2017 WAYALIFE Whiskey Wanderlust : Tonopah to Virginia City

[wayoflife]

About 4 years ago, my good friend Jim McGean, the owner of Dynatrac and I got talking about our shared passion of exploring the mines and ghost towns in Nevada and when the topic of watering holes that we've come across in these old towns came up, he let me in on a trip he'd been planning for years but had yet to do. He called it, the "Saloon Tour" and in a nutshell, it would be an adventures that took you from one saloon to the next and as much as possible, all off road. As time went on and as it was becoming abundantly clear that he simply didn't have the time to make something like this happen, he suggested that maybe I could and that was the birth of the WAYALIFE Whiskey Wanderlust.

To make a trip like this ours, Cindy and I decided to expand on Jim's original idea and make it so that all our destinations were connected by old stage routes and trails used by immigrant making their way out west and of course, the famous Pony Express. It would be a historic overland journey filled with adventures and libations and for this particular trip, it'd be one that'd start in the town of Tonopah and come to an end in Virginia City, almost 400 miles away.

Below are a few photos that highlight the crazy fun we had with our good friends Tony and Step, Trail Bud, Moochie, Adam and Tina, Et and Michelle, Jason and Amy, Garrett and Lauren, Ben and Alex and as luck would have it, even Jim and Tona. I hope you enjoy.

The Gathering of Friends
Even though daytime temps were going to be in the 90's and we would be covering almost 400 miles of dirt, Cindy and I decided to do this trip opened up. We figured if Ben, Alex, Adam and Tina could brave the dust in the back, there was excuse for us to join in especially being that we'd be up front. Here's a shot of Rubicat all packed up with spare gas and ready to roll.

Before heading out, we hooked up with Trail Bud and made a quick stop over at Walmart and picked up some mischief for the trail.

We're commin for ya!

WooHoo! Meeting up with a better part of our group down in Tonopah.

And of course, to help cool us off, we had to stop in over at Cisco's for milkshake.

Tonopah : Mizpah Hotel - Wyatt Earp Bar
Home for the night at one of our favorite hotels in all of Nevada - the Mizpah!

Originally a saloon that opened in 1907, it soon was expanded into a hotel and at 5 stories tall, it stood as the tallest building in the State of Nevada until 1929. This is where our Whiskey Wanderlust would begin - a place where legend has it that Wyatt Earp himself kept the saloon, Jack Dempsey was a bouncer and the reclusive tycoon Howard Hughes is said to have married Jean Peters. CHEERS!

After meeting up with most of our group and having a few drinks at the Mizpah, we made our way over to the Tonopah Brewery to enjoy some of their craft brews and grub on their tasty BBQ. CHEERS!

Did I mention there would be some drinking on this trip? To all our friends and a great trip ahead - CHEERS!

DAY 1 : Tonopah to Carvers
Good morning from Tonopah - You just couldn't ask for a more beautiful day to get this show on the road!

As impossible as it may seem, nobody had a hangover from fun we had the night before and everyone was up bright and early and ready to hit the trail.

Gassed up, aired down, all loaded up and ready to roll!

With our trail literally starting on the back side of the Mizpah, we started our first day of the WAYALIFE Whiskey Wanderlust heading north around Mt. Oddie and following an old aqueduct road.

Dropping into the Ralston Valley.

Due to the dust and the lack of visibility it brings, everyone spread out and periodically, we regrouped especially after crossing one of many gates we encountered along the way.

After crossing a brief stretch of pavement, we got back onto dirt and on a fading stage route heading north.

Making a stop on the stage route to enjoy the vast nothingness that you can still find in Nevada.

You know you're on a historic route when you can make an arbitrary stop along a length of trail and without any effort, find trash like this fuel can left behind by early travelers.

On the move again and continuing our way north.

Pulling into our first stop of the day, a water stop along the stage route known as Spanish Springs.

The remains of an old cabin can still be found here.

Don't fall in! Here's Tony looking down in the well that still has water available down in its depths.

Taking some time to explore the site and look through some of its historic trash.

Moochie pulled into Spanish Springs late and as we would discover, it was because the u-bolt securing his LoD tire carrier had broken.

Fortunately, we had the means to help secure things in place. Here's a shot of Adam and Trail Bud strapping the tire carrier in place.

That ought to hold.

On the move again, we made our way into the foothills of the Toquima Range.

How many Jeepers can you fit into an old abandoned turn of the century car? As was the case with many of the stage routes in the area, this one was acquired by Nevada Mobile Transit Company around 1905 and became of one the first auto routes providing transportation service from Goldfield to prominent towns such as Tonopah, Manhattan and Belmont.. Unfortunately, cars back then weren't as reliable as they are today and if something went wrong, you could just call a tow truck to help you out.

Working our way further up the Toquima Range.

I HAVE SEEN THE ELEPHANT! A popular saying during the mid to late 19th century especially among American pioneers who made their way out west. It was to express experiences gained through significant hardship and this rock along the old stage route would have been a literal reminder of that.

Snaking our way up into the Toquima Range and almost to our first watering hole of the day.

Manhattan : Miners Saloon
Here we are - the old town of Manhattan, Nevada, and ready to enjoy some libations at the Miners Saloon.

Silver was discovered here in 1866 but the mining district was all but abandoned in 1869. It wasn’t until 1905 that the town came back to life and almost overnight. Before the end of the year, there were 1,000 people living in Manhattan, 3 banks, a Wells Fargo and 75 frame buildings including saloons, hotels and even a few schools. It would be the great earthquake of 1906 that would ultimately bring an end to the town as financial backers pulled their support to help rebuild San Francisco. Over $12 million in silver was extracted from the mines in the area

Jim encouraging everyone to come on in!

This is Sharron, long time resident of Manhattan, the post office clerk and bartender at the Miners Saloon.

Time to pour it up!

Yes, Michelle and Et are having fun!

Alex and Ben ready to quench their thirst.

Jim and Tona proud to see their idea of a saloon tour come to fruition.

From the Miners Saloon - CHEERS!

 

[wayoflife]

After having some lunch and sobering up from the fun we had in Manhattan, we hopped back onto the stage route and made our way to our next destination of the day.

Along the way, we passed through a gap between rock outcroppings which was known as the Devil's Gate.

Belmont : Dirty Dick's Saloon
And here we are, the wonderful ghost town of Belmont, Nevada.

Belmont was founded in 1865 after an Indian discovered a rich deposit of silver in the Toquima Mountains or “beautiful mountains”. By 1866, the rush was on and as hard as it may be to believe, it is said that there were as many as 10,000 people living here and over 100 businesses in just one year. When all was said and done, over $15 million in silver and lead ore were produced from the area.

Apparently, it was a good thing we stopped as the strong stench we were all smelling turned out to be burning sage brush caught in Tony's cross member skid plate. Fortunately, he was able to get the flames out quickly and the rest of the debris cleared out.

With Tony's fire out, it was time to cool off over at the historic, Dirty Dick's Saloon!

Among other things like making a tasty Picon Punch, the gals over at Dirty Dick's make a mean Bloody Mary and that's what our first round of drinks would be.

To all our friends from Dirty Dick's - CHEERS!

In 1874, a new 2-story brick courthouse was completed and Belmont officially became the new Nye County seat which was formerly in the town of Ione.

As luck would have it, we were greeted by a local who was willing to give us a tour of the courthouse which was also a perfect way of walking off all the drinks we had so that we wouldn't end up in a place like this.

Inside these walls is where the jail cells were originally built. After the town died, they were removed and shipped to Gabbs to serve their needs but were recently returned to Belmont.

Getting a tour inside the courthouse.

As the courthouse continues to be restored, many of the original window frames were removed so that new ones with glass could be installed. Here you can see one of the old window frames which were prefabricated and marked with detailed information as to who ordered it - S. Talman, from Belmont, NV., what carrier it would be shipped on and Care of E&P Rail Road and to the destination of Alpha, the end of the rail line at that time.

Climbing up into the top of the courthouse cupola to get a view from above.

Exploring and reading through the many signatures left behind on the walls over the years.

Here's a poetic one with a riddle in it that was left by man heading off to war. Can you solve the riddle?

Of course, there was also Charles Manson and his family who came through town and left their mark on a door jam in the courthouse.

Taking a final walk down main street.

It sucks to think that the old Cosmopolitan, a venue that once showcased stage stars of the day had been approved to be restored but was torn down by yahoos back in the 90's. This is all that remains of it.

After our drinks at Dirty Dick's and our enjoyable tour of the Belmont Courthouse, we made our way up the wide open Monitor Valley and on what we like to call, a "Nevada Superhighway".

Turning west into the Toquima range, we made our way up Meadow Canyon and stopped over at an old toll house for the road leading up to Jefferson.

Fortunately, there wasn't any snow on the pass and the brush heading down Jefferson Canyon wasn't as bad as we've seen in the past.

Of course, the trail was narrow and washed out in places and while it was far from being life threatening, Garrett found himself going over the side of one. Here's a shot of Tony trying to shore things up a bit with some rocks.

Unable to back out of his embarrassing jam, we decided to hook him up with some winches to help him drive out of his predicament safely.

What was it I was saying about it not being as brushy as we'd remembered it?

Okay, this was just getting stupid.

Time to break out the loppers.

There, that should help.

Or, so we thought.

Time to call out the cutting crew.

The light at the end of the tunnel.

Carvers : Carvers Cafe & Saloon
After a long day out on the trail and saloon hopping along the way, it was nice to arrive at our home for the night, the Jumping Jack Motel in Carvers.

With a BIG THANKS to Mickey over at the Jumping Jack Motel for arranging dinner plans for us, we got to feast on some awesome burgers over at the Carvers Cafe - CHEERS!

Of course, before we could call it a night, we had to have a nightcap or two over at the Carvers Saloon which was in the room next door.

And finally, I got caught up on some interesting reading material before going to bed.

 

[wayoflife]

DAY 2 : Carvers to Middlegate
Good morning from Carvers!

Founded by Gerald and Jean Carver, ranchers that bought 300 acres of land in 1939 and then bought an additional 640 acres from Mimosa Pittman, widow of senator Key Pittman. In 1947, Highway 8A (now 376) cut through a corner of their property and they decided to open a café, Carvers Station, to take advantage of the traffic coming through the area. Today, the only eatery here is the Carvers Cafe and while they don't normally serve breakfast, they cooked up one hell of a buffet for us!

After our awesome breakfast, we loaded up our Jeeps and started our 2nd day out on the WAYALIFE Whiskey Wanderlust heading north up the Big Smokey Valley.

Named for its hazy view, the Big Smoky Valley was first seen by Jedediah Smith as he crossed the southern end of it back in 1827. John C. Fremont accompanied by Kit Carson and Basil LaJeunesse crossed the length of it in 1845 and Captain James Simpson located the Central Overland Route on the northern end of the valley in 1859 which, among other things, was also used by the Pony Express.

As we waited for everyone on the north end of the Alkali Flat, the few of us that were up front took out the mischief we bought a couple of days back and loaded them up.

Bad boys bad boys, watcha gonna do...

And we're off!!

Wouldn't you know it, Lauren was ready for us!

Say hello to my little friend!

Ben reminding Alex that all is fair in war.

And then out of nowhere, Jim and Tona dive in with a surprise strafing attack.

Coming in hot with another pass!

Oh, the silly fun we always seem to have :crazyeyes:

In spite of our shenanigans, we were still way ahead of schedule and so Cindy and I decided to make a detour and check out an old mining camp that we knew was nearby.

Established back in 1865, Park Canyon was a primarily a small silver mining camp but gold, lead and copper were also mined here. Unfortunately, the ore played itself out the camp was abandoned just 4 years later. There was a revival in 1905 that lasted over 10 years but that was the last sign of life it saw. Today, the impressive remains of the old mill and the ruins of a couple of stone cabins are all that remains.

After our visit to Park Canyon, we made our way back down into the Big Smokey Valley and headed out to our first whiskey stop of the day.

Kingston : Lucky Spur Saloon
Pulling into the town of Kingston!

Gold was discovered in Kingston back in 1863 and by 1866, there were 2 water powered 20-stamp mills and about 125 people living in the area. Unfortunately, mining activity ceased in the early 1870’s and while there was a brief revival in the 1880’s, it died again by 1906. Of course, the only kind of gold we were looking for here was the kind that comes out of a bottle and is poured at the world famous Lucky Spur Saloon.

Time to mosey on in.

Gotta love a saloon with a view.

Let the libations flow - CHEERS!!

As you can see, none of us are having fun :crazyeyes:

It was nice to see Tony still wearing his hat inside.

Trail Bud and Step reflecting deeply on their drinks.

Kinda makes you wonder why this place is called the lucky spur.

The elusive jackalope.

Imagine that, the restrooms have peep holes that allow you to spy on people outside.

Because all good things must come to an end, here is the exit.

 

[wayoflife]

After the awesome time we had at the Lucky Spur, it was time for us to head on out and make our way to the next saloon stop on the WAYALIFE Whiskey Wanderlust. Back on the trail, we headed west along Kingston Creek and up the beautiful Toiyabe Mountains.

Nearing the top of Kingston Summit.

Making our descent along Big Creek.

Out of the mountains, we blasted our way across the Reese River Valley.

Before reaching our next official stop along the way, we paid a visit to the Stokes Castle.

Inspired by architecture in the Roman Campagna, the castle is a 3-story summer home built in 1897 by J.G. and Anson Stokes who were mine developers, railroad magnates and bankers. I was only briefly used and after selling their mine and it’s equipment, they never returned.

Austin : The International
Just down the hill from the Stokes Castle is the town of Austin. As legend has it, gold was discovered in 1862 by W.H. Talbott after his horse accidentally kicked a piece of quarts containing gold and silver. After having it assayed in Virginia City and staking out a claim, word of the discovery got out and the rush was on. In just 1 year, Austin grew to over 10,000 people and hundreds of homes, and business were built including hotels, stores, churches, saloons, schools and brothels. At the time, lots on Main Street were selling for $8,000 in gold.

What you see here is the International Hotel, the 2nd saloon we'd be stopping at on our way to Middlegate Station. If you can believe it, this building was originally built in Virginia City back in 1860 and was later moved to Austin in the late 1860’s.

Our first stop in Kingston went a bit long and so our time in Austin would be limited. But, there was still enough time to enjoy at least one drink.

And maybe play a game of pool.

On the move again, we transitioned away from old stage routes and made our way west on the historic Central Overland Trail which was also used by the famous Pony Express.

Trail blazed by Howard Egan back in 1855 so that he could drive his livestock from Salt Lake City to California, the Central Overland Trail trail crossed over all the mountain ranges that earlier explorers tried to avoid, through a series of passes and springs and that made it possible to create the most direct route across Nevada. Between 1859 and 1869, this was a major route for emigrants, mail and freight crossing the State of Nevada and was only replaced when the Transcontinental Railroad was completed.

Making a stop at the top of Smith Creek Summit to take in the awesome views and read a journal entry written by Ada Millington back in August 16, 1862 and posted on a historic T-marker.

Pushing on to the west.

An unexpected deep washout like this along an otherwise easy trail is a reminder that you just never know what you might come across.

Of course, the more Jeeps that went through the washout, the more rounded out it got easier it was for everyone else to cross.

With Dynatrac across, we were all through the washout and on our way again.

Out of the hills and crossing the vast Smith Creek Valley.

With the sun starting to set, we started our climb up into the Desatoya Mountains.

Made it to the summit before sundown.

Working our way down the backside.

Because so much of Nevada is public land, a lot of it is used by cattle ranchers for grazing. Because of it, there are a lot gates you have to pass through much like this one on Basque Summit but instead of locks, you'll often find a sign asking you to please close it.

Down in the canyon, we made a quick stop over at the site of Edwards Creek Station, the location of an old Overland Mail Station.

A historic T-marker can be found here with another passage from Ada Millington's journal.

Just beyond Edwards Creek Station, we came to a point on the trail that Cindy and I were concerned about but was hoping would be too much trouble for us. When we had prerun this trail a few months back, there was still snow drifts we had to cross, a lot more water everywhere and a deep mud pit you had to go through. At that time, we were in Moby and even though the pit swallowed up our 40" tires, we were able to power through it with his 6.2L LS V8. When we got to the pit on this trip, a lot of the water was gone and the mud "appeared" to be drier and to the point where I could stand on it. Well, while the surface layer could hold up my weight, it couldn't hold up the weight of a Jeep and about a third of the way in, it sucked in and swallowed up Rubicat's 40" tires on the driver side.

While Cindy was able to back Rubicat about 3 feet, her tires ultimately started to dig into the muck. Fortunately, Trail Bud was close by and we were able to winch her out. Notice how the mud tracks leading up to Rubicat go from being somewhat solid to a sloppy goo.

Here's a shot of Rubicat's tires after freeing her from the mud.

Looking to see if there might be some kind of go around, we did find that someone had recently cut their way through the thick brush and around the mud pit but unfortunately, that route out wasn't much better and the way out was now blocked with their truck.

With the only way out being the main route through the mud, we cleared as much of the brush as we could so that we could drive on the high and dry side as long as possible.

And then of course, we did the only thing we could do and throttled our way through the goo - YEEHAW!!

With darkness upon us, we finally reached the end of the trail. Fortunately for us, we had cell service from here and were able to call Middlegate station to let them know we were still coming.

 

[wayoflife]

Middlegate - Middlegate Station Saloon
To a crazy long day out on the trail and good times at Middlegate Station - CHEERS!!

DAY 3 : Middlegate to Virginia City
Good morning from Middlegate Station!

Back in 1850, the U.S. Government commissioned James Simpson to define a route west across America and as he made his way across Nevada, he found distinct cuts in the mountain ranges that he called, “gates”. In 1859, The Overland Stage company built Middlegate to serve as a station for their stage and freight lines and then later, the Pony Express used it as a changing station as well. Following the end of the gold rush and the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad, Middlegate was abandoned for decades until Ida Ferguson bought it from a BLM auction back in 1942. She made it into a bar and café and had hoped to restore it but a rerouting of Highway 50 dwindled traffic and she was forced to sell. I wouldn’t be until 1984 when the Stevenson’s purchased the property and got help from others including Churchill County that Middlegate would become the amazing roadside stop that it is today.

Fortunately for us, gas is still sold here and we would need it for the long journey still ahead of us.

Looks like this guy needs a bit more than gas.

Our home at Middlegate Station.

Garrett and Lauren got to stay in the Rawhide, a historic home that once stood in the old ghost town of Rawhide and was later relocated to Middlegate when the town was razed to renew mining in the area.

With Middlegate Station coming to life, it was time to top off our tanks - all on an honor system of course.

Assessing the muck from the night before - things looks a lot better than we were expecting.

I think I found the valve stem cap.

Yeah... that's gonna take a bit to clean.

Working our way through the mountains last night, I got a call on the radio saying something about Trail Bud breaking his Full-Traction rear sway bar. Fortunately, he was able to pull it and get moving again quickly so I didn't get to see it then but this is what it looked like.

Just chillin on the porch of Middlegate Station and enjoying the coolness of the morning.

A few shots inside waiting for breakfast to be served.

After a relaxing morning an a tasty breakfast, we got back on the trail and climbed our way up into the Sand Springs Range.

Our first destination of the day would be one with a more recent historical past.

On October 26, 1963, a 12 kiloton nuclear device was detonated about 1,200 feet below the surface of a mountain made of granitic rock and known to be an active seismic area. The goal was to look for seismic traces for the test as well as from prior earthquakes so that they could be compared and differentiated.

Here's a shot of the cap they placed on the vertical shaft that lowered the nuclear device underground.

Moochie examining the foundation where the hoist house would have been located.

Here's a piece of the headframe that once stood here. As you can see, the government just cut off the rest and hauled it away.

On the move again and working our way west across the Sand Springs Range.

The gate on the summit before leading down the west side of the range has a sign for the Project Shoal site.

Soon we were back on the Pony Express Trail.

While there were stops Cindy and I really wanted to make, breakfast took a lot longer than we had planned for and so now we were a bit behind schedule for our next stop. So, we kicked up the dust and pushed our way along the Pony Express Trail.

Here's shot of Adam driving past the old Wildcat Freight Station.

Because of record breaking snow pack we got over the winter, an enormous amount of water has been flowing down the Carson River. This water which would normally and eagerly be captured in reservoirs for irrigation and consumption threatened to flood the town of Fallon and so much of it is being diverted to its natural terminus. For years, this sink was known as Carson Meadows but today, it is once again, Carson Lake - just as it was 150 years before.

In 1860, the English adventurer-writer Sir Richard Burton wrote the following about what he saw which is almost exactly what we were seeing on this day.

"Arrived at the summit, we sighted for the first time Carson Lake, or rather the sink of the Carson River. It derives its name from the well-known mountaineer whose adventurous roamings long anticipated scientific exploration. Supplied by the stream from the eastern flank of the Sierra Nevada, it is just such a lake as might be formed in any of the basins which we had traversed a shallow sheet of water, which, in the cloudy sky and mitigated glare of the sun, looked pale and muddy. Apparently it was divided by a long, narrow ruddy line, like ochre-colored sand ; a near approach showed that water on the right was separated from a saleratus bed on the left by a thick bed of tule rush. Stones imitated the sweep of the tide, and white particles the color of a wash."

Riding along the top of the Wildcat Scarp, Burton wrote the following about it and I think many in our modern day Jeeps could empathize with what he must have experienced.

"...we proceeded to finish the ten miles which still separated us from the* station, by a rough and stony road, perilous to wheel conveyances, which rounded the southern extremity of the lake."

Frey Ranch
By pushing our Jeeps over bone jarring terrain and skipping a few stops along the way, we were able to make our private tour of the Frey Ranch Distillery.

Frey Ranch is home to Nevada's only estate winery, Churchill Vineyards. It has direct roots dating back to 1918 and historic roots that go all the way back to Genoa, the first settlement in the state. On this tour, we got to learn how whiskey, vodka and gin are made using ingredients grown and harvested entirely here at Frey Ranch.

Talk about a contact buzz! Step into this barrel room and the alcohol in the air will near about knock you on your butt - YUM!

Time for the best part of the tour - the tasting!!

 

[wayoflife]

After our amazing tour and tasting over at Frey Ranch, we got back on the Pony Express Trail and continued our journey west. Or at least, the best we could being that there was little to no visible trail to follow on the alkali flat other than an occasional maker along the way.

On the other side of the alkali flat, we arrived at the site of Carson Sink Station, once, one of the largest stations along the Pony Express Routes. Nevada author and historian Dennis Cassinelli wrote of the station:

"The station was built in March of 1860 by Bolivar Roberts, J.G. Kelly and others. They knew the region was inhabited by hostile Indians, so they built the station as a fort for protection. Since there were no logs or rocks available, they used mud from the shore of the marsh to make adobe bricks. To get the mud to the right consistency to mold the blocks, they tamped the material with their bare feet for a week or more. They reported the mud was impregnated with alkali and carbonate of soda and it burned their feet until they were swollen and resembled hams."

The historical T-maker here has the following quote from Flora Isabelle Bender which was written on August 1, 1863.

On the move again, we followed the faint trail to the west.

Making our way across the Dead Camel Range.

Arriving at Desert Station, just one of about 157 stations that were spaced approximately 10 miles apart along the 1,900 mile trail. A good source of water made this a good stop for emigrants and teamsters throughout the 1860’s.

Not a whole lot left here.

This T-maker has a quote from B.P. Lewis who wrote it in his journal back on July 16, 1863.

And finally, here we are ready to make our final push to Virginia City.

While not as long of a day as the previous one, it was a hell of a lot hotter and I think we were all glad to be in town and checked into our final home on this wild WAYALIFE Whiskey Wanderlust - The Gold Hill Hotel, the oldest hotel in the state of Nevada.

After getting cleaned up, we headed up the hill to the Red Dog Saloon located in downtown Virginia City and celebrated the conclusion of the WAYALIFE Whiskey Wanderlust - CHEERS!

It was a shame that Alex and Ben and Jason and Amy weren't able to be a part of this trip to the very end but they were very much with us in spirit. To one of the most epic treks we've ever been on - CHEERS!

Cindy and I hope you all enjoyed following our adventures and the crazy fun we had on the WAYALIFE Whiskey Wanderlust. A BIG THANKS needs to go out again to Jim and Tona McGean for coming up with the idea of doing a saloon tour and for encouraging us to make it a reality. We also have to thank our good friend Step for making important phone calls, arranging hotel accommodations and helping us to make this trip possible. Last but not least, we like to thank all our friends for joining us on this epic trek across Nevada and for truly making it the amazing time it was. You guys are the best and we so look forward to doing a trip like this again and soon!

 

[GraniteCrystal]

Wow! Epic! Would love to do that someday

 

[Ragnar JK]

What a fun looking trip! Thanks for sharing the trip and the good times!

 

[WJCO]

Wow. Looks like a blast. Great trip report and photos. Love seeing all this old history out there.

 

[wayoflife]

Wow! Epic! Would love to do that someday

It'd be a lot harder to keep a vast majority of it all off road but I could totally see something like this being done in Colorado. Perhaps a future leg of the WAYALIFE Whiskey Wanderlust

What a fun looking trip! Thanks for sharing the trip and the good times!

It was a great time and I thought about you on this one. Lodging was really tight though and we maxed out on rooms before we finished planning the trip. If you think you can join us for a future installment, let me know. :yup:

Wow. Looks like a blast. Great trip report and photos. Love seeing all this old history out there.

Thanks! It really is so amazing just how much there is still out there to see.

 

[Moochie]

What an awesome adventure! It's unbelievable how much wide open country is accessible in Nevada. I tried to retrace our route on the Gaia app. We went on so many trails, it was hard to remember them all.
Thank you for all the planning that went into making this Wanderlust possible!

 

[JAGS]

WAYALIFE Whiskey Wanderlust 2017

What an amazing time we had out on the trail. Amy and I couldn't imagine such great scenery. And on top of all the trails, to have fun at all the stops along the way made it even better.

Thank you Eddie and Cindy for planning the trip and allowing Amy and I the opportunity to hang out with good friends. Goes down in the memory books for sure!!

 

[g00se04]

Awesome trip!

 

[wayoflife]

What an awesome adventure! It's unbelievable how much wide open country is accessible in Nevada. I tried to retrace our route on the Gaia app. We went on so many trails, it was hard to remember them all.
Thank you for all the planning that went into making this Wanderlust possible!

So glad that you were able to join us on this epic adventure! It really is hard to believe just how much open country is out there and really, we just scratched the surface of it. Can't wait to dig in a bit more :beer:

What an amazing time we had out on the trail. Amy and I couldn't imagine such great scenery. And on top of all the trails, to have fun at all the stops along the way made it even better.

Thank you Eddie and Cindy for planning the trip and allowing Amy and I the opportunity to hang out with good friends. Goes down in the memory books for sure!!

It was great that you and Amy could join in on the fun. I'm also glad that you were able to stick it out all the way to Frey Ranch before having to take off. Were you ever able to address that rock stuck in your tire? :crazyeyes:

Awesome trip!

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed following our adventures

 

[RanchoRubi]

Probably one of the best trips that Michelle and I were fortunate to be part of. Such broad history of the Old West. Mining, overland stagecoach, pony express. Amazing to see how varied the Nevada landscape is. Desert, mountains dry and green, open ranges... Real Saloons with crusty but friendly tenders. Have to say, that Mud pit was an adrenaline rush as you get sucked in and power out [emoji33]....And a really great group of traveling friends. Truly an awesome adventure. Thank you Cindy and Eddie for what really was a perfectly planned trip. Thank you Jim and Tona for the idea and keeping it alive.
Hope to see you all again!


Sent from my iPad using WAYALIFE mobile app

 

[Bullwinckle]

Looks like a great time! It's crazy how many old saloons are in the middle of the desert.

 

[RollingThunder89]

Looks like an awesome time. Keep on jeeping ☝

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[wayoflife]

Probably one of the best trips that Michelle and I were fortunate to be part of. Such broad history of the Old West. Mining, overland stagecoach, pony express. Amazing to see how varied the Nevada landscape is. Desert, mountains dry and green, open ranges... Real Saloons with crusty but friendly tenders. Have to say, that Mud pit was an adrenaline rush as you get sucked in and power out [emoji33]....And a really great group of traveling friends. Truly an awesome adventure. Thank you Cindy and Eddie for what really was a perfectly planned trip. Thank you Jim and Tona for the idea and keeping it alive.
Hope to see you all again!

I'm glad to hear you and Michelle enjoyed yourselves on this trip. I know you're familiar with the kind of long days we sometimes have but I wasn't sure how Michelle would do with them. The mud pit definitely added a bit of excitement to the trip. I hope you'll join us on future adventures

Looks like a great time! It's crazy how many old saloons are in the middle of the desert.

What's sad is that there are far fewer saloons out there than there used to be just a few years back. Unfortunately, the owners of these saloons are really old and once they die, the saloon dies with them. This is a big part of why we were so determined to do the WAYALIFE Whiskey Wanderlust now. With any luck, we'll be able to as many of them as possible before they all disappear.

 

[Jimmypaget]

Ahh I would love to take a trip like this!! It's only a few hours from Vegas!


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[KICKROX]

That looked like a fun trip!