A Quiet Birthday Weekend of Beauty - Gerlach, NV

Gerlach, Nevada

3 Mile Playa, BLM 

Where are we going?

Well, we're headed to Gerlach, Nevada.  With this being our first trip out without Hurley, we were feeling pretty bummed and I didn't feel like making a fuss out of my birthday, so we headed to a spot that was on my radar for a couple of years.

As we left Placerville we drove along the American River which is just starting to rise due to the beginning of the snowmelt.  Soon it will be high and roaring.  Hopefully the temperatures rise slowly so there won't be any catastrophic flooding.

The shadows of the dead trees from the fire the other year made interesting patterns on the snow.

The Sierra Nevada has received record snowfall this year at 800 inches.  It is enough to cover homes.  This is on the way to Lake Tahoe.  You can see the roads and driveways cut into the deep snow.  Many of the homes around here are covered in snow to the second story.

Buried in the white stuff!

This guy had his bike parked along the snowbank along Hwy 50 while he took a break.

The airport in the middle with Lake Tahoe in the distance.

Always a fun drive pulling a trailer over Echo Summit.

No problem going this direction through the tunnel but on the way back you have to stay in the center.

Down the other side of the Sierra's looking into Nevada.

We always enjoy the $2 a gallon savings on gas crossing the border.  Thanks Nevada!

We arrive a couple of hours later at Washoe Lake State Park.  This is a nice campground to spend a few days.

Site 41, $14.  No hookups.  We would have preferred to be in the new electric loop since it was quite cold, but it's just one night so no big deal.

The next morning, on my birthday, Steve made me special blueberry pancakes with sausage.  Cute isn't it?  You'll have to guess my age  ;-)

Off we headed north towards the east side of  Pyramid Lake.

There are some interesting rock formations in this valley.

Snoopy?

The white stuff you see in the lake beds is gypsum, used to make sheetrock.  They have a large processing facility out here.

After another couple of hours of driving through this very remote part of NW Nevada, we arrive.  The blue dots are where we are boondocked.  We are on "The Playa".

The playa, or alkali flats, sits in the Black Rock Desert at just under 4000' elevation.  It is surrounded by many mountain ranges like the Granite Mountains, Black Rock and the colorful Calico Hills.  This playa is one of the largest at roughly 20 miles across and 100 miles long.  It receives under 8 inches of rain per year.  The area around here has many geothermal lakes, ponds and springs.  It was an important area for the Piute as well as those heading west to California and Oregon.

The Playa is known for the rocketry and land speed records.  Mach 1.2 was set in 1997 by Andy Green.  That is 763 mph!!  It produced a sonic boom when it traveled faster than sound.  But mostly it is known for the Burning Man Festival held each August where many artsy installations of huge sizes are built.  I'm sure most of you have heard of it. It started in 1986 as a temporary metropolis dedicated to community, art, self-expression and self-reliance with a Leave No Trace mindset.  Hard to imagine 100,000 people living in a community on the playa with no idea they were ever there once it is over. (pictures from the web)

100,000 people make up this temporary community on the Playa.

There are several buildings and art structures made mostly from recycled materials.  Each year it is different.

Plenty of vehicles of all types.

The end culminates with the burning of The Man.

We've never been and don't want to, but it is impressive.  It's year-round planning and building to have all these structures ready to go.  

Since the Playa is just beginning to dry out, we did not venture very far.  You are supposed to drive on the beige/white areas, not the blue or dark gray as those are still soft.

Some sunken tracks from last year.

Just us!  Love it!

Our coordinates to this exact spot: 40.6968N  119.3512W.

We got parked and then drove the 3 miles back to Gerlach for dinner at the famous Bruno’s Country Club.  The only place really in this town of about 100.

Bruno came from Italy and eventually settled here and opened this restaurant/bar.  He passed away a couple of years ago, but his famous ravioli is still made.

Steve had a beer and I chose the Wet Playa made with Chambord, Midori, Vodka and a splash of Coconut, Cranberry, OJ and Pineapple.

Steve had the Ravioli and I had a nice New York.  Actually, they gave me two.  The roasted brussel sprouts were delicious too.

The night skies are well known as there are no cities for 200 miles in any direction.  I'd have loved to see the milky way, but it was in the upper 20s and windy at night and I didn't want to be awake at 3am.  The stars were beautiful though at 11pm.  It was a nice way to spend my birthday.

I did get up for the sunrise.  It was still very cold, but no wind and so quiet.

So, if we're not here for rockets, land speed records or Burning Man, why are we here?  We are on our way for a tour of Fly Geyser, which sits on private property.  I'm very excited to get to see it!  Tours are only April - October and the temps are too hot for almost all of that time.  

You can see we did not venture too far off.