Rides with Friends #2; Cassidy Mine Loop

May 25, 2023 My favorite event for Friends of Black Rock High Rock is the Black Rock Rendezvous. Analogous to the regional meetings of fur trappers and pioneers as well as indigenous peoples, the Rendezvous is a chance for people to get together to share experiences and ideas about the Black Rock Desert – High Rock Canyon Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area (NCA). I describe it as an open-house for Black Rock Country. It gives the best exposure of the area for first timers and long timers alike.

This year the educational talks ranged from, a cultural overview of indigenous groups, a geologic history of the Black Rock Desert, biology of endemic fish and amphibians, plants, and model rocketry. Several stewardship projects were accomplished along with guided hikes and my bike ride. We were fed delicious food from the Dutch Oven Cook-off, Potluck, and other meals from our campout hosts, FBRHR and Friends of Nevada Wilderness. It was an awesome production in one of the wildest places.

I approached the Rendezvous a little differently than years past, I toured in from Smoke Creek Desert. I parked at Bonham Well on the edge of the BLM’s OHV area, Dry Valley. From there I pedaled over Sand Pass and turned east to ride between the Terraced Hills and the Smoke Creek Desert then between the Fox Range and Smoke Creek Desert. I have ridden about the first 20 miles of this route to Wild Horse Canyon, between the Pole Creek and Fox Range Wilderness Study Areas. There is a micro-playa at the bottom of Emerson Pass that always captures my attention. A ride through Emerson Pass is on my list of to-do’s. On this route from mile 1.5 to mile 15 you are on Pyramid Lake Paiute Reservation, which requires a permit for day-use ($22) and camping ($32). It is an incredible landscape to travel through.

In the first 5 miles I passed Soda Springs. Water in the the desert is always a wonder. There are a handful of springs in the Smoke Creek Desert, I have often wondered what a bioblitz of these springs could yield.

The next eye catcher was the remains of the mudflows coming out of the Fox Range. I have never seen mud setup with such depth. Fortunately it was good and dry. There was one washout and a couple wet patches in the road but otherwise all was good. It wasn’t until miles 35-38 that the route was low on the playa and the conditions were soft. I didn’t try pedaling through the softest spots, but following jeep tracks seemed to work.

I ended my day just north of the train tracks near Godeys Rock. Godeys Gap is the separation between the Smoke Creek Desert and the Black Rock Desert. At this point I had rounded the northern point of the Fox Range. I was only 7 miles from Gerlach but it was a great time to camp. I was skirting our seasonal thunderstorms all day. The threatening clouds looked serious in the Fox Range and it looked like showers in the Granite Range and Buffalo Hills, but I stayed dry.

The next day I rode into Gerlach and helped the staff and volunteers at the FBRHR Visitors Center. There was loading and unloading of campout equipment and greeting and directing visitors coming out to the playa. But eventually I made a break for the campsite on the playa below Cassidy Mine.

I accessed the playa at 3 Mile (mile marker 3 on County Route 34). There are also 8 and 1st and 2nd 12 Mile playa Access. I normally use 12 Mile, but it was great to cruise the playa and stay off Co Rt 34. It was a bit of a gamble, was the playa going to be soft? Wet? The gamble was easy, the playa was fast and smooth. There were groups of users camping on playa for the busy weekend. I chatted with a couple of guys in a truck who were camped by Squaw Creek Reservoir. They were surprised to see a bikepacker on the playa. Eventually I made my way to camp and started greeting Rendezvous participants.

Saturday was filled with talks and activities. I signed-up for the Plant Walk, but very quickly the weather made it challenging. Overall it was a very resilient group to put up with the weather. In the end the weather just added to the beauty of the desert.

Sunday I hosted 5 riders for the Cassidy Mine Loop, 16.7 miles of designated routes along Hualapai Flat and the Black Rock Desert. It is a little rocky, a little sandy but a great intro to riding in the Black Rock Desert area. This is the third time I have hosted the ride, I think I need to modify the route for next year to keep it fresh for any repeat riders. Flowers were the show stopper this year.

Monday morning I broke camp at first light.  I was joined by photographer, Jeff Lock for my ride out. We discussed bike riding, naturally. A big part of it was how to get Jeff set up for bikepacking. I have long been a fan of Jeff’s photography. More than his photos, I appreciate his preparation, interest in meteorology and how it influences light on the landscape, and his “alpine starts” fit my style of adventure.

Eventually Jeff turned around and I left the playa. From putting several route portions together I thought I might have as much as an 80+ mile day ahead of me, but fortunately it was closer to 70. The first section from the playa to Smoke Creek/Surprise Valley Rd was fast paved and rolling.

Turning onto gravel you are riding along several Wilderness Study Areas; Poodle Mountain, Buffalo Hills, Twin Peaks, and Dry Valley Rim. Wilderness Study Areas are proposed by land managers, in this case the Bureau of Land Management, for their wilderness qualities. They enjoy all the protections of wilderness before they get congressional designation. I think of it as land protection purgatory. There are still cherry-stem roads into them, and roads around and between them.

There are ranches, markers indicating the Emigrant Trail, and a significant bridge crossing the Smoke Creek. There are a few interactions that I want to ride. I took the Reno Bike Project staff for a campout on the playa years ago. I would like to make a few zig zags across it, maybe on a full moon. Clearly the Smoke Creek Desert is a rich resource for bikepacking.

Everyone’s favorite topic, hot springs. The most popular spring here is Round Hole. Yes, it can have a powerful sulfur smell, but not the strongest I have smelled. The pool was looking the most inviting in memory. Round Hole is on Pyramid Lake Paiute Reservation land so be sure to have permits. A satellite scan of the area reveals a few springs to explore. I want to approach the springs from the desert floor.

Here is the loop around the Smoke Creek Desert on Ride with GPS. It is a great route on the edge of the desert and wilderness. I would like to add a playa component to it as well as a cherry stem road into/between Emerson Pass, Mullens Canyon, Wild Horse Canyon to Pah Rum Peak, and to the Buffalo Hills Wilderness Study Area. Although the area has relatively abundant water after this wet winter and spring, taking advantage of every water opportunity will be key.

Here is the Cassidy Mine Loop. Rides with Friends goal is to inspire stewardship though a connection to place through bike touring. I believe it is working. Ron Webber wanted to know a route he could share with friends visiting the playa. Mike and Tom invested a lot of time and effort to identify the plants along the ride with an enthusiasm that demonstrates a love for the place. There were two parties bikepacking routes from Rides with Friends past over this weekend. Kerri and Katie rode the Hot Springs Loop and Johanne and Halina rode the Calico Wilderness Loop. Awesome!

What is coming up?

• July 15-16 Rides with Friends #4, Fox Peak Loop Overnight
• Aug 12-13 RwF #5 Perseids Meteor Shower Campout
• Sept 16-17 RwF #6 Massacre Ranch Dark Skies
• Sept 23-24 Adventure Cycling’s Ride Your Park; Rye Patch Reservoir – Black Rock Point (following the Emigrant Trail)