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Entries in Cherry Creek, Nevada (2)
Road Trip USA: Bonneville, Utah to Swall Meadows, California
Thursday, January 31, 2019 at 5:08AM In early September 2018, after camping/spectating at the World of Speed land speed event on the Bonneville Salt Flats, I drove at a 45 degree angle across the state Nevada to get to Swall Meadows, California in the Eastern Sierras.
On the road again!!!
The road out of Utah went through some very deserted landscape. There were miles and miles between any sign of human activity.
A little human activity after the first hundred miles . . . a roadside stop up ahead on the right.
I suppose these geological features exist all over the world, but they would be obscured by forests and towns, and farms. Out here, in this high scrubland, every little remnant of a cinder cone still stands out.
I absolutely love this type of landscape . . . and I don't know why . . . maybe the expression "high lonesome" explains it. I feel pulled to just wander around these hills . . . for years.
An endless expanse of an endless variety of shapes and colorful vistas.
Here and there can be seen traces of former mining operations in the scars on the mountains.
An abandoned water tower servicing an abandoned rail spur near Cherry Creek, Nevada.
I passed by many roads I didn't have time to explore.
A story for each abandoned shack out here . . . a story never to be told.
Used and left behind. I'm surprised the hot rodders and rat rodders haven't scavenged these old truck cabs.
Hopes of ranching left behind with the decaying split beams.
It is good to have four wheel drive when nature calls.
An ancient bristle cone pine trunk.
A left behind moon on a clear Nevada morning.
A solar reflector energy farm way out in the desert. Amazing technology . . . you could almost smell the fried birds from the road!
Loving my life on the road!
A long road to an other abandoned mountainside mine.
Scrub brush, dry lake, and mineral rich mountains.
With so few structures around, I stopped at each one . . .
Mineral rich hills . . . another abandoned mining operation.
Strange hills left behind to weather after mining. This looks like a tungsten vein.
The colors, shapes, and textures of these mined hills were simply fantastic.
Geology everywhere (of course).
Along the highway a gypsum deposit.
An active gypsum mine.
Coming up on the Boundary Range, which separates Nevada from California.
Some stunning flowering scenes as I began to gain in elevation into the Boundary Range.
Up and over a mountain pass through a sea of yellow!
There were a few wide spots in the road along the way . . . here in Benton, California.
Fabulous textures of age.
After Benton (and Benton Hot Springs), the GPS took me down 120 miles of gravel road to my destination. I was very happy about it too!
100 miles of this! I took my time.
I drove for two hours on this gravel road and did not encounter a single other vehicle.
The trees became larger the more altitude I gained.
Up and over and up and over many steep passes . . . .
And on such a beautiful day . . . .
After two hours on Owens George Road I crested a hill to see Crowley Lake, just 15 miles from my final destination.
Civilization At Last!!!!!
The view approaching Swall Meadows; looking toward Bishop, California in a recent burn.
Near Swall Meadows where I would base myself for my next adventure: camping up in The Buttermilk Country.
Road Trip USA: Cherry Creek, Nevada
Thursday, September 20, 2018 at 3:36AM 
After a wonderful four days at the World of Speed event at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, I headed off on US Highway 93 (via Alt 93) to the Eastern Sierras in California. I was in no hurry . . . and planned to stay at a campground somewhere along the way.
I came across this road leading up to some hills with a sign that said "Cherry Creek Museum 8 Miles" that looked interesting to me. Why not? Maybe it is an old photogenic mining town.
Yep, sure enough: Cherry Creek was an old mining town that had seen its glory days in the 1880-1890s. Just what I had hoped!
The blooming sage and the old weathered houses made for perfect compositions.
Some of the shacks seemed much older than others . . . perhaps dating to the beginning of the last century.
Much repairing and patching was done before these old houses were abandoned.
The old and the new(er).
In 1882, Cherry Creek was estimated to have had a population of 7800, but by the census of 1890, it had fallen to just 350. In 2007 the population was 93 (61 male and 32 female). I did not see a single solitary person during my one hour walk-about.
Corrugation and dilapidation . . . my favorite photographic subjects.
There were some lovely photos to be had.
Although I didn't see any of the 93 inhabitants, I did see a nice rustic garden.
Patching, propping, and repairing right up to the end.
I saw several of these houses in the region that seemed to be made of large timbers like railroad ties.
The 'townsite' was literally littered with old antique trailers . . .
. . . and old motor homes. These residents may live out "in the middle of nowhere" . . . but they are by no means remote: there is fiber optic cable!!!
A very cool juxtaposition of old and new . . . .
At some point in the recent past there was commerce here . . . this old store was for sale.
The Cherry Creek Museum was the old school house. It was closed, but a map on the door told you which trailer door to knock on to get a tour.
"One of the oldest standing one room schools in Nevada. Built in 1872."
There was this wonderful commemorative plaque attached to the old school.
Oh the memories these children made! At it's peak there were 66 students. Where are all those 'children' now?
Outhouses.
A strong wall and a steel gate to protect what is not there from what is no longer there . . . .
And so I left Cherry Creek, Nevada and headed up the 8 miles of road back to US 93.
Further up the highway . . . more wonder: corrugation and dilapidation.
Cherry Creek is in the northeast corner of Nevada.Dr. Jeff Harper
Some of the photos seem to lend themselves to black & white . . . and perhaps printning.