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Well, the trip is over, and honestly, it was utter failure; at least for me. I took the trip up a little early (Monday), and began heading out to Manning Canyon. I discovered that the project of reclamation had already begun, and my lack of research would have saved me some time trying to get up there, only to find it closed. So I started heading up to the mining community of Mercur, an area closed to main traffic by Berrick Mining Industries. An offroad 4x4 trail heads up the south side of the town, and it was my intention to gain access via this route. While climbing a steep hill of shale, my tires slipped loose and grabbed the boulders underneath, causing my engine to torque off the frame and destroyed my air intake system. So I managed the truck back down in reverse over the long, steep, curvy trail with no power steering, power brakes, or engine assist. I camped the night there with my trusty golden retriever, Katy, and waited for Stu and Crystal to get there around 4pm the next day. While waiting, I found the truck was movable in reverse with some great deal of effort to keep the engine running. I spent three hours moving the two miles back down to the main road.
When Stu and Crystal arrived, we threw all my stuff in their truck, ratchet strapped the dog in the back, and took the long bumpy road through Dry Canyon into Jacob City. When we arrived, we found all the mines we looked forward to, to be collapsed or gated in a way we could not gain entrance. We got out the dutch ovens and started cooking our roast and peach cobbler while we explored. A strong storm was brewing and the winds in the canyon were unmanageable, with no sign of easing. Without my truck, we were not prepared to camp under these conditions, so we headed back down via the Stockton route.
Once out of the canyon, we returned to our trusty campsite in Ophir. Thinking the storm had passed by this point, we slept under the stars. Around 3am, it lightly began raining, and by five, it was raining hard. Eventually, the rain soaked through our protection and into the sleeping bags and we became very wet. So we packed up early, upset with the weather. Crystal and I towed the truck back and eventually the misery of this trip was over.
Jacob City still has a lot of potential. Mines such as the Crystal Mine and the Skin Diver offer a fair bit of exploring, but access to further points is still needed.
The truck ended up not being as bad as I though. $350 for parts and labor to repair. Broke both engine mounts and torn the air intake hose. My ol' trusty truck is starting to see the end of her days.
When Stu and Crystal arrived, we threw all my stuff in their truck, ratchet strapped the dog in the back, and took the long bumpy road through Dry Canyon into Jacob City. When we arrived, we found all the mines we looked forward to, to be collapsed or gated in a way we could not gain entrance. We got out the dutch ovens and started cooking our roast and peach cobbler while we explored. A strong storm was brewing and the winds in the canyon were unmanageable, with no sign of easing. Without my truck, we were not prepared to camp under these conditions, so we headed back down via the Stockton route.
Once out of the canyon, we returned to our trusty campsite in Ophir. Thinking the storm had passed by this point, we slept under the stars. Around 3am, it lightly began raining, and by five, it was raining hard. Eventually, the rain soaked through our protection and into the sleeping bags and we became very wet. So we packed up early, upset with the weather. Crystal and I towed the truck back and eventually the misery of this trip was over.
Jacob City still has a lot of potential. Mines such as the Crystal Mine and the Skin Diver offer a fair bit of exploring, but access to further points is still needed.
The truck ended up not being as bad as I though. $350 for parts and labor to repair. Broke both engine mounts and torn the air intake hose. My ol' trusty truck is starting to see the end of her days.
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