2nd qtr club run, the PET 6/4 to 6/7

Who:  The Utah DesertRunners and everybody else we can fool into coming along
What:  Drive the PET, tasting ghost towns and historical sites along the way
When: June 4th to June 7th

Itinerary:
June 4th: rendezvous in Vernon at 6pm, find camp near the base of the Sheeprock Mountains.
June 5th: explore mining ruins in the Sheeprocks, specifically Harker Canyon (Forest Rd 40) and the next canyon west (Forest Rd 090), then depart for camp at Simpson Springs on the PET.  This is a pay campground with vault toilets.
June 6th: break camp and drive the PET to Gold Hill, with stops at historical sites along the way.  Explore Gold Hill.  Find camp.
June 7th: break camp, then ??? - explore Gold Hill more, drive down to the Deep Creeks (~30 mi. south), drive up to the Silver Island mountains (~ 60 mi. north), hit a breakfast buffet in Wendover...

Total mileage depends on where you fill up, but it looks like about 235 miles from the Maverick in Eagle Mountain to Wendover *, and that's not factoring in driving around the sites we visit, or time spent idling the engine, etc.  For reference, a 3rd gen 4Runner with a 17 gallon gas tank averaging 14mpg will get 238 miles, so everybody should bring an extra five or ten gallons of gas to be safe (Ty, I don't know what mileage you'll get but if you're planning on turning around in Gold Hill and coming back the way we came, you'd better bring at least fifteen gallons ).  I have some extra gas cans I can loan out if anybody is lacking.  Other things to bring - tools, recovery gear, spares and fluids for your truck, extra food and water.  

What we'll miss:  yah, we're going to miss some stuff.  There's too much out there to pack into a three night trip.  There is much more mining activity around the south side of the Sheeprocks, enough that I expect I could spend several days just down there.  There's another glut of mining activity in the Dugway Range, just east of Fish Springs, I don't know about access there or what remains on the surface, but we're not going to find out this trip.  In the mountains near Fish Springs are caves that have been documented to contain prehistoric Native American relics - I highly doubt there's anything left there, but I'd still like to find them and there won't be time on this trip.  Also near Fish Springs and the Dugway range are the geode beds, where supposedly a little digging can yield treasure, We're goign to skip those.  Finally, we're going to miss most of Gold Hill - take a look at topo maps of the area and it becomes obvious that we could spend weeks or months visiting every shaft and adit.

This map has our rough route and camp locations: http://goo.gl/maps/8k0L9.  Anybody that can't make it out Thursday night should have an easy time finding us Friday, either up the canyons during the day or at the Simpson campground that night.
a: rendezvous in Vernon
b: camp Thursday night
c: camp Friday night
d: camp Saturday night (this location is approximate)

(* there's a Sinclair station in Vernon, last time I drove through there were no prices posted and I can't say for sure if the pumps will be on.  Don't count on getting gas in Vernon, plan on last gas in Stockton/Cedar Fort/Eureka and if the station in Vernon is open then bonus.)

Ty talked about limiting the number of trucks, thoughts? DAA kept our group of ten moving really well on his Ghost Town Tour a couple weekends ago, but he was a right asshole about just driving off and expecting everybody to keep up too .

Ten works for me. I don't think we'll have that many, and if we get overwhelmed with guys that didn't make the cut we can consider opening the limit and revising our schedule expectations.

I say we keep it at ten for now. Like you said, we probably won't get that many, but I think its a good number to make a max. To many trucks can be a crowd in my opinion.

Looks like 175 mile from my house to Gold Hill if I use your map. I have no idea what my mpg is, I don't even have an odometer right now.

Come to think of it, I don't think we will have more than 10 (unless we cross post to to RME and or ExpUt) but if we do it might be good to let people see what the group is like.  Not like we can really say you can't come out to public land with us!!!!

I say we keep it local with who has already been invited, then if a couple weeks prior we still have a super small group, then we post up over on those other sites.

Is there any free camping around Simpson Springs?? I don't have a problem paying the 5 bucks, but depending on how many of us end up going, it's only 2 vehicles per site. The group site requires a special permit for a min of $100?

Cost: $5.00 per campsite, per night. Limit 2 vehicles per site.

Permits: Required for all camping and day use. No reservations; sites available on first come/first serve basis.

Groups: A Special Recreation Permit (SRP) is required for large group camping up to 250 persons near the livestock corrals west of the campground. Minimum permit fee is $100

It's all BLM land, we can camp anywhere we want.  The nice thing about Simpson is it makes us super easy to find for anybody coming out Friday night, if we go looking for a primitive site that won't necessarily be the case.  I was thinking if we wanted to observe the letter of the law we'd just snap up three or four sites next to eachother and pick one to gather at.

If you guys would rather camp primitive and pay nothing, we can do that too.  I can run out and scout an easy-to-find spot between now and then.

I want it to stay easy. I don't have a problem paying. Just want to make sure we end up together.

Whats happening here?? Who is going??

Me!

I'm planning on making at least Friday and Saturday nights. Unless I get assigned to travel for work...

dutchman wrote:  Unless I get assigned to travel for work....

Ooh Mr big shot

By the way I made I through another round of layoffs

Ty wrote:
Ooh Mr big shot

By the way I made I through another round of layoffs

Yeah!! Congrats!

I am a maybe for fr/sat. It depends on family and work since I already have a lot of time off in June.

I'm working on the Thursday-Friday part of the trip. Friday is my normal off day, but Saturday my wife's work has one of those summer party things.

I might be able to make it down to hang out with you Thursday night, have to run home Friday though

Almost 2 weeks away. Any planning that needs to be done.

Well... count me out on this one. I just finished up my shocks, cv joints and sway bar links, along with some good tunes and my CB. Then Sunday my head gasket went. Crap. Gonna be out of commission for a bit... I'll have to catch up with you guys next time!

This still happening? Been awful quiet around here

I'm planning on it. Unless everyone else backs out.

Bennamin wrote:Well... count me out on this one. I just finished up my shocks, cv joints and sway bar links, along with some good tunes and my CB. Then Sunday my head gasket went. Crap. Gonna be out of commission for a bit... I'll have to catch up with you guys next time!

Bummer! It isn't quite the same, but I'm sure one of us could wrangle up some passenger space if you wanted to come along anyway?

Always quiet on a holiday weekend, Josh. Trip is definitely still on.

My heart was set on driving my 4R, but I may still be able to come along and drive my F150. Hate to act pretty, but is it going to be tight on the trails, or can I escape a new paint job? The F150 is the pretty truck, and that's why I got the 4R. I take it off road, but not into anything too hairy. The extent of 'beyond stock' on it is some Rancho Quick Struts on the front to level it up.

I'll be in my F150. We'll be fine on all the main roads, and if there's spots at Harker Canyon or Gold Hill that are too tight for a full size truck, we'll bum a ride or just get out and hike. Gonna be doing lots of walking anyway.

I may be in my F-150 if I don't get my fuel pump and such replaced on the 4runner.

Any rough idea where camp will be Thursday night? Since I will only be able to spend Thursday and early Friday out I'll probably go tool around on my own Thursday afternoon

Check the map in the first post - satellite shows a large flat spot right there with a bunch of trailers circled, I expect that's exactly where we'll be.