Leaving Duferrena I took 140 west as far as Big Spring Reservoir, now a campground, where in  another lifetime I’d sat smoking hash in a ’60 Apache on the dry playa taking fascinated photos of the truck’s interior [as also mentioned in a blog from 2015; interesting to compare the two]*.

This time around there were primitive campsites, water in the reservoir, a Pacifico to swallow as

swallows flocked about and over above the Refuge more smoke than in the morning.

Being that was where I was going, I went, taking the first left off 140 after Big Spring to 8A, a right fork a few miles in onto 34A which climbed in sweeping curves to Catnip Canyon, gradually

descended past Catnip Reservoir before climbing again…further on,

somewhere after Mule Mountain and past Swan Lake Reservoir,

[Swan Lake Reservoir, 20×20″, acrylic on canvas, 2021-23]

the fire came fully into view, burning happily though by now surrounded by wildland crews from Lakeview.  The road out was unaffected but their traffic made it difficult to pull in at Last Chance Ranch due to the rigs there so I went partway up to the Yellow Peak Lookout instead

for a look back as spotters and tankers circled above the plume,

then turned around

for a nice long view south to Long Valley where the morning’s drive commenced and

headed down east into afternoon’s as on the right Beatys Butte lurked above Guano Valley way to the north – another trip for for another time.

Dropping from the Refuge to the upper reaches of Long Valley and CR34 proper the Lumix’

zoom was misbehaving so the rest of the trip was shot on an old Iphone and as a result I couldn’t get a good closeup of Board Corral Ranch, a dream project for another [way former]

time. The drive from there south to 8A remained uneventful, affording some last looks across Long Valley in the direction of Massacre Lake and over the mountains to Cedarville to refuel,

then back into Nevada, across Duck Flat, the Buffalo Hills

[those dark spots being ruined Mormon Crickets, every one]

and down, down to the desert and

home**, 8.5 hours…a good day and one I’d been thinking about for a good long while, eh.

*The interior pic above being accidental, less historical, but equally fascinating…as is the notion that I’ve been doing these blogs for nine years, probably more. Sheesh.

**Collapse the annoying sidebar when viewing link. Same goes for all google map links.