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The
Trip: We drive Highway 95 east. Twenty-four miles outside Hawthorne we pass along the Soda Springs Valley through Luning. Silver, copper and lead mining was common in the Luning area in the early 1900's. Another ten miles down the road, we enter the community of Mina. This community takes its name from a very colorful Nevada miner, Ferminia Sarras. She was known for making large sums of money on her mining strikes and spending them wildly in California. We pass through the main section of Mina and drive back into the desert. For a moment it looks like there's nothing more to see here, but the signs direct us to a very unusual point of interest — Desert Lobster. Bob Eddy is the man responsible for bringing fresh water Australian lobsters into this most unlikely place. He sells them to locals and passing motorists that stop to investigate the "Desert Lobster" signs. He has plans to open a restaurant in Mina with a menu featuring his lobsters.
It's nearly thirty miles from our hiking area to our night's destination, Gabbs. Along the way, we cross over Calvada Summit and have the opportunity to enjoy some beautiful high desert views. Gabbs was incorporated as a city in 1955. Originally, the discovery of tungsten and brucite in the area led to the construction of Gabbs, first known as Brucite, in the 1920's. But, it was the need for magnesium during World War II that expanded the community into a town large enough to require things like schools, a library and a jail. More recently, with mining operations in the area on the decline and the population dwindling, the state legislature reversed Gabbs incorporation during the 2001 session. The decision means the community no longer has the legal status of a city. However, the townsfolk of Gabbs are still hopeful that their community will survive, and we found them to be very welcoming and hospitable during our visit.
After coming over Brunton Pass, we descend into the Ione Valley and the dirt road which leads to the Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park. The park is our second stop however, so we turn right before reaching the park on our way to Grantsville. A very scenic ghost town with a number of well-maintained structures. From here, we begin our bike tour of the area. It's a beautiful ride from Grantsville to Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park with some good climbs, and we're ready for a break when we arrive. Ranger Jeff Morris greets us and gives us the tour of the grounds. Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park was established in 1957 to protect the area's Ichthyosaur fossils. The park also preserves the turn-of-the-20th century mining town of Berlin. After our tour, we saddle up for the last leg of our journey — the seven-mile road to Ione. Parts of the roads have wash-boarding which you definitely feel on a bicycle. Be prepared for vibrations if you come out to take the same trip. The ride is fun in itself, and it sure doesn't hurt to have such spectacular scenery along the way to Ione. |
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Thanks
to the advisors and contributors of Wild Nevada Program
#110:
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We
backtrack through Mina and Luning, and then drive north on State Route
361 for a few miles to meet our hiking guide, Alvin McLane. Alvin leads
us into the 
On
day two of our trip, we head a few miles north of Gabbs on State Route
361. Soon, we turn right on State Route 844 and head east through the
Paradise Range in the Toyabe National Forest — a beautiful desert
area.