Here’s my first report from a 2-day road-trip special to the grand old US of A – being filed from my rest stop for the night in the middle of Death Valley. Pics from a compact - so not up to the standards some of you guys 'n gals post-up week after week:
The Old Tempiute Mine and ghost town is located only six miles southeast of Rachel, on the south slope of Tempiute Mountain. This place was a silver mining camp from the late 1800's.
When silver was first discovered in Tempiute Mountain in 1865 a small mining camp got started. New discoveries in 1868 attracted more miners, and by the end of the 1870's the camp had reached a population of about 50. As mining towns often did back then, the place grew to have its own post office from 1879 until 1883. However, growth was limited by the absence of water, which had to be brought in from the valley. After 1883 most miners moved on, and the camp was virtually deserted until tungsten was found in 1916.
To reach this place you have to drive up a dirt-track from the Extraterrestrial Highway (yes, it really is called that) until you reach some foundations of stone cabins left, where the miners lived. You then abandon your car/4x4 and pass through a gate, and trek about three quarters of a mile up a rocky track to the old mill and the actual mine. There are also some prospecting holes to check-out along the way.
The main road is only about 3 miles away - but despite being a quiet road, it's regarded as one of the most 'visited' on Earth - by people from another planet... Area 51 is just next door to this place (Google it to learn more - top secret US military base which the US Government pretty much denies exists) - signs warning of 'lethal force authorised' would prevent anyone from exploring in that direction, but suffice to say a trip to this mine is well advised. It was incredible, and the setting stunning. The fact that there is really no one out here makes it even better - I'd reckon West Park has more tourists in a day than this place sees all year
:
On the dirt track you pass old long-abandoned homes of the miners:
Once you can't drive any further, you abandon the car and walk through this gate to start the hike to the mine:
The first thing you see is the old mill – not in a bad state considering this has sat unused for nearly a Century:
Track and materials scattered around and leading to the mine opening:
Looking towards the mine opening:
Going in:
Looking back towards the opening:
Keep walking in and it just goes on and on and on. Lit from my tiny LED torch and my compact Casio Exilim on 'high sensitivity' mode - no tripod:
Back outside, lots of old cans strewn around:
And the odd shaft to drop into:
Amazing view back towards the way we walked up from the car:
Looking back towards the town of Rachel - the stretch of road you can see in this pic is over 12 miles long. Nevada is HUGE. We covered 450 miles in the car today - and we weren't even rushing about!
Back in Rachel, the Little A'Le'Inn (think Louis Theroux and his Area 51 / UFO-spotting special episode):
Amazing place. Didnt see a soul the whole time. Heard plenty of fighter jets overhead the whole time though, but never saw one... All training out of Nellis AFB I think.
Would love to venture much further into these mines, but to be honest, not up for taking the risk in something that old and without any kind of proper safety equipment. I dont reckon there is a hospital for over a hundred miles in any direction, should something go wrong.
More to check-out tomorrow!
The Old Tempiute Mine and ghost town is located only six miles southeast of Rachel, on the south slope of Tempiute Mountain. This place was a silver mining camp from the late 1800's.
When silver was first discovered in Tempiute Mountain in 1865 a small mining camp got started. New discoveries in 1868 attracted more miners, and by the end of the 1870's the camp had reached a population of about 50. As mining towns often did back then, the place grew to have its own post office from 1879 until 1883. However, growth was limited by the absence of water, which had to be brought in from the valley. After 1883 most miners moved on, and the camp was virtually deserted until tungsten was found in 1916.
To reach this place you have to drive up a dirt-track from the Extraterrestrial Highway (yes, it really is called that) until you reach some foundations of stone cabins left, where the miners lived. You then abandon your car/4x4 and pass through a gate, and trek about three quarters of a mile up a rocky track to the old mill and the actual mine. There are also some prospecting holes to check-out along the way.
The main road is only about 3 miles away - but despite being a quiet road, it's regarded as one of the most 'visited' on Earth - by people from another planet... Area 51 is just next door to this place (Google it to learn more - top secret US military base which the US Government pretty much denies exists) - signs warning of 'lethal force authorised' would prevent anyone from exploring in that direction, but suffice to say a trip to this mine is well advised. It was incredible, and the setting stunning. The fact that there is really no one out here makes it even better - I'd reckon West Park has more tourists in a day than this place sees all year
:
On the dirt track you pass old long-abandoned homes of the miners:
Once you can't drive any further, you abandon the car and walk through this gate to start the hike to the mine:
The first thing you see is the old mill – not in a bad state considering this has sat unused for nearly a Century:
Track and materials scattered around and leading to the mine opening:
Looking towards the mine opening:
Going in:
Looking back towards the opening:
Keep walking in and it just goes on and on and on. Lit from my tiny LED torch and my compact Casio Exilim on 'high sensitivity' mode - no tripod:
Back outside, lots of old cans strewn around:
And the odd shaft to drop into:
Amazing view back towards the way we walked up from the car:
Looking back towards the town of Rachel - the stretch of road you can see in this pic is over 12 miles long. Nevada is HUGE. We covered 450 miles in the car today - and we weren't even rushing about!
Back in Rachel, the Little A'Le'Inn (think Louis Theroux and his Area 51 / UFO-spotting special episode):
Amazing place. Didnt see a soul the whole time. Heard plenty of fighter jets overhead the whole time though, but never saw one... All training out of Nellis AFB I think.
Would love to venture much further into these mines, but to be honest, not up for taking the risk in something that old and without any kind of proper safety equipment. I dont reckon there is a hospital for over a hundred miles in any direction, should something go wrong.
More to check-out tomorrow!
