Bridge Spring Arch Hike

It was cloudy and cool yesterday, but there was no rain in the forecast. We decided to get out for a short hike. Our hiking book instructed us to drive south and then east to an unmarked and unsigned parking area. There are acres of solar panels in this part of Nevada, and more being built. It looks a little like the surface of a lake.

The parking area was to be found at the top of "Rifle Pass." When we saw this sign indicating a downhill portion, we were fairly certain we'd reached the top of the pass.

From the parking area, we could see the little town of Nelson off in the distance. (Nelson is my maiden name, but no relation that I'm aware of.)

When we were parked, we were to look for a "barely visible" trail. It was pretty easy to see, and we took off, hiking about a half mile until we reached a small wash.

From there, we hiked the wash until we reached the natural bridge we were promised. Along the way, we saw the usual desert holly, scrub oak, rabbit grass, and a lot of cholla cactus.

Also, we saw a big jackrabbit run across the trail ahead of us. He was too quick for me to get a picture. It's only the second time I've seen one. They are rather large animals...not the bunnies we expect to see...but an animal as big as a small dog, and with very long ears. Here's a picture of one I found on the internet. 

(Image source: Greg Bishop)

So, that was kind of exciting to get such a good look at one. From there, we continued on our quest to find the natural bridge. We began to see lava and ash tuff rock formations born in volcanic eruptions 10-15 million years ago. 

At times, we passed through some very narrow areas.

We passed by this boulder that appeared ready to topple over at a moment's notice.

About a three quarters of a mile down the wash, we came to the natural bridge.

There was some scrambling over large boulders to get near it, but not too bad.

Looking beyond the arch, things got very rocky. If we were to continue on, we could hike to the Colorado River, but this was the end of the line for us.

Of course, Mike was itching to fly his drone. Now that we have a new laptop with us, we can even download the video from the drone!!! So, let's just see what the drone can see. Fly, little drone, fly!

Here's what the drone saw. If you can't see the video, then click right here.

It was too bad we didn't have some sunshine because the colors out here would have been so much more beautiful with some sunlight shining on them. Here's a panorama of the area.

Walking back, we could see Boulder City off in the distance.

When we got back to the truck, we drove a few miles down the road to a mining ghost town of Techatticup. 

There isn't a lot of information online about it beyond advertisements for tours. When we arrived, we realized it was a fee area, and so we didn't do a lot of walking around, but I did take a few pictures.

While we stood there, a roadrunner as big as a chicken stopped by.

Here are some informational signs about the area and the mine.

It was the richest mine in the region. Between 1864 and 1930, the mine produced more than $46 million in gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc.

Looking across the road to the other side...

From there, we headed back to the RV for some lunch and naps. It was a good day.

This morning, we're sitting around trying to decide what to do, and listening to the impeachment trial on television. We considered hiking again, and the weather is better today. The sun is shining. Still, I think I need a day off for my shoulder. We'll be moving down the road again on Friday, and so we'll probably pick up a few things from the grocery store and fuel up the truck for our drive on Friday. We'll only be heading down the road about an hour to Laughlin, Nevada.

Also, this morning, I stitched the latest inchy. This one has backstitch, stem stitch, fly stitch, French knots, and filled in lazy daisy stitches.

So that's all I have for you today. Aside from running errands, I'll probably get a little work done on the redwork piece this afternoon. A lot of snow is going to start falling back home. If you're one of my neighbors, stay safe and warm. Sounds like it will be a good day to hunker down.