Went road tripping over Memorial Day 2003

We were going to Dianas Punch Bowl in central Nevada.

Long drive, 10 hours driving going the normal way, out past Austin NV, over the mountains and 25 miles of dirt road at the end.

I made a mistake and tried checking out a new hot spring south of HWY 80 first. It was nice but the drive between HWY 80 and 50 was long and hard, took five hours. I lost a tire and noticed tread speration on another. Got to Austin at six. Got gas and a spare that was old and so worn you’d wonder why it held air at all. It would have to do because thatz what the old man at the combination junk yard, car shop, whatever you need done place had.

Met up with people at Diannas Dianas Punch Bowl. It’s a 100 foot tall dome of travertine with a twenty foot hole at the top filled with 180 degree water. At the base is a hot spring in a long ditch that you can soak in. Squishy and muddy. To the east is a marsh fed by the spring. We saw bats, birds, fish, crayfish and the occasional tourist.

Nix and I think a kiddy pool and a pump is needed. Be pimp to sit in a kiddy pool at the top watching the stars.

Next time.

Potts spring is nearby. Sweet. One round tub with a good flow. Vies of the mountains. You can fill the tub in five minutes. It’s on private land and closed on account of Yackos. A lady told us we could soak for a hour cause we’d come all that way. Nod and Smile Nod and Smile.

I did a bit of scouting up in the hills, there are some nice camp spots up the roads into the moutains. Nix and I hiked up to a small peek and got a sweet view of Monitor Valley and the next valley over. We also snagged some snow balls for later. Later June nailed Tiewaz in the face with one and I got Jesse “Tent Boy” Hammond.

Sunday Nix, June and I left and went off down to Fish lake vie way of Kingston and Tonapah. Zee long way around, the better to be easy on the tires. Trading 20 miles of dirt road for 50 miles of black top.

Got new tires in Tonapah. Weeee! Felt much better then. Drove on to Fish lake. Met two Women from Humbolt county at Fish lake who were on a road trip. Birders, possible Thelma and Louse, and definitely nutz.

Monday we did an amazing drive home, it was the Beauty and the Terror. We stopping in Benton Hotsprings which is the sweetest quiet spot you’ll find. There is a hotel and private camp. The camp is $8 a night and you get your own tub and camp site. And there is old farm machinery all over the place. Not the one or two pieces you usually see, but dozens. Water is hot, the dog is nice and ‘some people wear suits and some people don’t’

Off HWY 120 we found a really PIMP spot to camp. The place will eat your brain. It will cause it demanded that we bring it more brains and we know and will obey.

We stopped and soaked at Travertine. Nice, too many people and the wrong sort of people but it wass hot water. Probably was just us shagged out from the drive and being alone too long.

HWY 120 was closed (damm) so we took 108 over the Sieras, 26 percent grade up and 4000 ft of 26 percent grade down. The pass is awsome. Towering snow covered mountains carved by glaciers lit up by the setting sun as we headed down.

Going down my brakes started smoking and turned to mud. Near the bottom I pulled over and checked them. The left front rotor was glowing red in the dim light of fading twilight. Long trip home after that, brakes a bit crunchy but working.