Treasure Chest. November Newsletter for the Sierra Treasure Hunters 4WD club P.O. Box 963, Rocklin, CA 95677

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1 Treasure Chest November 2010 Newsletter for the Sierra Treasure Hunters 4WD club P.O. Box 963, Rocklin, CA 95677

Club Officers President - Ron Kellogg Past President -

Corbett Treasurer - Kathy Medley Trailmaster - Steve

Kerley Ways & Means - Andrea Harris Webmaster - Rory Huber

com Our Forests, Our Heritage Our lands - Use Without

2 Club Officers President - Ron Kellogg Past President - Will Corbett Vice President - Matt Hoey Secretary - Des Corbett Treasurer - Kathy Medley Trailmaster - Steve Medley State Delegate - Randy Burleson Membership - Rick Kerley Ways & Means - Andrea Harris Webmaster - Rory Huber Editor - Rich Currie Web Site Our Forests, Our Heritage Our lands - Use Without Abuse Keep Them Green, Keep Them Clean Mailing Address P.O. Box 963 Rocklin, CA 95677

November 2010 Issue XLVII (47) Edition 5 President s Column article by Ron Kellogg STH Club President s Message: The weather is changing, November is here and that means it s time for our annual

Fishing was good, fish were not as abundant as they were in July of last year but larger and cooler weather.

3 November 2010 Issue XLVII (47) Edition 5 President s Column article by Ron Kellogg STH Club President s Message: The weather is changing, November is here and that means it s time for our annual Turkey Shoot. Will Corbett has again agreed to organize this event, let s all try to attend, this is always a fun time. Event details to follow. My son Mike and I just returned from La Paz, Mexico. Fishing was good, fish were not as abundant as they were in July of last year but larger and cooler weather. This year we added a day trip to a National Park, Islas Archipielago de Espiritu Santos where we snorkeled with sea lions, what an amazing experience! While there we noticed that several SCORE officials and others were in town preparing for the November BAJA This year the course will be from Ensenada to La Paz and we were informed that every room in town is booked. The November 4 th STH club meeting will be at our house, we will send out directions and RSVP. Your club president, Ron (aka Spiderman).

4 Wheeling with Uncle Willy By Kimber Hoey (Matt consulting!) Kanab, Utah, Oct 6-11, 2010 For those of you unable to come to Kanab this year, I recommend you make it part of your plans the next time around. What a spectacular trip! The scenery was incredible on day one and just kept getting better every day. Uncle Willy pulled out all the stops and was an excellent tour guide and host! Also of note, it was Macey and Tessa Currie s first four wheel drive trip of their young lives. What troopers at 5 months old, enjoying formula heated up in the engine compartment and riding up the sides of mesas. Besides the twin s parents Tina and Rich, Dick and Deluea Shannon, Des and Will Corbett, Andrea Harris and the Hoeys made the trip. Now for some details: Day One: Everyone battled heavy rains, hail and thunderstorms on the way to Utah. As we were all rolling in to Uncle Willy s from different roadways (and stops along the way), we were greeted with a warm fire and chair in Uncle Willy s spacious work shop, listening to the rain and thunder on the rooftop, hoping it would clear up by tomorrow. Throughout our stay the shop turned out to be our evening gathering place where we shared pictures and stories at the end of a long day of wheeling (not to mention a repair for Dick). Day Two: Our wishes came true and the day turned out to be sunny and dry. We had to navigate a few muddy spots in the roads but overall the moisture was readily absorbed into the clay/sand and the wheeling was great. Our first stop was the old film site of the TV series Gunsmoke. The set was on private property and Uncle Willy got special permission for us to jump the fence and look at the set up close and personal. Many of the building were still standing to include the gallows at the end of main street. I was not aware of it, but several hundred western movies and TV series were filmed in the Kanab area to include the Outlaw Jose Wales, MacKenzie s Gold, Daniel Boone, and F Troop, to name but a few. I am planning to rent a few of those just to check out the background scenery. continued

A short, but very steep, hike got us to the cave entrance. A few yards in was a large drop off with 2 wood planks spanning the abyss.

5 Wheeling with Uncle Willy By Kimber Hoey (Matt consulting!) Kanab, Utah, Oct 6-11, 2010 Next stop was Montezuma s cave. It was reported that Montezuma hid some of his treasure in the extensive caves and tunnels in one of the mesas. A short, but very steep, hike got us to the cave entrance. A few yards in was a large drop off with 2 wood planks spanning the abyss. We decided that we did not have the proper spelunking tools to go further. Though we did not find any treasures we were rewarded with a spectacular view out the mouth on the cave to the valley below. continued

They were in a large indentation in the rocks that must have served as shelter and home to the early Indians.

It was probably the most clear pictographs I have seen of men and beasts. Then it was on to Inchworm Arch.

Stopping at the top it seemed pretty uniform until you walked off the trail a bit to the side of the mesa.

6 Wheeling with Uncle Willy By Kimber Hoey (Matt consulting!) Kanab, Utah, Oct 6-11, 2010 Uncle Willy then took us to see some pictographs believed to be from the Anasazi. They were in a large indentation in the rocks that must have served as shelter and home to the early Indians. There were also several bowl like areas worn down in the rock floor, used for grinding their grains. It was probably the most clear pictographs I have seen of men and beasts. Then it was on to Inchworm Arch. We had a nice ride up a mesa through some juniper forest. Stopping at the top it seemed pretty uniform until you walked off the trail a bit to the side of the mesa. Two beautiful rock arches where perched along the side. It was not a problem to get down to the arches, unless you were my less than brave pooch, Indy, who chose to watch over the edge. It was a great photo opportunity. I would not be surprised to see a few in the Christmas postcards this year as we all posed in the arches. continued

Wheeling with Uncle Willy By Kimber Hoey (Matt consulting!) Kanab, Utah, Oct 6-11, 2010 On the way down we passed through Semon s Wash, a scenic trail meandering through a red walled canyon.

The slabs were broken into large segments some leaning on the downward slope of the mesa. Some were well preserved 3 toed prints about 2+ times the size of my hand.

No wonder Hollywood used the area extensively. Next on the itinerary was a hike through Peek-a-Boo Slot Canyon, in the Hog Canyon trail complex. What a memorable experience.

7 Wheeling with Uncle Willy By Kimber Hoey (Matt consulting!) Kanab, Utah, Oct 6-11, 2010 On the way down we passed through Semon s Wash, a scenic trail meandering through a red walled canyon. It was a very nice end to a great day. Day Three: We traveled up another mesa to see dinosaur tracks in slabs of stone. The slabs were broken into large segments some leaning on the downward slope of the mesa. Some were well preserved 3 toed prints about 2+ times the size of my hand. It is amazing that they are still here and intact. The view off the mesa was spectacular. The whole area has tall vermillion cliffs that dominate the landscape and made for incredible backdrop. No wonder Hollywood used the area extensively. Next on the itinerary was a hike through Peek-a-Boo Slot Canyon, in the Hog Canyon trail complex. What a memorable experience. The canyon walls were high with rounded curves. The walls were so very close together in spots it seemed like they were slow dancing. At some points you could only fit one person across. The light coming down from the top of the canyon walls added to the effect. The dogs really enjoyed running back and forth through the long canyon. Day Four: We spent the day driving through the Hog Canyon trail complex again. The Hog Canyon provided some good wheeling with sand and rocks winding through stands of junipers. We lunched and some white pinnacles, surrounded by white sand and sage. We capped the day by visiting the Moqui Cave which is essentially a museum with Indian artifacts, dinosaur relics and quite a collection of iridescent rocks. continued

Wheeling with Uncle Willy By Kimber Hoey (Matt consulting!) Kanab, Utah, Oct 6-11, 2010 Day Five: First to the Paria movie set.

In the process of moving the sets, vandals came in and burnt the new frames to the ground.

The area reminded me of a small Grand Canyon, with dramatic vermillion cliffs, and hills with alternating colors of sage green, white and red. Pretty cool.

8 Wheeling with Uncle Willy By Kimber Hoey (Matt consulting!) Kanab, Utah, Oct 6-11, 2010 Day Five: First to the Paria movie set. Many movies were filmed in the area though the actual buildings are no longer standing. A flash flood put the area at risk, so the buildings were dismantled and moved uphill. In the process of moving the sets, vandals came in and burnt the new frames to the ground. Luckily the original boards from the sets were not yet up and are still available when funds are available to restart the project. Uncle Willy is on the committee to restore the site. The area reminded me of a small Grand Canyon, with dramatic vermillion cliffs, and hills with alternating colors of sage green, white and red. Pretty cool. It is also the site of the pioneer town of Paria which was abandoned in the early 1900s. Just when we thought the scenery could not get more dramatic, Uncle Willy took us right up the side of a mesa on Smoky Mountain Road. The Smoky Mountians has a high concentration of coal shale giving it a smoky color. In some area they could have used it for a moonscape set. In fact, Planet of the Apes was filmed in the area. The coal system is throughout the mountains. Years ago lightning struck a vein and lit it on fire. The coal underground has been burning ever since. On top of the mesa we saw, and smelled, several burning vents.back to the ride up the side of the mesa it is called Kelly s grade. At the bottom, you are looking at the road disappearing into the base of the mesa and wondering where does that road go? It carves right into the side. At one point you are on a very narrow road with sheet cliffs to the right up and left down. I can think of several club members who would have chosen to walk that section! I thought about it, but that might have been even more precarious feeling. Several switchbacks later you make your way around to the canyons inside of the mesa. WOW! Several more miles of winding cliff-side roads and you make it to the top of the mesa. The view looks down on Lake Powell and the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. The ride down was the reverse but I was able to relax more and really enjoy the view from the cliff side. continued

An establishment that caters to tour outfits from all over the world.

For our supper, we had to participate in a short skit called How the West was Lost. Giving our acting, the name is appropriate.

It was a hoot and there is a picture floating around somewhere Day Six: It was time for us to pack up and call it a trip.

9 Wheeling with Uncle Willy By Kimber Hoey (Matt consulting!) Kanab, Utah, Oct 6-11, 2010 That night we were treated to a western cookout in Kanab s Little Hollywood. An establishment that caters to tour outfits from all over the world. We had a bus of tourist from Sweden joining our small STH contingent. For our supper, we had to participate in a short skit called How the West was Lost. Giving our acting, the name is appropriate. The STH men were the cavalry and the women were Indians. It was a hoot and there is a picture floating around somewhere Day Six: It was time for us to pack up and call it a trip. Andrea was off to Southern California. The Shannons, Corbetts and Hoeys headed to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and the Curries headed home via Zion. What an area to have all that in your backyard! I know I speak for the group in giving special thanks to Uncle Willy for showing us the sites and providing us with the rich history of the area. I would put this trip as my all time favorite wheeling adventures!!

11 A Visit to Uncle Willy s House article by: Will Corbett After a year of planning, the time to leave finally came at 3:00 PM on Oct 3. Our scheduled dates to visit were the 6th -12 th, and since we were traveling with Des folks, we thought it would be nice to take a couple of days to get there, and see some of the sights along the way. See turned out to be a little optimistic We were headed to Ely, NV for the night, originally planning to stay at a motel in town. Dick & Deleaua (D&D, for future reference) left in the morning of the same day, figuring they would take a bit longer to get there towing their Cruiser, and hauling their camper. Little did they know About noon time that day, I got a call from Deleaua saying that they had stopped at Cabela s for a pit stop, and came out to find a flat tire on their trailer. I had experienced 2 flats on the same trailer both going and coming home from Trek, so I know the pain in the butt that it can be. While they changed the tire, I looked up some tire stores that might be open on a Sunday (not many) in Reno, and called them back with my results. After my experiences at Trek, Dick had rightly gone out and bought all new tires for this trip, so frustration would be putting mildly his feelings with this occurrence. A couple of hours later, they called back saying that they were back on the road, after a stop at Walmart (the only place that could help them out). Dick discovered that he had a little clearance issue between the tires and his trailer. He made what necessary fixes he could, and headed out across the loneliest road in America. No big deal As I said before, we left at 3 PM in our truck. We made good time, and somewhere east of Fallon, NV we found the rain. It wasn t too bad, so it didn t slow us down a lot, but we did decide to cancel our motel plan, and just sleep in the back of the truck for the night when we got to Ely. D&D had set up in the parking lot of the Hotel Nevada, and passed along to us that it should be fine for us to do the same. We arrived there ~10 PM, and crashed out. continued

A Visit to Uncle Willy s House article by: Will Corbett Part 1 The next morning the rain was still with us (little did we know how prophetic that was) and we headed out toward Utah.

12 A Visit to Uncle Willy s House article by: Will Corbett Part 1 The next morning the rain was still with us (little did we know how prophetic that was) and we headed out toward Utah. Our first stop was at Great Basin National Park, with its primary attraction being Lehman Caves. We stopped there, took the cave tour, and then headed up the Wheeler Peak road to find a place for lunch. The campground at the top was beautiful, with the many aspen trees in full fall color, and the clouds were heavy around the peak. We took a short hike around the campground, and at 10,000 feet above sea level, it was just long enough. We left GBNP, with the intention of camping near the town of Beaver, UT. After a couple of hours of driving in the rain, we arrived in the rain, and figured out we would be camping in the rain. Not the end of the world, but not the plan either. We intended to drive over the mountains the next morning, and visit Circleville, where Butch Cassidy lived as a kid. After a short conversation with a fellow wheeler at a fueling station (I drive a diesel), who happened to know Uncle Willy, we decided the road over those mountains would be a bit too steep, narrow and muddy for Dick s rig. Instead we headed south for a bit, turned east on a two lane highway, and traveled to the intersection with highway 89. There we parked in a large dirt lot, had dinner in D&D s camper, and jumped in the back of the truck to sleep again.we awoke the next morning to find it still raining (weird), but gamely headed south toward Bryce Canyon NP, opting to save Circleville for another trip. We all loaded into our truck, leaving D&D s rig outside the park. We drove the rim road where we saw, and didn t see (depending on the rain & clouds), many of the beautiful views afforded there. Des, Dick and I took a short hike out to the canyon s edge to view some Bristlecone pine trees, and Deleaua stayed high and dry back at the truck. The trees were interesting enough, but the edge of the canyon was truly surreal in that the clouds came right up to the edge, and provided an eerie backdrop to the ancient trees. Very cool. When we d seen all we could see, we headed back out to D&D s rig, and drove down the highway toward Kanab. continued

13 A Visit to Uncle Willy s House article by: Will Corbett Part 1 We arrived at Uncle Willy s at about 4PM, where it was.raining. We unloaded Dick s cruiser from the trailer before heading up the driveway so we wouldn t sink it (the trailer, not the cruiser) in the saturated gravel, and Jim gave us directions as to where to set up our vehicles for the week. After getting set up, he gave us a tour of his shop (awesome), and his house (very nice with a footprint matching full basement), and we then settled in around the woodstove in the main service bay of the shop. This would be our base camp for the next five days, as well as a place of entertainment where we saw Andrea wash her Ruby Red Corvette; Dick add wheel spacers to his trailer, and repair a broken axle u-joint (more on that later); AND old videos of some then young STH members wheeling at Hollister and High Lakes! Seeing the JPEATER with a regular pickup bed, and Rich Currie s truck looking pristine was pretty cool. There were also some videos of this year s Burning Man Festival, but that was just weird.day 2 at Uncle Willy s brought more rain. We spent most of the day in the shop, staying dry, and awaiting the arrival of the rest of our group. Andrea had arrived the evening before, having driven through from Reno, where she had to hide out from about 6 of hail. Apparently, she had lots of fun making up time somewhere between Tonopah and Jim s place. I guess her car has a lot of pep Later in the morning, Matt & Kimber arrived (after taking a little more leisurely route than Andrea), and having spent a couple days nearby at Coral Pink Sand Dunes state park. We got their RV situated, and they joined in the warm, dry shop to await Rich & Tina s arrival. They arrived later in the afternoon, and finally, so did the clearer weather. We were greeted with a double rainbow that either began or ended right at Jim s shop. We took that as a good omen, for the days to come and we were right. continued

A Visit to Uncle Willy s House article by: Will Corbett Part 1 On day 3, Uncle Willy led us on our first day trip out to Johnson Canyon Road, and a visit to the Gunsmoke set.

It sits on some private property, and is normally closed to public visits. Luckily, though not surprisingly, Jim knows the owners, and secured permission for us to walk among the buildings.

While I didn t recognize any specific buildings from my childhood viewing of the show, it was very cool to walk around and think about Matt Dillon & Miss Kitty doing the same.

14 A Visit to Uncle Willy s House article by: Will Corbett Part 1 On day 3, Uncle Willy led us on our first day trip out to Johnson Canyon Road, and a visit to the Gunsmoke set. As Kanab is known as Little Hollywood, there are several movie sets still in their original location, but the Gunsmoke set is the most complete. It sits on some private property, and is normally closed to public visits. Luckily, though not surprisingly, Jim knows the owners, and secured permission for us to walk among the buildings. The set is beginning to decay badly, and actually looks more like a true ghost town from the 1880 s. While I didn t recognize any specific buildings from my childhood viewing of the show, it was very cool to walk around and think about Matt Dillon & Miss Kitty doing the same. From there, we headed farther up Johnson canyon Road, where we eventually took a right turn off the paved road, and headed out through the desert. We were actually in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument by now, but limited travel on existing roads is permitted for now.grand Staircase N.M. is filled with beautiful scenery, and many interesting archaeological and paleontological sites. The creation of the monument was/is a bit controversial, in that is represents one of the largest recent land grabs by the government, and a large limitation in our ability to explore our public lands. I doubt that it was coincidental that there were some large coal deposits about to be opened to mining, when the Clinton administration created this new park. Stepping off the soap box.. continued

A Visit to Uncle Willy s House article by: Will Corbett Part 1 We drove east through the desert along a two-track road for several miles, and then turned toward the cliffs on our left, where the road

15 A Visit to Uncle Willy s House article by: Will Corbett Part 1 We drove east through the desert along a two-track road for several miles, and then turned toward the cliffs on our left, where the road began to climb upward. We then came to a turnaround, and we stopped. We all got out of our vehicles, and Uncle Willy pointed up to the cliff above of us, and said there it is. To which we all replied, there what is?. He said Montezuma s Cave. Apparently, in the teens of the 1900 s, most of the town of Kanab moved out to this area, and explored the large cave system that was above us, in the hopes of finding some lost Aztec gold. None was found, but neither was an explanation for the caves that appear to be man made. The story goes that in trying to escape Spanish conquistadors, and after killing their own leader (Montezuma), a group of Aztecs made they way north, bringing with them a large quantity of gold. Fearing capture, they reportedly stashed the gold in some caves in the local area. Some of us hiked up to the cave entrances, and explored a little bit. About twenty feet inside there was a large vertical shaft that was about twelve feet deep, and had a couple of 2 x12 s spanning it. Uncle Willy had told me that he had crossed these a couple of years ago with no problem, but the overwhelming majority (Des) insisted that I didn t. We viewed as much of the cave as we could, marveled at the possibilities of hidden treasure, and then descended back down the cliff to the rigs for lunch. The valley itself was beautiful, and would have made a great place for my retirement ranch. Eventually, we headed back out the same dirt road to the pavement, and returned partially back down Johnson Canyon Road. We then turned off again, and traveled back into, and down a large wash, where we arrived at what I remember as Rainbow Arch, but is really more of a recessed cave This was obviously the site of an ancient settlement or gathering place, as we found many petroglyphs and grinding rocks. Again, the marvel of these ancient drawings was a bit overwhelming. Just imagining some Anasazi/Peubloans camping in this spot, and carving the things they saw and were learning about into the sandstone was just amazing. continued

After some pictures, and a baby feeding & changing (one of many over the course the days), we were moving again.

We parked the rigs and hiked downhill about two hundred yards.

Conversely, Apple and Badger went running past Des and I A Visit to Uncle Willy s House article by: Will Corbett Part 1

16 After some pictures, and a baby feeding & changing (one of many over the course the days), we were moving again. This time we headed to Inchworm Arch. This true arch sits on the edge of a large wash/drainage. We parked the rigs and hiked downhill about two hundred yards. Getting down the cliff to reach the arch was a bit of a challenge, but all members of our group eventually made it.. except little Indy. While most of the week he was feeling his oats, this particular challenge proved more than his confidence could muster. Conversely, Apple and Badger went running past Des and I A Visit to Uncle Willy s House article by: Will Corbett Part 1 toward the edge of the abyss with no thought at all. As we all made it down to the arch, many of us took the opportunity to take some Christmas card pics, meaning that a few couples sat together, and smiled happily at the camera with the arch in the background. Uncle Willy and Andrea took the award for the best one of these. continued

A Visit to Uncle Willy s House article by: Will Corbett Part 1 Eventually, we all made our way back up the vehicles where I took the one complete group shot from the whole week.

17 A Visit to Uncle Willy s House article by: Will Corbett Part 1 Eventually, we all made our way back up the vehicles where I took the one complete group shot from the whole week. Everybody looks great, but I look like I was paying attention to some guy named Nate Berkus who goes on Oprah and tells people how to look slimmer when they get their picture taken. Sorry to screw it up for the rest of the gang.. On the way back out to the pavement, we made one more stop at a wellknown digging area for finding pot shards. There were quite a few that had been dug up by area locals, and left for folks to look at. They were very cool, and we even saw some pots in a museum a couple days later that were made in the fashion as the ones on the ground. Amazing to think about the time that has gone by since they were formed and used by the Puebloans. After that we headed back toward Jim s through Semen s Wash, which was a beautiful little red rock/clay canyon, that just the day before must have been an impassable torrent. Again, incredibly scenic When we finally got back to Jim s, we were exhausted and exhilarated at the same time. It had been a great day of exploring, and we looked forward/couldn t imagine what the next day would bring. Little did we know. Next month I ll share part 2. Til then

details to follow Toy Run/Xmas Party, details to follow King of the Hammers Winter Fun Convention Tulare,

18 FYI General interest Nov 4 th Nov. 20 th Dec. 4 th Feb 7-12 Feb Feb Aug Next Ron and Leona s Turkey Shoot- Peavine Ridge, details to follow Toy Run/Xmas Party, details to follow King of the Hammers Winter Fun Convention Tulare, Ca Sierra Trek Remember!!! The November STH meeting is at the Presidents Home Thursday, November 4, 2010 Meeting time is 7:00 PM Italian Dinner 8545 Hazel Crest Ct. Elk Grove

19 November 2010 SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT CLUB MEETING 7PM 5 HAPPY BIRTHDAY Jim Harris HAPPY ANNIVERSAY Kammy & Randy Burleson 21HAPPY BIRTHDAY Lilianna Bryant CLUB EVENT Turkey Shoot

The Treasure Chest. January 2017 Newsletter of the Sierra Treasure Hunters 4WD club PO Box 859, Weimar CA, 95736

The Treasure Chest. January 2017 Newsletter of the Sierra Treasure Hunters 4WD club PO Box 859, Weimar CA, 95736 The Treasure Chest January 2017 Newsletter of the Sierra Treasure Hunters 4WD club PO Box 859, Weimar CA, 95736 Club Officers President - Andrea Harris Past President - Doug Baker Vice President - Linda