I need to close out at least my part of the trip. I stayed an extra day at Great Basin National Park. Everybody but Keith and I got up very early to leave after our last night of group camping. They had a long day of traveling to make it to their next destination. I got up to say good bye to everyone but had to feel my way around because I did not have time to put my contacts in. I hope I didn't say bye to anyone that was not part of our group. I went back to bed after that and Keith must have left sometime while I was sleeping. When I got up he was gone too.
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Here is a shot of our group when we drove up as far as we could to Wheeler Peak. Sib had already left us but you get to see a rare photo with Laura in it.
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I got some information from a Ranger at the Visitors center on some 4WD trails around there. He told me about Mill Creek Rd but could not give me any information on the condition of it. It was supposed to be near where we camped so I set out to find it. Following his instructions and markings on the map, I could only find Weaver Creek Rd. It went up toward Wheeler Peak from the North side and eventually became a horse trail. It was an interesting drive and had some fairly challenging spots, especially when it became essentially a horse trail. I had to turn around when it got too narrow. I swear this was part of the trail. I would not blaze a new trail.
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After this morning jaunt, I went to the National Park campsites to check in so I would be sure to have a campsite for the night. I then headed out to another 4WD trail hoping I would have better luck finding this one. He told me it would be unlikely that I would get all the way through due to washouts and run off from the mountain. I would not let a thing like that keep me from exploring. Besides, all I would have to do is turn around. This certainly doesn't look like a rough trail.
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So I just kept going and of course I could not pass up taking more pictures of flowers.
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There were also some scenic views along the way.
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I did final come to an area that was questionable to continue. It got very marshy and there had not been any vehicles through there in a long time. I decided to keep going. I knew that if I made it through that section it was less than two miles to my campsite. Turning around and backtracking all the way was not a good option. My mud tires where working good and traction was acceptable. Then one of the tire tracks became a small stream but I was still moving OK. Then I came to the point of making a final decision. I came to a 25 to 30 ft wide creek with very fast flowing water and I could not tell how deep it was. I grabbed stick to see if I could determine the depth but it was not much help. I decided to creep my truck into it carefully and if the front started giving a hint of slipping down stream, I would put it in reverse and get out of there. It was getting pretty deep but no threat of washing downstream. Once the front tires got halfway I decided to go for it and hit the accelerator pedal. It did get a little deeper and there was a little slipping downstream but not enough to be very concerned. I was committed at that point anyway and just had to deal with what ever happened. I made it across just fine though. I now know why the Ranger told me it was unlikely I would get through.
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After looking at the map in more detail, I did find Mill Creek. I am guessing that is also the location of Mill Creek Rd. It was about 2 miles away from where the Ranger told me to find it. Being late in the day and also being tired from my other two trips, I decided to leave it for another time, if I am in that area again. I had a good nights sleep and after breakfast headed back home with happy, long lasting memories of another wonder trip into the wilderness with great companions.
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