A fond farewell to the Silver Island Mountains!
It’s been good here in Wendover, Utah. I’ve been here nearly three months without being hassled, mainly because of the speed events that normally occur off and on from August to early October. October 15th seems to be the cutoff for grace however, because that’s when the racing madness generally ends.
So, a couple of days ago, a BLM ranger showed up and told me that he noticed the Defiant a week ago, and was just letting me know about the 14-day rule, so Friday is my departure day. Actually, he mentioned that when nearby Lepper Pass Road goes from pavement to dirt, that’s the Nevada state line and he can’t bother me there. But he cautioned me that the Nevada section had suffered badly from the recent rainstorm, and might be too rough for the ground-hugging trailer.
Curious, I hopped onto the Evelo e-bike and went over a mile uphill to check it out. What a ride! Once I made it to the top, it finally turned to gravel six miles from my camp, and oh my, was it rough. It was a good several miles of consistent downhill, which continued onto the gravel. The cascading water had cut deep channels across the trail, and I studied three of them as to how the Defiant might possibly be able to skirt around the edges. It has just 10 inches of clearance perched on a nine-foot overhang, which makes even some gas station entrance aprons drag the tail on the ground. It looked do-able however, simply because dirt has less tendency to hang up the hardware. I finally found a workable campsite though, three-quarters of a mile in.
It was in the form of a half-circle loop, like a driveway with two ends. The closest entrance was guarded by two tall berms, however. No way to get in or out over those. The far entrance was not only angled up too much, but ended right where the trail had severe damage that would have made an exciting romp even in the Ford pickup. Talk about “high-clearance vehicle recommended”! Looking closer, I figured out that this “campsite” was actually a way around the deep gulley in the trail. Oh well.
Owing to an upcoming and overdue shift in the weather from balmy days and cool nights to days in the 50s and nights in the thirties, it seems that I’ll be gettin’ out o’ Dodge none too soon. It’s been good, though. This is one of the few spots that allows dishwater (the grey water tank) to be drained on the ground. That’s meant that I’ve only had to visit the local KOA campground’s dump station twice so far, to empty the black water tank. Filling the Tankmin’s 70-gallon freshwater tank has cost just $7 per, a bargain. Combined with Propane of Wendover’s $17 cost to fill each 30-pound propane tank, I’ve been livin’ large for three months. Hot water for everybody! And thanks to the e-bike, I think I’ve hit the gas station once since I’ve been here. With a normal 27-30 gallon fill of diesel, any decrease is a good thing. Life’s been good for this penny-pincher.
So in a couple of days, I’ll be heading out for Parker, Arizona to pester the Ford dealership about that trailer brake module fault. Thanks to reader Linda S, I’ll be boondocking a few miles east of town. Since the same weather change that would freeze me out here will finally bring livable temperatures to Parker and Quartzsite, it’s all good. I actually have one more post about a defunct highway in Wendover, but that may have to wait, since the cellular data signal on the rural highway I’ll be taking might not cooperate during my quest. We’ll see!
Strolling Amok 