Camped, near the Carson River... Somewhat east of Carson City, a bit south of Dayton...
This was an Army fort from 1860 to 1861 or so... During the Pyramid Lake Indian wars... But the Civil War intervened, the post was abandoned, sold to a rancher...
This is the desert, arid, mostly little vegetation... Low hills... We are camped along the Carson River... Among sage brush and cottonwoods...
Now it is a Nevada State Park... We, the son and I and A friend's circle of friends are camped here, in the desert. The friend an another work for a software and tech company... Another breeds and trains working dogs, for herding, for cadaver search... Another does tech for a school district, one other is a member of the underground economy...
We sit by the fire, we cook dinner, drink, talk...
Yesterday, we drove south to Wabuska, to Yearington, and Shyerts... Wabuska, the one time Junction of the Nevada Copper Belt Railroad, and the railroad variously known as the Carson & Colorado, or the Nevada and California, or the Southern Pacific NarrowGauge... I found a coupler pin... The pin of link and pin coupler... Not used here after 1903 or so... An old piece of iron... What made it weird was where I found it on the edge of the still used tracks within 100' of the (paved) highway...
Today, we explored North... Along a line abandoned in the 1930's... Track gone and now a road... A dirt road. And found our path blocked by a fence... We followed a track trying to work about. Before losing our road, we find a UP track crew at work... We found spikes... We find a tie plate for a redwood tie. We eventually find locked fences and new barbed wire.
Now, it is blowing a gale... Tents are collapsing... My awning is history... Torn to pieces... The tent is guyed to the car and to a cottonwood.... Now dark... Still blowing a gale.... The wind Supposed to die down when it gets dark... It isn't...
Jokes... Te rules are different in Nevada... It doesn't matter, we don' t remember what happens in Nevada... TV commercials say so.
Now 9:15... Still blowing a gale... There is lighting... So far no thunder... People are remarking on the lighting... We are worried about thunder and the dogs... We have dogs with us... Lots of dogs...
I suspect the dogs believe that they are camped in a dog park... They would not be far off...
A corner of the rain fly was broken loose... I tied it down... The tent may be toast (inspection after the fact says it isn't)... But should survive the night if the river don't rise to the rain fly doesn't rip off just before a down pour.... I expect to survive. (in retrospect, neither came to pass)
Tuesday, the next morning.... Brian and I rise with the dog... We break camp, pack the vehicle and head west towards California and home.
We stop at the Nevada State Railroad Museum... To visit friends... Then a fast drive home for a day before his Birthday dinner for Brian... and a bit of work to clean out the Escape and the camping stuff...
Randy
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