Land Rover Rocklin Off-Road Trail Run, October 21, 2007
RonC LR Trek #111 

Fernley, NV to Lovelock, NV on pavement = about 60 miles
Lovelock, NV to Fernley, NV in the dirt = about 150 miles

Unfortunately, due to some weather forecasts that had predicted snow over Donner Pass for the five days preceding this run; two of the attendees cancelled and a third just didn’t show up at the meeting place. So instead of 6 trucks and 12 people, we ended up with 3 trucks and 5 people: Me and Phil in my ’04 Discovery, JC and Marilyn in their ’08 LR2, and Ben in his ’04 Montero Sport running sweeper. JC was along with me on the last LR Rocklin event, so has become pretty well experienced with the truck and the Nevada Desert.

Ben, Phil and I were eating breakfast in Jakes Restaurant at about 7:00 when JC and Marilyn showed up. Thanks for breakfast JC. After breakfast we waited around until 8:20 for the fourth party to show up. When they didn’t we headed down the highway towards Lovelock which is about 60 miles to the north north-east. The temperature was 27 degrees, the skies clear and a slight wind from the west.

At Lovelock we stopped to top up on fuel, buy a few goodies and use flush toilets for the last time. We headed north-west towards Trinity Pass and across Sage Valley. Heading towards the Seven Troughs Range we could see that there was not going to be any problems with snow. In fact there wasn’t even any snow on top of Seven Troughs Peak at 7474 feet. It’s going to be a lovely day!

We stopped at the ghost town of Tunnel Camp and walked around taking pictures for a bit. Then we drove up to the tailings flat above the town. After shooting a few pictures there, I decided to try going down some slotted forty five degree trails that had been made by quads. After dropping down in the Discovery, I radioed JC to try it in the LR2. No problem; he used first gear and the HDC and did it easily, although I could tell that he had hit the brakes a bit. After I explained that he could trust the HDC, he went up and did it again without using the brakes. It just takes getting comfortable with the technology that the truck comes with.

Ben came down the slot in the Montero just fine and then decided to try climbing back up the same way. I told him that he was going to spin all four wheels at the second bump; but he tried it anyway. Sure enough; he spun his wheels right where I said he would. He precariously backed down and we headed out of town to the west.

After passing the site of Vernon, we headed north up towards the crest of the Seven Troughs Range. The trail winds past the sites of the Portland and Fairview Mines. There are shafts and tunnels for the next four miles all the way to the saddle below signal peak. The area was primarily gold mines with some silver. At the saddle we turned left and climbed the ridge to the end of the trail at Signal Peak, about 6300 feet.

There was a tiny bit of remnant snow in the shadows. To the east we could see snow on top of the Humboldt Range, especially Indian Peak at 8915 feet. We took a few pictures and then crawled back down to the saddle. From there it was a winding drop down the shelf road to the Seven Troughs site about 2000 feet below us.

A few more photos of the head-frame, shaft and winching equipment and we headed down valley. We passed the site of the flooded out town of Mazuma and then south towards Tunnel Camp again. Passing Tunnel Camp and Vernon we crossed a low, un-named pass through the range and descended down into Granite Valley and stopped at Porter Springs.

At Porter Springs we met two cowboys and one cowgirl who work for the Cowles Ranch. They were out inspecting the available water at the various wells and springs around the ranch. The ranch is mostly leased BLM land and covers an area of about 190 miles north to south and 90 miles east to west. Yes! That is 17,100 square miles or 10,944,000 acres! Yes; that’s bigger than RI (1045), DE (1954), CT (4844), HA (6422), NJ (7417), MA (7840), or MD (9774)…For those who have run with me in the past or read some of my trek reports; that covers the Black Rock Desert, Lava Beds Camp, Kumiva Valley, Selenite Range, Nightingale Range, Winnemucca lake, Sage Hen Valley, Truckee Range, Trinity Range, Copper Valley, Granite Springs Valley, Trinity Range, Sahwave Mountains, Blue Wing Mountains, Sage Valley, Seven Troughs Range, Dry Mountain, Kamma Mountains, Majuba Mountains and Kumiva Valley amongst others.

After the ranch hands left we had lunch. I had bought lunches for ten people and JC had brought desserts for ten people. As we only had 5 people; we didn’t lack for nourishment at all. After a long lunch break, we headed west again towards the Blue Wing Mountains, turned south just past the big corral headed for the turn for Juniper Pass near Adobe Flat / Blue Wing Lake.

Since JC, as mentioned earlier, has become pretty adept at handling the LR2; I decided to challenge him a bit. About 4 miles before the turn for Juniper Pass there is a very primitive trail that crosses an alluvial fan, then over a little pass at the southern part of the Blue Wing Mountains, then across another alluvial fan, through a broad wash and finally up onto a sandy plateau until it meets the Juniper Pass road on the far side of that pass. This trail is about seven or eight miles long and basically is just some tire tracks through the rocks and sand; mostly following dry washes.

After passing the notch in the first small hill the trail makes a sharp right turn up a wash, up onto a berm and heads towards a second wash. At the second wash the trail crosses a deep narrow ravine. I get out to check it out; then call the other guys on the radio to come out and take photos of the crossing. I also tell them that the Discovery and LR2 are going to have a fairly easy time of it but that the Montero is going to get stuck. Ben doesn’t believe me, but I’m sure that I’m going to get to demonstrate using the strap to recover him.

The Discovery drags the rear bumper and hitch receiver as I cross but it’s relatively easy. JC asks for my recommendation and I tell him to try it in the “general” setting and first gear. Down the bank he goes. Into the bottom he goes with no dragging at all. As he starts up the opposite side, the left rear wheel and the right front wheel lift off the ground together. In less than a quarter of a revolution, both of the airborne wheels stop and the wheels in contact with the ground bring him over the top.

I have JC park to the right of the trail so that I can back up and recover Ben. Ben drops over the edge dragging his undercarriage and then winds up in the bottom of the wash with both bumpers embedded in the rocks and sand. A bit of squirming around and he attempts to climb out. At the same spot that the LR2 lifted two wheels so does the Montero. Because he doesn’t have traction control the truck is stuck. A bit of rock stacking and then some jockeying back and forth and all he succeeds in doing is to stick it better with the tires throwing sand and gravel.

Comparing the Montero Sport to the LR2:
The Mitsubishi has a four speed automatic transmission and a two speed transfer case with locking differential and 265/70-16 all-terrain tires. The LR2 has a six speed transmission with a single speed Haldex intermediate coupling, an electronic traction control system and mild all terrain tires. The LR2 wins! Also, because the LR2 has less overhang on both ends it has sharper approach and departure angles so that it never dragged a bumper all day long. Even though both vehicles seem to have about the same amount of ground clearance underneath, the LR2 never seemed to hit any of the rocks with the undercarriage that the other vehicle did.

Even without having a low range, the LR2 never seemed to lack having enough torque and horsepower to climb the steepest hills. The LR2 does a very good job following my modified ’04 Discovery almost anywhere. About the only place that the LR2 would have a disadvantage would be crawling over very tall rocks as I’ve added 3 inch taller springs and 2 inch taller tires to the Discovery.

Anyway; we moved the LR2 out of the way, backed up the Discovery and hooked the recovery strap to the Montero. An easy tug for a couple of feet to get him out of the holes and all four wheels on solid ground and we were ready to continue up the trail.

We followed the wash and the shoulders of the wash up to a rocky pass. After crossing the pass, we swung to the south-west and followed a major wash down into a broad alluvial fan. About 2 miles before the Juniper Pass road; we climbed up a sand bank and then continued through sand and sage the rest of the way to the road.

After reaching the graded road we continued west until we intersect a road heading due south. We passed a couple of stock corrals, opened and shut a gate and then crossed a saddle between Juniper Spring and Stone House Spring. Along with a few cattle; we passed a couple of small herds of burros and one small horse herd. From the saddle we followed Sage Hen Wash to the turn towards Hot Springs Flat.

We made a circuit of a diatomite mining area; stopped for a bit amongst the stark white diatomite cliffs and took a few more photos. Leaving the mining area, we headed south along the mine haul road until we came to Interstate 80 at Bradys Hot Springs. At that point we said our goodbyes and everyone headed home.

And the photos:

http://s213.photobucket.com/albums/cc58/fortymile/trek%20111%20and%20112/