New Member Here

[RedRockXJ]

Found this site from abc4.com

I'm familiar with underground mine exploration, but wouldn't call myself a pro yet. I'm looking for some new ideas and areas to explore, and hopefully this place will help with that.

Here's a few of my trips. Sorry, I'm too lazy to post all the details here right now, so I'll just give the links.

http://www.utah4x4club.com/index.php?showtopic=4157

http://www.utah4x4club.com/index.php?showtopic=3937

[Mike]

Welcome RedRockXJ!
Good to have you on the site. Looks like you've got some time inside some mines. Good for you! That death canyon location is an interesting one. I've been wanting to head out there for a couple months now. Might be time for a trip down.

[Stuart]

Hey Chief

Welcome to the site! I Read all about your scuff with ABC4 and I'm still fuming over it! I am glad to hear about the action our good buddy Corey is taking on the subject. If you are interested, we are heading back up into the Honerine area on Jun. 17th and 18th. I figure you could show us some interesting things in the area. Those posts on the Utah 4x4 site are really well put together, feel free to post all you want on here.

-Mojave

[RedRockXJ]

To be honest, I have no desire to go back in the Honerine. I've been in it three times, and each time I go back it looks worse and worse. Even though I'm all for defending our historic mines as safe, this is one I don't trust anymore.

[Mike]

When was the last time you were there? I got a feeling that it may be part of the massive closures OGM did back in '06, '07. Do you know if its still open in any way?

[RedRockXJ]

I was there once during the summer, and twice last fall. So around Octoberish. And every time I went back, it looked worse.

It is still open, but you have to crawl through two ceiling-collapse points at the entrance. And while in the mine, there are about a half-dozen ceiling-collapse points that you crawl through to progress further. You'll notice that in most places, the ceilings and walls crumble just by touching them with your fingers. The walls are very soft.

Also, be sure to wear a dust mask if you go. We all got really really sick from one of our adventures due to the amount of arsenic.

[Mike]

Hmm... Sounds like the Honerine Mine is a krufty mine indeed. Still worth checking out. We'll be sure to take some dust masks in when we go. Thanks for the tip. We might just end up tinkering around in that mine for a bit and head out to some of the others in the area. That Bauer mine sounds pretty cool. Might be worth exploring around to see what we can find.

[RedRockXJ]

The Bauer is actually an irrigation tunnel that runs two thousand feet under the mountain range. It's about 7 miles long, and large enough to drive a locomotive in. Most all of the larger Stockton mines have vertical shafts that connect to it for irrigation purposes.

There is only two entrances to the tunnel. The first is in the ghost town of Bauer but the entrance was closed back in the late 80's. It is said that the tunnel is completely under water but I don't believe that. If you go to the entrance you will see that water still runs out of it through irrigation pipes, the little creek and spring in the center of the ghost town is all the water running from the Tunnel.

The second entrance is located at the other end and is a very large shaft that has been rebarred over with a latch and pad lock. I have not been able to figure out exactly where this is, but I believe it's shortly north of Jacob's City.

Any other access to it would have to be from one of the mines like the Honerine. But you'd need quite a bit of rope to rappel that kind of a distance (1,000 feet).

It's been said that everything was basically left behind when the tunnel was abandoned. So the locomotives and other cool stuff should still be inside.

[Mike]

Holy Cow! Now thats some Google Earth posting! Perhaps the best I've seen. Way to go. Those maps provide us some good information as to whats out there. Can't wait to head out there!

[RedRockXJ]

Thanks Mike, and be safe!