Cave Lake

Nevada’s Cave Lake is a very popular state park for people who love outdoor recreation. The 32-acre reservoir sits at 7,300

feet and has an average depth of 25 feet and 60 feet at the deepest. The last time I was there it was in early March and the lake was still frozen over. I arrived too late to see the annual White Pine Fire and Ice Show, which features ice and snow sculpturing. But there were ice fishermen hard at work, plying the water for trout. I didn't see any of them catch any fish, but they seemed to be pretty content anyway. As of 2006, Cave Lake holds the record for the largest German brown trout, weighing more than twenty-seven pounds. If you like crayfish, fresh water cousins to lobsters, well there’s a large population of them that’s pretty easy to spot along the shoreline.

    Some people consider Cave Lake State Park to be the most beautifully situated parks in Nevada. Richard Moreno, author of Backyard Traveler says, “The dark emerald lake is situated in a scenic niche in the mountains, surrounded by forests of pinyon and juniper. Above the lake is a small yawning cave—the namesake of the lake—and ridges of rough, crumbling granite peaks weathered by countless centuries of icy winters and hot summers.”

    In 2012 Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation, a national organization, invited Facebook subscribers to help determine the top eight natural "waterparks" or state parks, for boating and fishing in America. There were 24 nominees and after eight weeks of voting Cave Lake State Park wound up as one of the top eight for fishing, boating and family fun.

    There's a pretty good campground adjacent to the lake. It offers the usual camping sites. If you decide not to pitch a tent or park your RV, you could stay in one of the yurts. I just might do that some day.

Cave Lake State Park is located in White Pine County, Nevada 15 miles southeast of Ely.

Note: Nomads in the steppes (grassland plains) of Central Asia traditionally built yurts as dwellings. They were well insulated, weatherproofed and above all portable. The first written evidence of them dates back to 484 BC when the Scythians, a horse riding-nomadic nation used them. Yurts were designed in such a way that they could be dismantled and then loaded onto camel or yaks and transported to the next location. It took an experienced nomad about two hours to build one. The yurt at Cave Lake has a wood lattice frame, plywood floor and canvas wall and ceiling.

Alabama Hills, California

Return with me now to the thrilling days of yesteryear when out of the West rode: Tom Mix, Hopalong Cassidy, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, Gene Autry, the Durango Kid and many others too numerous to mention. In each of their movies they chased the bad guys past rock formations that became legendary in the annals of western movie making. These potato-shaped, weathered granite boulders are the Alabama Hills. They sit under the shadow of the Sierra just as they have for millions of years. In the early days of movie making, Hollywood directors and producers discovered these rocks and made them famous. Over 400 movies and about a dozen TV shows have been produced in this location.

    When Gunga Din (Sam Jaffe) blew his bugle to warn the regiment of an ambush in what was suppose to be the Khyber Pass, it was really Alabama Hills

    When the gladiator, Russel Crowe, rode his horse in what was suppose to be Spain, it was really Alabama Hills.

    When rangers were ambushed and all except one survived, later known as the Lone Ranger, it was really Alabama Hills.

    When Major Kearny (Gary Cooper) hunted for the gang of jayhawkers and Confederate soldiers who stole Union army horses, it was really Alabama Hills.

    When the star-studded cast of How the West Was Won drove their wagons through mountain country, it was Alabama Hills.

    And when I looked for an interesting spot to expose some film, it was, you guess it, Alabama Hills.

    If or when you decide to visit this hallow ground of movie nostalgia, make sure you first stop in Lone Pine and investigate the Beverly and Jim Rogers Museum. They have a collection of old movie memorabilia that covers all the movies ever produced in the area. The collection includes costumes, cars, props, posters and a whole bunch of fun stuff. While you there glom onto the Self Guided Tour of Movie Road and you’ll be set for a fun trip. Failing that, Google it and see what you missed.

                        Note: Mount Whitney is just right of center at the top of the photograph.

Sand Mountain

About twenty miles east of Fallon on US-50, The Loneliest Road in America, there’s a very large dune called appropriately Sand Mountain. The dune is two miles long and stands 600 feet high. Where did all that sand come from? This giant sand pile sits at the edge of prehistoric Lake Lahontan. When that ancient lake dried up, about 9,000 years ago, it left behind sand. The wind piled most of that sand in one spot.

    Sand Mountain is a singing sand dune. Here’s why… Dunes are capable of producing sound; the sound has been described as either singing, whistling or barking. In order for there to be any sound, certain conditions must exist: the sand grains must be round and under a millimeter in size, the sand must contain silica, and the air must have a certain humidity. If all of those conditions are met, then the sound can be caused by the wind passing over the surface, or simply walking on the sand.

    Today, Sand Mountain is a recreational area managed by the Bureau of Land Management. It’s open to off-highway vehicles. But those ATVs have to be careful, not only for safety reasons, but also because the area is home to the Sand Mountain Blue Butterfly and it’s their only home, because unlike other butterflies, the Mountain Blue doesn’t migrate. The larva will only eat Kearney buckwheat, which grows on the dune. The BLM has closed several off-road trails in order to protect the species. There are strict rules and users must pay either a weekly or yearly fee.

    You can go there to test your dune buggy driving skills, observe butterflies, and/or walk the dune listening for singing silica. Whatever the reason, it’s still worth a stop just to see up close one colossal pile of sand.