Beyond Death and a Return!

 Buenos Dias and welcome to another boring trip report on my activities in the west desert of Utah. The sun was finally out yesterday so we knew it had to be taken advantage of. We had be scouring Google Earth Pro for mines and buildings we had yet to see. The better half came up with some good choices in the small canyon east of Death Canyon. I searched topo maps and Google to find a name for it and the only thing I could come up with was Finders Road. The map I was using was old so just go with its the next road going north after Death Canyon. As you can see by the fotos, we struck paydirt!

The first mine we hit was one we had to work for. Some older maps show a road, most modern do not. And, there is not a road, per se. I am just going to tell you all to figure it out for yourselves. As for a name of this mine, again I struck out. The only named mine in the area was the Bar X over in Death Canyon. The better half found this interesting box in the cabin. This side says .50 caliber with tracers. Then the sides say something totally different. I figure some one needed a box and found what they could to make it. The building itself was interesting. Two telephone poles used to build the head frame were at one time bolted to the floor. The ore was brought out of the mine on an inclined track and dumped behind the building. It would be nice to be able to see one of these systems in their glory actually working. It pulled up the cars on about a 75° angle. This little area has shafts all over and needs to be explored further.

 Above you can see Fred. He was kind enough to pose for a foto. This mine is so off the grid due to no real way to get there unless you hike, or own a Jeep, that this guy has probably never seen a human. The only hint I will give you is look east going up Finders Road or you will not see it at all. 

 Further up the road is another huge ass mine area. There are two huge tailings piles about 1/2 mile apart both accessible buy vehicle. Both mines have been blown shut so all you can see is the out buildings and homes that were left. The road does a loop at the end so by staying on it you will see both mines and all the houses. From evidence we found, the place either had generators or actual electricity. I found the cooling unit out of an ancient fridge and wanted to bring it home but it was a wee bit heavy and large. Maybe next time. Finders Road is fairly decent and unless it is wet most vehicles could go up there. There is a cabin someone owns in the canyon so I advise you to stay out of their property. 

 We finished that area and headed back to Death Canyon to visit the places we couldn't get to last trip. We did take 2 roads I had not taken previously. We were rewarded with some cool things. One was this stone house. Who ever built it had some smarts. Not only did he hand build it but he chose a spot with one hell of a view. You can see for miles from this house and I actually had cell service out of Delta. This house seems to be a popular place judging on the garbage people have left and the amount of empty casings, mostly .223. I would recommend a high clearance vehicle for this trail and stay off it if it is wet.  

To end this blog, I am going to add this marker. You can click on the foto to read it. I liked it due to the guys first name. I have heard of some weird names but Philander? 

phi·lan·der

/fəˈlandər/

verb

1. (of a man) readily or frequently enter into casual sexual relationships with women.
2. He was a soldier from New York I am thinking after doing some research on his name. So if it was him, he was soon headed back east to fight in the Civil War. I bet he caught a lot of shit for his name, or, maybe he lived up to it! If you want to see all the fotos from my trips, go to http://www.mtnmad.com/ Jeep on my friends!