J-Tree - Northern Black Rock Desert, and back

[LowTech]

Left J-Tree headed to Parker, `Zona, so that I could reg the new M105A2 Hardtop. Leaving the High Desert for higher (and cooler) elevations starts by heading down to the Colorado River, just over 400'. Made it there early on Fri so that the reg'ing was painless w/ min of waiting.
Last night we parked on the edge of J-Tree park, really . . . the "T" stakes where only feet from the little "Draggin' ". Today, on the run into Parker I noticed that I was running in the yellow when it came to charging . . . dang! One thing that I did NOT bring, in the two trucks/two trailers, was a volts meter . . . dang, dang!! (I don't really talk like this, but then I don't really talk w/ little *s either)

So now we are parked between Parker and Parker Dam. I'd heard that you can tell if the alt is working if you can stick a wrench to it :-/ tried that . . . NO STICK! Does this really work? And if not how can I go about testing before I pull it out and start taking it apart? Don't really like the idea of being one truck dead on public land.
I know that I can get it started (a few ways) and drive if I need to . . . but no place to go till I know if it's good and what I need to do to fix it. Would be nice if it was brushes, or are they only in gens?

Will be watching for replies,
Thanks

 

[BBoomerBootCamp]

Hope all come up well, someone with the right info is sure to chime in. If you come back this way I could put you up on my land for a good recharge, its just north of Sedona in Oak creek Canyon.
Stay in the Geo Dome and cliff dive in the creek, its the best life can offer. Sorry, I should say IMHO

 

[LowTech]

Ok, we're headed north. Will try to sort it out as we go
First, fuel gathering. We'll see what we find around this lake community. W/ more fuel we'll be able to work our way north. Have some contacts in Gerlach . . . I'm sure I can get us there

 

[LowTech]

After the last post we had even more fun.

Pulling into a walmart lot to do some map checking turned into one those nights.
We were there long enough that the inside restroom sounded good. Now I'm still not shutting mine off because of the non-working alt. I leave it idle while I run inside.
When I come back Elise has shut here's down, we do some planning, get ready to go . . . no starter activation!

That started a NEW thread, and a night in the wally world lot.
the next day was Sun. and we were not going to be able to harvest any fuel, most shops were closed. That morning I bypass wired the starter relay, . . . we then jumped my truck and headed out of town.
Found a little cove on the Nev side for our Sun afternoon

 

[LowTech]

Mon we did a run back into town to look for fuel. Ended up finding some UMO and as much "bad" gas as we could hold.
After topping off her tank, and filling the tanks on the trailer, we headed back to the cove where I had left my truck. We were going to spend the night and then head north in the morning.
Some how we stayed longer.

Wens. we ran up along Lake Mead ($10 per rig ) and out the north end. If we had not been pushing to make it farther north I would have taken loads of photos there alone.
That night we were east of the wildlife range . . . a little pull-off at what was once the southern boundary of Nev.

Thurs. was spent on the "extraterrestrial hyway", a stop at warm springs, and on to Tonopah.
No fuel there, the county yards get it all for there oil burning heaters. We push on looking fora place to park for the night, we think we can make Coaldale. We do!

 

[Welder Sam]

Wow. Gogogogogo!

 

[LowTech]

Coaldale, being what you saw in the background, offered us nothing other than a place to park away from the road . . . and a great place to think about zombies.

Later that night we were approached by a insistent hitchhiker, we ended up giving in and taking him along.


He was/is skin and bones. Must have been living off what he could hunt . . . and NO water for miles and miles. That night he got some water (loads) and tuna. The next day he rode shotgun in Elise's rig. He's now known as Mina, the closest "almost" town.

In Hawthorne we scored on UMO and stocked up. All tanks were filled.
As we were harvesting we were spotted by a friend of ours that was heading south along the same route. We decided that we should camp along the lake and part ways on the `morrow.

 

[Welder Sam]

I need to visit Hawthorne too. Wife has a real cool uncle there. Bill or Biilly D.

 

[LowTech]

man you got relatives everywhere, . . . you are an Arkie

 

[Welder Sam]

Ah, wife says he is in Winnemucca(sp?). She was born in Hawthorne. Moved to Phoenix area young. Grandparents in Yucca Valley. I was born in Ar. About 60 miles south of my current AO. Moved to little rock at 9. Moved to phoenix at 11. Moved to belgium at 12. Back to phoenix, well, tempe by 13. Moved to Glendale for high school, where my wife and i dated a good while. Mom died at 17. Knocked a girl up at 18. Joined the Army and came back to Ar when i got out. Most of my family is here. Some are in Indiana(sp?), Utah, Idaho, Ha, and i cant remember where else. So to answer your statement, technically, yes i am an arkie, however, my ideal AO would be back home, but slightly north of phoenix.

 

[LowTech]

The next day we parted company late morning, after checking out some maps together . . . telling what we knew of the roads behind, . . . places the other should stop.
We then headed farther north, we crossed the rez, and the "green" that is south of Fallon.

Eyeing auto shops as we rolled through, tumbling around the idea of stopping to find more harvestable fuel. We still have food that needs stocking up before we get much farther north.
I decide to take the risk and roll w/ what we've got.

We find that wally world is the one of the two places in Fernley to get food . . . what is the world coming to? This time we park outside the lot, don't want to relive that night.

We get stocked, fueled out of our supply, and do a run to see how far we can get before dark (remember, no headlights on the little Draggin' ).

North of Wadsworth we pull through the fence and onto Rez land. Haven't see too many options, and it's getting dark fast.
The next morning we are visited by some Rez-officers explaining that we can't do that w/o a camping permit. We're sorry, . . . won't do that again, . . . where can we get such a thing? . . . carry on. By the end of the day we'll be in Gerlach, and the southern tip of the Black Rock Desert.

 

[LowTech]

Three days later our camp on the Black Rock Desert looked like this,

As we watched the hoards advance,

We tightened up the camp.


After the event, and Elise's solo back to J-Tree, we were down to this,

Then this,

and finely this,


I'm now off the playa and parked at a friend's place at the southern end of the desert, w/ great views.


May be here for a bit while I change out my non-working alt for something new, and help this new family w/ some projects.

 

[FASTNOVA]

Man, I would like to do something like that. It looks like to you guys had some fun.

 

[LowTech]

Up and running again

The new civi alt is in and the little Draggin' is up and running again.

Just to make sure all was good I took it out w/ a friend of mine. We did an 86 mile loop (most all on dirt tracks). Another one of those days where I spent most of it in low range
We headed away from the playa, cut across a low saddle, . . . now two valleys over we worked our way south till the valley we were in joined the first one. Half way down the range we found a pass back over to where we started . . . just south about 15 miles.

On the way I could see the volts meter moving as the new alt kicked out the power . . . haven't seen that for a while.
Guess the Draggin' is ready to start the run south.
As of now I 'm hooked up and mostly packed . . . maybe I'll leave tomorrow . . .

 

[WillWagner]

Very cool LT, very cool. After I retire i'd like to do trips across the dez and just stop wherever and hang out.

 

[T. Highway]

LowTech,

I enjoy seeing the pictures of your travels but I have a question. The dirt roads around here are all on private property, is this Gov property that you are traveling on? What is the SOP for using these roads?

Thanks

 

[islandguydon]

LowTech,To cool, just way to cool.

 

[SimonG]

beautiful area, thanks for the pictures

 

[JAYHAWK 1962]

Thanks for sharing. do you ever feel like you are driving the truck in the movie grapes of wrath sometimes with all the stuff you carry with you? i know i do.

 

[LowTech]

Very cool LT, very cool. After I retire i'd like to do trips across the dez and just stop wherever and hang out.

WW1, if you don't wait too long to do that "retiring" thing I'll show you some good spots