Outdoor Adventure USA

This week we plan to discuss 4 wheel drive travel on 3 moderate trails in the Inyo and White Mountains.
Mazourka Canyon trails starts near Independence, CA and run north through the Inyo Mountains to Death Valley Road.

From the east side of the White Mountains ,Wyman Canyon starts on Hwy168 in Deep Springs Valley (close to the CA / NA border) and runs to the top of the mountains. Wyman Canyon trail and Silver Canyon Trail can be linked together to form a White Mountain traverse about midway (north-to-south) in the mountain range. In fact, you can link all three routes together for a long weekend.
Silver Canyon takes over at the top of the mountains where Wyman Canyon ends and drops down the west side into Laws and Bishop.

All three are documented in Roger Mitchell’s book: Inyo-Mono SUV Trails, a guide to 40 interesting and scenic four-wheeling excursions in the Inyo and Mono County.
He rates Wyman as mostly class II and Silver class III. He rates Mazourka as ranging from class I to class III. Rain and snow and change those ratings.

On this map Mazourka Canyon Trail from Independence to Death Valley road is in Green
Wyman Canyon is Blue and
Silver Canyon is Red

The big building symbol is Bishop and the small brown one is big Pine

Mazourka Canyon Route

Wyman Canyon
This could be used as a back way in to the Bristlecone Pine forest of the White Mountains. Much more enjoyable than using the paved road to visit the Schulman and Patriarch groves. Driving time is not much more then 1/2 a day. You can have lunch at the visitor center at the top and to the left.

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

As different camping areas experience increases in popularity, there seems to be a small trend toward certain restrictions and rules relating to campfires. Obviously, in the warmer months, and especially when conditions are dry and windy, campfires are not allowed at all. But, when allowed, in some parks, campfires are required to be in a container of some sort.

There are a number of ways to comply and the Partner Steel Company offers two. The first is their Mini Fire pan, which goes for less than $40.00. This is the description from their website (http://partnersteel.com/prod05.htm):

This is a Mini Fire Pan. No frills, just a simple Steel box made from 14Ga soft steel. One side slides into the other, making an open fire pan that measures from 15 to 25 inches long x 13 1/2 x 3 1/4. With the pan closed, it is a compact 15 x 13 1/2 x 3 1/4. It is intended to be placed directly on the ground.

This pan is ideal for long trips where space is at a premium. It is simple, compact, and makes you legal where fire restrictions are in effect. Here is what it looks like:
Partner Steel also offers another fire pan which is considerably larger, which they refer to as "Firepan" which goes for about $300.00 to $350.00. It comes in two sizes and here is what they say (http://partnersteel.com/prod05.htm) :

This Fire Pan has a floating stainless steel bottom so that your fire won't burn through. It also has a removable stainless steel grill for durability. The legs can be removed and with the included lid, the whole thing is closed up in a single, neat case. You can now have a camp fire anywhere for grilling and roasting. The Fire Pan comes in two sizes: Small is 12 x 24 x 3 1/4, Large is 18 x 30 x 3 1/4

Here is what it looks like:

Mazourka Canyon: http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/bishop/s ... print.html Both lode and placer mining claims have been worked in Mazourka Canyon for over 100 years. Tunnels and shafts, many quite dangerous and unguarded, are found throughout the canyon. Bonanza Gulch, a side canyon to the south about 13 miles along the route, and Santa Rita Flat to the north, boomed after a cloudburst in 1894: torrents of water-uncovered gold ranging in size from ten-cent to ten-dollar nuggets. There is a signed turn-off for a side road to Santa Rita Flat. If there is snow on the road, we recommend that within the next 3 miles you turn around while you are still able.

N6OV, Bishop Amateur Radio repeater list: http://www.n6ov.com/repeater.html A good place to start when researching your area specific frequencies and repeaters.

Alabama Hills, CA (BLM land for camping): http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/bishop/s ... bamas.html The hills were named after the C.S.S. Alabama, a Confederate warship responsible for wreaking havoc during the Civil War. Prospectors sympathetic to the Confederate cause named their mining claims after the Alabama and eventually the name stuck.

Beginning in 1920 Hollywood filmmakers began to take an interest in the area, since then over 400 movies have been filmed here. The area continues to attract film crews, benefiting the local economy. Movie Road Touring Brochure - Download this brochure and take a nostalgic drive through the Alabama Hills visiting film sites from movie greats like "How the West Was Won"! (PDF 3.2MB)Old image from a Hopalong Cassidy film shot in the Alabama Hills. Accessible 508 version available.

Kearsarge Pass: Both lode and placer mining claims have been worked in Mazourka Canyon for over 100 years. Tunnels and shafts, many quite dangerous and unguarded, are found throughout the canyon. Bonanza Gulch, a side canyon to the south about 13 miles along the route, and Santa Rita Flat to the north, boomed after a cloudburst in 1894: torrents of water-uncovered gold ranging in size from ten-cent to ten-dollar nuggets. There is a signed turn-off for a side road to Santa Rita Flat. If there is snow on the road, we recommend that within the next 3 miles you turn around while you are still able.

Carson and Colorado Railway: http://carsoncolorado.com/ Maybe one day this will be a "tourist railroad" when they get Southern Pacific engine 18 back on a track.

Good net, thanks Tom.