen brand new tires ruined in minutes. highdesertranger

 

[QinReno]

Limestone slabs/rocks apparently have especially bad edges that cut tires. The rangers at the Bristlecone Pine Visitors Center on White Mountain along Hwy 395 warn everyone about driving the additional 11-miles of unpaved road to the Patriarch Grove. I was going slowly up that road (had a Jeep Cherokee with AT tires at the time) and a little compact car passed me. 2 miles later, he was pulled over with a flat.

 

[Moxadox]

Yep, I wore out a complete set of 6 on my dually driving on the volcanic pubic pumice of Northern AZ and the desert hardpan around Tucson. Sandstone is a wonderful grinding material, and pumice is, well, pumice. I wish there was such a thing as desert jackets for tires!

HDR, beautiful pics. You pitch a dandy camp!

The Dire Wolfess