4.3L XJ

Aug 7-15 2015 Nestled in the Northern Sierra Nevada mountains is the historic town of Downieville, CA. While not the only old mining town in the area, this town caters to tourism. It is a great town to walk around. Local lodging is available if you need it. We will be staying in a Forsest Service campground at Gold Lake. If you want, bring your boat, there is a ramp there. We will mix history and wheeling days, just to break it up. There is a lot of wheeling in this area. Here is a link to the wheeling available on the Tahoe National Forest. The trails we will visit will be as many as possible in the Gold Lake Rd and Hwy 49 areas.



http://www.fs.usda.gov/activity/taho...55444&actid=93



There will be wheeling for everyone. Most of the trails would be rated on as a 2 or three on a scale of one to five. Snake lake is around a 4. We will also be going to some "diggins" where you can encounter a little of everything, from mud to large rocks. Also on the itinerary will be numerous old mines and exploration for artifacts, two museums and the town of Sierra City and Johnstown. All of these towns are steeped in history. Might have to hit town for some pizza and touristy shopping too. We will be eating on the trail most days, so you will need to be prepared to carry food and water. We discourage drinking while driving. It doesn't make for good decisions off road. Drink later in camp or town. Minimum altitude is around 5400" and maximum is 8600'. And we plan on climbing that much in one afternoon when we go to Sierra Buttes for a view you probably cannot get anywhere else. Make sure your cooling systems are up to it. You can contact me on this forum if interested

762ch

Up for some Gold lake! I have a small group I will try and talk into showing up.

762ch

Haven't heard from OP. Is this still on?

4.3L XJ

Worry we didn't get back to you. There was some crap going on here at the time and I got disgusted. Gonna give this another try. Yes we went and had a great time.

We made it back after nine days of wheeling. Well, I suppose technically it was only eight, one being needed for repairs. Did we take pics, only about two gigs worth. So I won't post all of them, but we burned up about 60 gallons of gas off road alone. And we didn't get near as much covered as I planned. I kind of thought we would see most of the area, but not a chance. I studied my maps and checked the net and I had it all planned out. But the multitude of roads marked 4WD on a topog map it turns out might mean anything. It varies by federal and state agencies and by national forests. I thought I would see one tough road to Snake Lake and a bunch of roads I kind of had to slow down on. Not a chance. There were some I had to slow down on, but there were some good tough trails here that would challenge just about anyone that are not publicized. So like Arnold, I'LL BE BACK!

Day 1

I had been working on the Jeep converting the brakes over to WJ brakes front and rear. Loved them, made the Jeep stop on a dime and give change. But I have to say I ended up fussing with stuff, and a lot of rubbing with my stock wheels will have to go now that I am back. So I got to Gold Lake Friday afternoon and got the last camp space left. It had a steep driveway to park on. Not a problem for me Threw up a couple of tents, paid the fees and went wheeling while I was waiting for my wife to show up with the pick up and most of the camp gear. She likes to bring the kitchen sink, but I keep telling her there is no place to plug in the garbage disposal.

Off to Squaw Lake I went. The road right out of the camp site is marked 4WD, and there is a free 4WD camp maintained by the Forest Service about a mile and a half from the main camp. I went to check that out.



Outside of the tire, this was a nice place to camp. And as it turned out, always had nice spaces open. It was a 4WD road, but the pickup with a locker could make it in. We are seriously thinking this is our next place to camp. So on the way back, there was a little half mile jaunt to Squaw Lake.





This looked like a nice campsite too, but I found out later it is frequently crowded here. I was just traveling along back to camp, maybe a wee bit fast when I hit something kind of hard. Then I felt a funny vibration in the front



I was hoping I just popped a bead, so I got the air out and gave it some air. It did pump up, but that three inch hole in the sidewall was a dead givaway. This one was a goner. Changed it. Not to self. Do something about that factory jack.

4.3L XJ

Day 2

This was going to be a long day of wheeling and searching for townsites. We got an early start for us, around 8:30 and made the trip down Hwy 49 to Downieville, about 20 mi away and 2,000 lower in elevation. We hit the Saddleback Road immediately out of town and started to make up that 2000 foot drop and then some. One thing about the roads around here, they are almost all steep. I was climbing it in 2WD in the 3.8 ratio in the Atlas and still needed to turn on the aux fan to keep it all cool. The road sat on a 100% slope and was kind of narrow. We passed numerous mine sites I thought it would be cool to explore, but with the price of gold being what it is, they were all being worked with lots of No Trespassing signs. So on we went to the Poker Flat OHV trail. We went in and out of the trees on a steep grade











Until we hit the top, then it was another world











Then we started down a steep narrow road into the canyon. Non of it was technical, but I had the tcase in 10:1 range to save the brakes. It was steep enough the engine was screaming all the way





Then we hit the bottom



Around the next bend was something I didn't really expect





So it was time for lunch before doing a little exploring



Just beyond our picnic table was our first relic.





This was a gravel separator. Those strips of steel on top are actually ore cart rails

4.3L XJ

We found some people hiking and stopped to talk. They were curious about the Jeep, so we talked a little. Then we continued on. They said they would follow us out in their XJ.

So on we went looking for evidence of a town of about 1500 people.



We saw many foundations, but nothing else left. The elements are very harsh up here and can erase almost anything







These rocks were all piled by hand and you can make out the stepped nature of it



An old steam manifold. Somebody worked hard on the mold for that casting





On the way out we found something unexpected.



A pipe, so what? This pipe ran down hill for quite a ways to the town. It was actually the source of power for something and likely ran a Pelton Water Wheel. These were the source of power for just about everything in the mining district since all the trees had been cut down for lumber or fire wood for steam boilers. But more on that later.



We left Poker Flat behind. The way up was just as steep as going down. Beats me how they transported anything in a wagon out of here. We met our acquaintances in the XJ on the way. I was in the 3.8 range and had my foot in the gas with all fans going to keep it cool. I imagine they were letting theirs cool down a little.

Next stop was Howland Flat

4.3L XJ

Don't get the idea that all these towns were named after flats spots. There is usually a bit of mining humor in town names. Poker Flat had only one flat spot, the one in the first pic. Howland Flat was named after the founder and inhabited as recently as 1980 when the last resident died.





















All that is left of the Wells Fargo Bank. The part standing was the vault

4.3L XJ

We always try to visit the grave yards. Sometimes you can find some interesting things on head stones. At forst, we thought we had stumbled on to some worship site









But these were matching banisters around family grave plots



The grave of Howland Flats last resident



The folks we met in the XJ passed us again and we waved to them. On to the next town, St Louis. No we are not in MS



Sadly, this is all that is left of the town. Both of these towns were hydraulic mining towns. When the gold began to run out in the stream and river beds, people quickly figured out that you could wash the soil from many areas down through an industrial sized sluice box and get the gold that way. It was a somewhat lazy buy destructive way to mine. Water was diverted through ditches from just about every stream and river in the area to either power a water wheel or a monitor like this to literally wash away mountains. Unfortunately, it is a sad testament to what gold fever can do when you wash away your home or place of business just for a little more gold. St Louis is no more.

From the ditch the water was channeled through hand made riveted pipes like this one. These are common around the diggins, but almost always smashed flat. Notice all the riveting that had to be done to make one of these out of flat sheet metal

4.3L XJ

St Louis was a fair sized town of about 1500 people. That seems to be the average size of a hydraulic mining town. The town was washed away by greed, but they left their dead. The graveyard was a short distance away. We met our new friends at the graveyard and stopped to talk a little more and invited Chase to join our forum.











This ornate grave was for a family from Prussia. The wife died presumably from complications from child birth, then the baby a few days later and then the husband less than a year later. The wife was 20 and the husband 25. Life was tough in the mining district. We saw many people that either died in their 20s, 40s or much later. Didn't see many in between. There is not a lot left of this ornate railing, but I saw another intact one in the Downieville graveyard as I drove by. Must have been a local supplier in the area.

4.3L XJ

On to the next town. Chase and I said good-bye at the next intersection. They were going back to camp at Little Grass Valley Reservoir. We were going on to Port Wine. On the way, we traveled next to the road to feed the monitors.



This is a breech in the side caused by erosion. We could have driven the Jeep inside this one. The survey notes we used to find original section corners in this area when I was working for the Forest Service had literally hundreds of these ditches recorded where they crossed section lines.

This is most of what is left of Port Wine. The iron doors were for the general store







You can see the basement and main floor level in this pic. The basement was where they stored anything we would think to put in the refrigerator today. It would keep stuff about 55° in any weather



This and one other flat spot is all the rest of the evidence of the town site. This one too succumbed to gold fever. You might think these people were inclined to drink with a name like Port Wine. But mining humor being what it was, this was actually a dry town full of religious people. They were noted for their snow shoe racing and other competitions with other towns.



This is what it used to look like

We back tracked and headed for the town of La Porte (the E is not pronounced today). We came across this bridge. This was all there was for bridges in the 30s





Al that is left of another bridge. No such thing as I beams then, this was all hand riveted together

4.3L XJ

Day 3

Today we got a late start. Wife did a lot of home cooking in camp. We were headed to Devils Post Pile, but we couldn't get close enough and didn't think the hike was worth it. I think we are getting soft. But we did see some nice scenery.





So we back tracked and went to the Empire mine diggins. There was a town here, but it was never named and nothing exists of it now except the graveyard.





Again all these rocks were piled by hand. The water had to flow freely so it would carry the gold to the sluice box. Otherwise it would deposit around the rocks. We did a little wheeling here. It is kind of like wheeling in a free off road park

Here is one of the ditches that fed the monitors. You can park two Jeeps side by side in this one. One little known fact about the mining country is that all this infrastructure was made with hand tools and maybe a draw box. It was all done by Chinese immigrants that were desperate to get away from their homeland. Many were indentured for the passage and the passage of families later. Gold could never have been extracted in the quantities it was without them. Every town of any size had a Chinese section to handle menial tasks like laundry and run the local opium den. Opium came in small tins that looked like sardine cans. I have found some at townsites many years ago





This is all that was left of the graveyard. One displaced and broken head stone and two other graves, one unmarked. These folks had the fever bad enough they were literally washing coffins out of the hillside. Another sad testament to what greed for riches can do

Supper that night was Garlic Spaghetti. We brought the food processor along and used the inverter to power it

4.3L XJ

Day 4

Had a visitor in camp in the morning



Just old enough to loose the spots. Had a friendly chipmunk too. He kept up the speedy act getting closer to the food with every pass. Closed up the food and that was the end of the friendliness.

Today was the day for Snake Lake. Just about everyone says this is a bad *** trail. There are three ways to access it, one being from our camp. So off we went. Kept it in 2WD on the official Gold Lake 4X4 trail. After we passed the 4X4 camp, it actually got better.





Then it got a little rougher



Then you won't believe what I found just off the trail.



I am jealous. Even the wife was thinking this is the ideal to beat the neighbor problem. And you can get a little entertainment with 4X4 traffic going up a slight little rocky part of the trail



The view from the back porch

Then we came to something else we didn't expect



We did see one cow that day. I guess that is reason enough for a cattle guard.







Anybody want a shroom? This one would be a little tough, but pretty

4.3L XJ

We got to the top thinking this is not so bad at all. Took a small break and some pics.



A nice wee 6' diameter pine tree. Not so tall though. Conditions are kind of harsh here. Probably in the 500 year old range. We continued on and found a nice little pond along the trail



Then we got a view of Snake Lake. This was supposed to be a nasty trail and so far, nothing to concern anyone with a decently built Jeep. Then we started down toward the lake and found out why this is famous. It suddenly got rough, the rocks got bigger and the trail narrower. My copilot said that was too much for the Jeep. At this point, backing up was not in the future, so down we went. My photographer was hanging on for dear life, and I wasn't stopping. Scraped the rock rails a couple of times, dropped off a rock and bounced the front skid off something solid, scraped the long arms a few times and made it to the bottom. Saw a JK parked with no one around. So here it is





We started around the bottom of the lake and got on another trail that connects to the Gold Valley OHV trail, and decided we wanted to to back towards camp. We turned around and things got a little dicey. The refrigerator I carry in the back developed a short from getting bounced around a lot. The cord got pinched and the smoke filled the inside. Opened up the back and turned off the inverter and continued on. It did it again, only worse. Everybody bailed out. Apparently the inverter keeps the hot leg hot and only switched on the neutral leg. Unplugged the fridge this time and continued on. Or at least thought I was. The batteries were drained. Got the Genius Boost out and jumped the battery and started it up. Let a JKU on 40s pass me and then the spare tire came unlatched from all the bouncing and got bent up. Trashed the mounting on the body too. I couldn't get it latched again even with a pry bar, so removed the spare and tied it down. Had trouble finding the trail we wanted and went to turn around and the steering felt weird. Went another couple of feet and things were not right. The castle nut on the tie rod had come off and the tie rod was jammed in the wheel. I found a lug nut and put the tie rod back where it belonged and found the threads boogered up. Got out the impact and hit it with that while pounding on the top of the tie rod end to get a little friction. Didn't get it all the way tight.



This was the best I could do. We drove out with it that loose, without further problems thankfully. Going up the hill on the west side is supposed to be easier. It is, but my copilot was complaining again and said she was not having any fun. I wasn't stopping and then she said, "You are not going to make it up that". Wish I had pics, but next time. Up ahead was a three foot pointed rock with a slick rock sloping down on the left and a stepped rock as tall with sand on it on the right. I took the left side and put the drivers wheel on the slick rock and the passenger side up the rock, hit the point with the center of the tire and never spun a wheel. Copilot is quiet now and we headed back to camp without incident. However she did say no more of that.

4.3L XJ

Day 5

It didn't start out well. A bear had visited our cooler at night



He didn't get much. Two chocolate bars and some cheese. Left all the veggies and couldn't get the plastic bottle of Parmesan cheese open. Doesn't like nuts and berries I guess. I predict this one dies of a heart attack soon.



My spare went flat overnight too. Went to pump it up and the AC compressor locked up. Oh well, I have a spare and that one did last ten years doing something it was not designed to do. Left in the pickup and went back to my shop to get a spare tie rod end and castle nut. Wouldn't you know it, grabbed the wrong size.



I had to use the grinder to cut off the end of the old tie rod.



Fortunately the tie rod flip insert was not hurt. But I still did not have a castle nut.

4.3L XJ

Day 6

Spent most of the day looking for a castle nut locally. Couldn't find one within 50 miles. So I made one by taking the grinder to a lug nut. Worked like a charm and still on there.

Got the flat repaired. It had Cedar needles in the bead. Good to go now.

The day was not a total loss. We went to some local petroglyphs.







This last one has a bear paw in it. This is usually attributed to more modern Indians like the ones that were here in the mining era.