Yesterday I got out early and rode up Horse Creek Wash starting off Highway 6 about 20 minutes south of Ely.
The wash empties into Steptoe Valley as a wide and shallow grass and sage valley.
Higher the valley narrows and the Pinon Juniper Forest encroaches.
Bike and flowing water trough. The water was coming from a solar powered well.
Most of the best limestone formations were still in the shade early morning, but this little one was shining brightly.
Flowing water!
The cabin at Horse Camp Spring. Looks like it was in pretty good shape until relatively recently, but pack rats had gotten in the through the rotten planks at floor level and were making a mess.
Apparently unused corral.
The meadow at Horse Camp. As I rode up I saw a small herd of Elk including two young ones. here.
This is another meadow with flowing water just above Horse Camp Spring.
I got up to the pass between Horse Camp Wash and Cattle Camp Wash relatively easily, so I checked my maps and decided to take on the big loop by heading over the pass.
Small but attractive Limestone formations along the way.
Came across this old cabin about midway down Cattle Camp Wash. It is entirely fenced in preventing access (I reached through to take the photo). There's the remnants of an old mine nearby, but I can't find any other info on it.
Wide open scenery lower down with Mt Grafton in the distance.
The USGS topo map calls this the Lund Group Well. The windmill was operational. The school bus was not! Note the solar panels for running a pump in the well too.
There were three or four of these "troughs" made from giant tires with float valves in the middle which were protected by metal cages. Serious engineering!
By this time it was getting warm, so I wet myself with the water and rolled on. About an hour later I was at the truck. I'm loving the adventure riding out here!
