My Journey

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

And finally Tanner got over whatever it was that caused him so much discomfort and Trapper was pretty well healed up too.....it was only that DAMN muscle pull of mine that we still had to deal with.....

Anyhows.....we all jumped into the Jeep and took a drive into the nearest town.....and that town was called Alamo.....not more than maybe a 15 minute drive to the north of our campsite.....



Now I'd been to Alamo, Nevada once before in my travels but I simply stopped in for propane and then moved right along.....so this time we had no real reason to visit but we did indeed visit and we did decide to stay and have ourselves a tour of this small desert town.....



We pulled over and parked the Jeep on the west side of Highway 93.....right at the intersection of Main Street. And almost immediately I saw the banner draped across the street.....



And since it was a Saturday afternoon I thought just maybe we might have got lucky so we walked down Main Street looking for a rodeo. And along that walk I saw the worlds smallest fire hydrant (that's just a guess on my part).....



How small is that fire hydrant ? Trapper.....still a puppy.....gives it some scale.....



We continued on down Main Street until the street finally ended at the county fairgrounds.....



.....which of course is where the rodeo was taking place.....





Initially we tried walking around the fairgrounds and taking it all in but honestly Trapper was way too into all the horses.....and the constant action was overwhelming.....she was unruly at best.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Once again.....travel doesn't disappoint. It's always times like these that I'm left thinking that all the hard work that I put into living this lifestyle.....well, it's worth it.....



Roping (if that's what it's called) seemed to be huge here.....everyone was roping.....



Big people.....little people.....everyone.....





Colorful plastic cows were abundant.....red, white, & blue.....







So we spent the afternoon hanging out with the cowboys & cowgirls.....





And of course a whole lot of horses.....

 

[tgil]

How long has it been since you strolled through a town? Seems like forever! The mention of the rodeo put a smile on my face, as I remember your previous posts about them.
Maybe you could've asked one of those cowboys or cowgirls if they thought that heel-o-matic could help with that pulled muscle? ?

 

[WFOORBUST]

We have a dog that gets a sensitive stomach on occasion and the vet told us to keep Pepto-Bismol on hand, works like a charm (pill form). Also always have Benadryl as well, we had one that had reactions to bee stings and she loved to kill the dam things! Loving the report...

 

[Ace Brown]

How long has it been since you strolled through a town? Seems like forever! The mention of the rodeo put a smile on my face, as I remember your previous posts about them.
Maybe you could've asked one of those cowboys or cowgirls if they thought that heel-o-matic could help with that pulled muscle?

I’m liking the image of a pretty cowgirl applying that Heel-o-matic. Seriously I’ve heard good things about some Australian Creme that’s a cure all for muscle strains.


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[ghostdancer]

Before we moved to the Florida Panhandle this past Saturday my wife was the Vice President of Marrvelous Pet Rescue in the Florida Keys. In addition to our two dogs we have fostered over 50 dogs awaiting adoption. We always kept a couple cans of puréed pumpkin (not pie filling) in the cupboard. It works wonders to settle a dogs tummy.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

tgil.....well, the last time that I recall visiting a small town was way back in the fall / early winter of 2020 when we stopped in the three southwest Colorado towns.....Silverton, Ouray & Telluride. The last rodeo (kind of) was Big Timber, Montana late summer of 2020.....

WFOORBUST.....this was definitely an issue with the lake water. The campground host believes that the sheer volume of migratory birds coming through right now have polluted the water. I can't help but wonder what else gets dumped into the streams above and then flows into this lake. Maybe I'm tarnished after watching the daily disrespect for Lake Mead.....thank you.....

Ace.....I had to Google Heel-O-Matic.....never been a part of my vocabulary.....probably still won't be.....stay safe my friend.....

ghostdancer.....I can say with 100 % certainty that of all the good deeds that I have done in my life, none was more rewarding than working with Lab Rescue.....fostering, transporting, home inspections, donations.....whatever the calling may have been.....definitely my favorite good deeds in my life. Your wife is a saint in my book !
Tanner is back 100 % as well.....climbing the hills and mountains.....living the good dog life again.....




One day while I was hanging out with Tom & Kelly, they decided to bring out their paper Nevada atlas road map thing and they showed me several places of interest that weren't too far a drive. So on Sunday we were feeling good and we headed back up Highway 93, passed through Alamo, Nevada and maybe another ten miles or so further north brought us to Ashley Springs, Nevada. There is almost nothing in this town (several houses & a service station as best I recall) but just east of town are the Ashley Springs petroglyphs.....and that is what brought us here.....





It was just a short drive on a dirt BLM road to this small area of petroglyphs.....





As you look at these pictures of the petroglyphs you may think that my photography does them no justice.....





But the truth of the matter is that these petroglyphs just are not spectacular.....as a matter of fact many of them are difficult to see. Thankfully the BLM has positioned small metal signs in front of each petroglyph.....and you find yourself saying "oh yea, I see it now" (it brought back memories of dinosaur footprints).....





But it felt good to get out of the "house".....I think that the three of us had that feeling that we just needed to get out again.....sometimes laying in the shade on a different piece of real estate just feels better.....



And I also felt like we were back out there again.....adventuring in wild America.....I guess that's just what we really like to do.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

We had one last day trip left in us before we would finally leave the Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge.....on Monday morning we threw some stuff (water & snacks) into my daypack and headed back north onto Highway 93. I'd guess that we drove only a half mile or so on the paved highway before turning east onto the dusty, gravel road called Alamo Canyon Road.....





There is no doubt that this day trip was the best of the three.....





And I say that not because our planned destination was so phenomenal.....





I say it because we could finally run free.....and heck, we hadn't even made it to our destination quite yet.....when we pulled the Jeep off to the side of the road and began to run.....



And when the days weather is near perfect as it was this day and when the dogs ears are flapping in the wind.....



And when you're just so damn happy and excited cause you get to run free.....



And where there are no rules.....where the land that surrounds us is as vast and wide open as the sky that's above.....that's why it was the best day yet.....and, I guess that we just live for these types of days and these types of places.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Thirteen more miles driving east along Alamo Canyon Road brought us to Delamar Dry Lake. I don't recall now which I saw first as we crossed over the mountain range.....was it the dry lake or the massive power lines that cross it running north / south.....



I'm not a huge fan of powerlines (who is ?) but these actually had style.....





We weren't done running quite yet and the Delamar Dry Lake bed provided yet one more great opportunity to run again.....make sure to check out Trappers head (multiple heads that is) in the first picture.....





I looked around at our surroundings and couldn't help but notice several patches of snow near the summits of the small mountain range to our east.....



Dry lakes are cool....but small mountain range summits with snow near the top are even cooler.....



So now we're just bushwacking our way up there and I'm kind of excited cause I know that Trapper has yet to see snow.....we encountered our first wildlife.....



Antelope always amaze me at their level of curiosity.....they'll stand there silent and view you for the longest periods of times.....eventually they always get bored with us.....



The views of the dry lake bed were pretty darn good from the higher up vantage point.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

We crossed paths with a Desert Horned Lizard.....



This particular one was missing his tail as well as his right rear leg.....that lizard was still lightning quick therefore I was unable to get my National Geographic quality shot.....



We never made it to the snow that day.....I felt the pain coming back in my muscle and Tanner seemed to have an unknown talent for stepping on things that would find a new home in his paws.....



But that was OK with us really.....maybe this was another one of those days where you just have to say "it's the journey that counts, not the destination".....but was not the Delamar Dry Lake the destination.....it's all so complicated if you want it to be.....



It was a good day.....worthy of three posts on XP.....







Then it was back into the Jeep to explore some small cliffs which I had noticed on the way in. I thought I spied a small cave from a distance but we never found one that day.....





Back at the truck camper Tanner and I licked our wounds in the camper bed.....Trapper.....she stared out the window and I couldn't help but wonder what she was thinking. ....one thing is for sure.....she loves adventuring just as much as Tanner & I.....

 

[Ace Brown]

“Ears flapping in the wind..... “


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[ITTOG]

We had one last day trip left in us before we would finally leave the Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge.....on Monday morning we threw some stuff (water & snacks) into my daypack and headed back north onto Highway 93. I'd guess that we drove only a half mile or so on the paved highway before turning east onto the dusty, gravel road called Alamo Canyon Road.....

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There is no doubt that this day trip was the best of the three.....

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And I say that not because our planned destination was so phenomenal.....

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I say it because we could finally run free.....and heck, we hadn't even made it to our destination quite yet.....when we pulled the Jeep off to the side of the road and began to run.....

View attachment 652355

And when the days weather is near perfect as it was this day and when the dogs ears are flapping in the wind.....

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And when you're just so damn happy and excited cause you get to run free.....

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And where there are no rules.....where the land that surrounds us is as vast and wide open as the sky that's above.....that's why it was the best day yet.....and, I guess that we just live for these types of days and these types of places.....

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You were waxing poetic in this post. Great stuff.

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[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Alan / ITTOG.....yep, I tend to blabber needlessly quite often these days.....and I love it.....



I could easily get by without this post but before I move on from Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge, I wanted to post pictures of what was our daily ritual here.....walking around the lake every morning.....and often in the evening as well.....just kind of like to keep an accurate and detailed record of our travels.....



There are two lakes here and we spent our entire stay at the North Lake which is bysected by a small earthen damn. Our walks generally commenced at the east side of the damn.....





On the north side of the damn is the North Marsh.....generally speaking this area is closed to people.....





My guess is that we must have circled that lake at least twenty times and only once did we see deer.....so I'm guessing that this was a rare observation (first time here no deer seen either).....





And of course the deer that we saw were located within the boundaries of the North Marsh.....the one place where people were not welcomed.....





Once you crossed the damn, the trail turned to the left (south) and hugged the western shoreline of the North Lake.....bird feeders line the shoreline and there's tons of birds here.....both song birds (awesome on those early morning walks) and migratory waterfowl. And one massive hawk that we'd often see in the large Cottonwood trees.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Just a few more pictures from our walks at the Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge.....









When we first arrived here, Spring had not.....I think we stayed 12 nights and during that stay Spring finally arrived. The leaves on the huge Cottonwood trees were beginning to bloom and the temperatures were beginning to rise.....





So we finally hooked the rig back up and headed back to the south.....I had a few items left on the "To Do List" and it was finally the time to hit the road.....





Next post.....we're back in and near Las Vegas, Nevada.....finishing off the "To Do List".....

 

[ITTOG]

Alan / ITTOG.....yep, I tend to blabber needlessly quite often these days.....and I love it.....



I could easily get by without this post but before I move on from Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge, I wanted to post pictures of what was our daily ritual here.....walking around the lake every morning.....and often in the evening as well.....just kind of like to keep an accurate and detailed record of our travels.....

View attachment 652902

There are two lakes here and we spent our entire stay at the North Lake which is bysected by a small earthen damn. Our walks generally commenced at the east side of the damn.....

View attachment 652903

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On the north side of the damn is the North Marsh.....generally speaking this area is closed to people.....

View attachment 652906

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My guess is that we must have circled that lake at least twenty times and only once did we see deer.....so I'm guessing that this was a rare observation (first time here no deer seen either).....

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And of course the deer that we saw were located within the boundaries of the North Marsh.....the one place where people were not welcomed.....

View attachment 652910

View attachment 652911

Once you crossed the damn, the trail turned to the left (south) and hugged the western shoreline of the North Lake.....bird feeders line the shoreline and there's tons of birds here.....both song birds (awesome on those early morning walks) and migratory waterfowl. And one massive hawk that we'd often see in the large Cottonwood trees.....

View attachment 652912

Well, that may have been the best blabber I have ever heard.

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