My Journey

[Pacific Northwest yetti]

Oddly enough, I've been getting hand sanitizer at auto parts stores. Auto zone, recently.

Hand washing and soap are still the best.

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[ITTOG]

Please do not rely on hand sanitizer alone. Numerous studies have shown that hand sanitizer is 97% ineffective. Thus leaving about 2% efficacy. I guess it is better than nothing but if you have access to soap and water use it.

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[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

dieseldude4bt.....thanks ! I hope to check that out one day.....

Sierra Valley.....I agree completely.....

PNWY.....that would never have occurred to me. Thanks but wait.....look what ITTOG has to say.....

ITTOG.....I had no idea but oddly just this morning I see that Purrell is being sued for false claims.....




After a second cold, damp night camped at 5,400' in elevation, I decided that once again I would return to the warmer weather of Arizona so we drove north through the mountains, eventually turned west and there we were.....



New Mexico had a snow plow parked at the state boundary line.....maybe I had made a wise decision.....



We made our first stop that day in Alpine, Arizona at the BLM office as I was curious about taking my rig south on State Route 191. Signs are posted stating nothing over 40' in length allowed but she took a look at the rig and said I should go for it.....and that's just what we did.....



Now I will start out by telling you.....that is one beautiful drive.....and had the skies been clear that day I would imagine I would use the word spectacular.....but I will also tell you it's a real challenge for a rig such as mine.....



The road twisted and turned and climbed higher and higher.....and I recall one section said 15 MPH for next 6 miles and another said 10 MPH for next 10 miles (that's what I recall anyhow).....



And of course the higher in elevation we got the more snow we encountered.....



We stopped plenty that day and Tanner got his due time in the snow.....memories of Yukon came in waves.....



We came to the highest point (I think it was the highest point) known as Blue Vista.....obviously that day there were no vistas.....



Fortunately we never travel in a hurry and we only passed a few vehicles in what was maybe a one hundred mile drive.....



Deer were abundant in these mountains.....more abundant than I've ever seen anywhere before in my decades of life.....



After 2 days of being in the mainstream of life, yesterday at 4:00 p.m. I went back off grid.....flatten the curve.....

 

[BigDawwg]

Dam Jerry,,,,,, that is some FINE-LOOKING Country, albeit alittle foggy/overcast, but still, Dam Nice,,,,, ie... my Cup of Tea for sure.
Murphy said to tell You and Tanner, Take Care & be Safe.......
BD & Murph

 

[Arjan]

Be off grid - but pls. don't be a stranger.

Love these pictures you post that show such a different side of the US.

Many thanks !

 

[longhorn1]

Great photos Jerry. Thanks for sharing. Isolating is the name of the game. I was so torn this morning having to drive past Dallas and not be able to visit my 93 year old mother. Texas Governor Abott placed into law no visitors at any senior living places. We didn't want to risk bringing something in and felt the law was placed for a reason. We had to missing a bunch of family. This can tear at one pretty easily. Headed back to Indiana. Stay safe. JD

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Big Dawwg.....yep, it's some beautiful country for sure. It reminds me of the Flagstaff, Arizona area quite a bit and sometimes I think western Montana as well. I may be back that way in a month or so when I'll start to seek cooler temperatures.....

Arjan.....my guess is that I'll post more often actually but that being said the content will more than likely change drastically. I plan to stay in place for much longer periods of time so my posts may give much more detail about a particular place that I've stayed at. As always, appreciate your input.....thank you.....

JD.....that just sucks but this is just the way it is. Travel safely and be careful.....




Now in my last post I mentioned the sheer volume of deer that I saw that day.....this, I think, being a reward of slow travel, pulling to the side of the highway often, and hiking into the forests.....





But it wasn't just the volume of deer, but it was that I've never seen deer in such large herds.....





I counted a minimum of twenty deer in the first herd that I saw.....not unusual for elk, but deer ?





And then maybe ten miles further south along the highway I saw a second herd also with more than twenty deer.....



Both times I tried to photograph the herds in their entirety but they were in such a long line it was impossible to get a shot of an entire herd in one photograph. I do have a poorly shot video of one herd and maybe I can figure out how to post it.....



Eventually the highway began the descent to the lower elevations and the scenery changed significantly.....the thick forests of the high mountains turned into wide open expanses of grasslands with sparse pines.....the world is simply amazing.....





Day 2 of my life off the grid.....flatten the curve.....

 

[Ace Brown]

We used to see very big herds of deer in early spring in upstate NY. Often they numbered 50 - 200. But that’s a wag as it was impossible to count them. I guess they were eating spring grass but I don’t know.

I’ve driven that curvy road several
times. Pretty country indeed.


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[Pacific Northwest yetti]

Yes, washing your hands for at least 20 seconds, with soap is always the best option.

As well as general hygiene, and cleaning practices.

And of course, the best part: social distance.

Hand sanitizer was not designed to replace hand washing, nor should it be. The amount of people who don't wash their hands actually freaks me out.

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[tgil]

Those mule deer always make me chuckle, they are all ears! It is interesting that so many are traveling together.

Ace, those aren't mule deer in upstate, are they? I've never heard of whitetail bunching up like that? No idea what flavor of deer they have up there.

Jerry, did I miss what NM and AZ towns highway 191 runs between? Minus the supply runs, your way of life is perfect for social distancing!

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Ace.....that's interesting.....having grown up on the east coast, spent many winters up north in the Adirondacks of upstate New York and the White Mountains of New Hampshire rock climbing, ice climbing and peak bagging, I never once saw large herds of white tail deer that you describe. I guess either I was very unlucky or you were very lucky. I loved seeing the herds of 20 plus.....and these guys were jumpers too.....a real treat for me.....

PNWY.....yea, I don't get not hand washing either. Stay out of Walmart bathrooms cause it ain't pretty. Hand sanitizers were my go to option cause I just don't have the option of running water for 20 seconds. Now hand sanitizers are nearly impossible to find.....

tgil.....I got onto State Route 191 in Alpine, Arizona and took it south to Three Way, Arizona. At the southern end of the highway it passes through a massive mining area (narrative & pictures below), and then several mining towns. I'm trying my best to stay uninfected as well as trying to do my part as just one person in this world. Even out here in the wilderness, the idiots are to be found (and I'll comment on that down the road).....




Soon the grasslands would disappear as the highway continued its descent downward and now the mountains were nearly void of all plant life.....and probably void of all life except for of course the human being.....





And it was here, from a distance, that I saw the beginnings of what would turn out to be one of the most massive mines that my eyes had ever seen.....





I have no idea how many miles that this mine covers but if I had to guess I'd say maybe we drove along ten miles of disturbed lands.....



All of my photos are taken from the cab of the truck.....it seemed to me that the operators of the mine hope to keep one from photographing the depths of these mines.....



Again simply a guess here but I wouldn't doubt that these mines were two miles deep.....and who knows.....maybe much more.....







What a tremendous contrast it was to come from such beauty to this.....and the mining towns that were just below the mines.....well.....I was anxious to move on.....and thankful to arrive at the Black Hills National Back Country Byway.....



Day 3 of my life off the grid.....flatten the curve.....it's our duty.....

 

[Foy]

US Highway 191 passes directly by the Morenci Mine and the town of Morenci. The Morenci Mine is one largest open-pit mines on Earth. Like Butte, Montana's Berkeley Pit, the Morenci pit(s) are formed from the consolidation of a number of underground mines. At present, the 3 pits cover an area of a little over a mile and a half in diameter, with other workings and tailings covering larger areas in the vicinity. Morenci has been in continuous operation since the 1880s. Estimated reserves at the Morenci mine are approximately 3.5 billion tons of ore containing 14 billion pounds of refined copper metal. With the difficulties which rugged topography presents to the mining engineers in terms of highwall slopes and haulage ways, you may rest assured the configuration of the workings does not include any sort of effort or expense in keeping the depth of the workings concealed in any way.

Foy
Former mining exploration geologist employed by Phelps Dodge, the operator of the Morenci Mine for over 100 years.

 

[Ace Brown]

To answer a couple of questions about the deer in NY. They were whitetail. It was very common to see these big herds in the spring. The main area they could be seen was just outside of Connecticut Hill Wildlife Management Area south of Ithaca. But really any open area in what was called the Southern Tier you might spot these big herds. No one knows how they could disappear every November.

That big copper mine used to have viewing areas. Are they closed now?

Ace


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[OverlandNA]

Google Earth shot of the mine, North is to the left


1997 NASA street level of 1 pit


Google earth 2019 same pit/view

 

[Arjan]

That 's a big hole in the ground.....