Sunday

Daytrip - Carrara Quarry & Fluorspar Canyon

On 06/19/2019 Jim Herring. Bob Croke, Ron Ziance and I drove to Beatty Nevada to visit the Ghost town of Carrara and Fluorspar Canyon. At the Carrara site we drove up to the old marble quarry. It was a very rough road, but we eventually reached the quarry site. We then drove to Fluorspar Canyon, an area that is dotted with dozens of old mines, adits, and open pit mines. We also saw nearly a dozen wild burros while hiking around. Click here for pictures and a description of these sites ... Ghost Town of Carrara - Summary Page and Flurospar Canyon - 06/19/2019 - Trip Notes.

Monday

Daytrip - Kyle Canyon Slots

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On 06/03/2019 Jim Herring and I drove to Mt Charleston visiting some of the spots along Kyle Canyon Road. Though we explored several dirt road that branched off Kyle Canyon Road, the main objective of this trip was to visit the Kyle Canyon Slots. Though this was my third visit here, it was Jim's first visit and he enjoyed it. Click here fir pictures and a description of this hike ... Kyle Canyon Slots - Summary Page.

Friday

Daytrip - Mineral Park Ghost Town

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On 05/30/2019, Jim Herring and I visited here and hiked the area looking for old mines and ruins. Mineral Park is now a ghost town that was once a mining town in the Mineral Park valley of the Cerbat Mountains in Mohave County, Arizona. The Mineral Park mine is a large open pit copper mine located near the base of the Cerbat Mountains 14 miles northwest of Kingman, Arizona. Mining in the area began in 1871 and a camp was established soon after. It closed for the last time in 1912. As of today, much of the remaining few ruins and foundations, including the town's cemetery, remain within the property of the new (open pit) mine that was started in 1963.  In December 2014 the mine closed as the company filed for bankruptcy. Click here to see pictures and learn about this trip ... Mineral Park Ghost Town & Mines.

Saturday

Daytrip - Bitterspring Road and Spring

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On 05/23/2019, joined by another jeep, 6 of us drove up Bittersprings Road to the Bitter Spring. Bittersprings Road is a 6.4-mile backcountry road that runs north from Northshore Road to Bitter Spring, then continues northeast following Echo Wash back to Northshore Road. Bittersprings Road provides access to Bitter Spring Backcountry Byway that travels west to Buffington Pockets. From the pavement, the graded road runs northeast and then north as it descends gently through rolling hills. Though our goal was to drive Bitter Spring Backcountry Byway, we never made it. For pictures and a description of this trip, click here ... Bittersprings Road

Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge - 06/27/2019 Trip Notes

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This page last updated on 06/27/2019
(Fig. 01)
06/27/2019 Trip Notes: Today, Jim Herring and I visited the Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge and its Black Canyon Petroglyph Area. In addition, we drove the Old Buckhorne Road, sometimes labeled the Black Canyon Road, to the intersection of Alamo Canyon Road, in search of some petroglyphs. We stopped at the visitor center to gather some info, but it was closed. Before attempting Old Buckhorne road (Fig. 01), we drove beyond the visitor center to the old "Petroglyph Cabin" (Fig. 02).
Side Note on the "Petroglyph Cabin": There is nothing known about this unique building, built on the edge of a sparsely populated desert valley, a distance from either of the east or west roads that ran the length of the valley. The beveled doorway opening and decorative course of rock crowning the building are the possible signs of a commercial building. The window frames were shaped with hand tools and joined with unique triangular notching. Its large fireplace and imposing chimney were used for cooking and for heat. Inside there is a loft that could have been used to store supplies and hold things from the wooden planks that support it. It was probably built in the 1870s., but all of these things is really unknown. It was restored in 2009 to its original appearance. 
(Fig. 02)
We then hiked the area of the Black Canyon. My last visit here was in 2015. When I hiked the Black Canyon, I was informed that it was off limits to the general public for now, but that there were plans to construct a parking area, trails, rest areas, interpretive signs, and barriers designed to protect cultural and archeological resources. Today I was amazed at the result. There are trails around the area that lead to vantage points where you can view some of the better known petroglyphs (Fig. 03). They have also planted many trees and shrubs, altered and cleaned up the waterways and directed the flow of water through the canyon (Fig. 04). Because I have many pictures from previous visits, I didn't take any pictures of petroglyphs. Refer to the following pages ... Black Canyon Petroglyphs - Summary Page. We then started driving out on Old Buckhorne Road that is adjacent to the Black Canyon parking area. The view in (Fig. 01) is about a couple of miles out. We were amazed about the quality of this dirt road. Unfortunately, we didn't notice any petroglyphs on any of the boulders surrounding the sides of the road. About 6-7 miles out we came to a road that led us to the Alamo Canyon Road. We turned west and headed back to route 93. Refer to the map in (Fig. 05). Again, the quality of this road as it snaked its way through the Hiko Range was surprising. We were surrounded on all sides by views of the cliffs and mountains. Other than a pleasant ride through the mountains we didn't find anything. This is the only sign of life we saw all day (Fig. 06).

(Fig. 03)
(Fig. 04)
(Fig. 05)
(Fig. 06)

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