- HIDDEN GHOST TOWN IN WOODS CODE
- HIDDEN GHOST TOWN IN WOODS SERIES
- HIDDEN GHOST TOWN IN WOODS WINDOWS
Nestled at the base of craggy mountains and scrub-covered hills was what appeared to be nothing more than haphazard piles of rust and wood. The rain from weeks prior had left new washouts, creating deep canyons in the road that, at multiple points, necessitated “floating” a tire down the middle-the other three providing stability.Īfter more than a few internal organ jolts, I made it down safely. Impossibly, the county road I had turned onto was actually worse than the road I had just departed. Somewhere out there, scarring the road, was the washout. Interminably rocky roads shook my car as it climbed toward the peak-or where I guessed the fog-blanketed peak was.Īn eventual descent amidst increasingly dense forest yielded views of the undulating mountains and flatland where I had gotten stuck weeks prior. When I finally gained access, the land I saw on the other side was the epitome of desolation.īare mountains were cut by quicksilver streams, dotted with desaturated pines, and lined with antiquated trails.
HIDDEN GHOST TOWN IN WOODS SERIES
I scribbled them down and sped off toward the gate after a series of profuse thank yous. The amicable Bureau rep that he is, Mairs offered a fix, rattling off a number of codes that could work. “I’m so sorry to bother you…” I sheepishly began. And while it was enough to complete a call, the automated answer on the BLM office number provided a cruel reminder that the Bureau is closed on weekends.
![hidden ghost town in woods hidden ghost town in woods](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/50/53/46/5053468da7241db4887ffe66d66c299e.jpg)
The road to New Idria.įifteen minutes from the nearest town, I finally got it: A signal (if you can call a lone bar a fully-fledged signal). Even if the storm held off and I located an ever-elusive signal, I’d still need to get back to the starting point with enough time to off-road my way to the mine. I pulled off at nearly every summit-still nothing.
![hidden ghost town in woods hidden ghost town in woods](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/d9/65/13/d965134a27930cf4c81f6caef8078d10.jpg)
I threw the car in reverse and drove, one hand on the wheel and the other elevating my phone toward the sky, praying that my wingspan would be the difference maker. No code, no admission workarounds, and no cell service to call the number on the sign adjacent to the barred entry.
HIDDEN GHOST TOWN IN WOODS CODE
I fumbled for my permits as he rode off, looking for the gate code that would grant me access. “If you’d gotten here just a second ago, I would have kept it open for ya!” a cyclist said as I pulled up to the gate. But the rain held off, and I continued on the series of dirt roads toward the BLM-instructed checkpoint. Dark brooding clouds lingered across the horizon, blocking even the faintest sunlight. Once armed with coffee and cocoa from the local McDonald’s, I was off-three hours of driving through rural farmland and the high desert. Plus, I’d already put too much into preparing for the trip to be derailed by a storm system. Rain in the North Bay didn’t necessarily mean rain along the Central Coast. Four hours later, I was loading up the car.
HIDDEN GHOST TOWN IN WOODS WINDOWS
The wind shook the windows as rain came down in sheets, hammering the rooftop and leaving the driveway a pond. Better safe than sorry rang truer than ever I wasn’t in a position to take any chances.Īt 1 a.m. In my own backpack, I had my essentials: Swiss Army Knife, mace, adapted lighter, first aid kit.
![hidden ghost town in woods hidden ghost town in woods](https://cdn.onlyinyourstate.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/derrrr-700x383-700x383.png)
I subsequently purchased what seemed to be a quarter of the Earth’s water supply. In the days leading up to the trip, I haunted off-roading forums and nagged the living daylights out of outdoorsy friends to furnish me with any serviceable gear they could spare.
![hidden ghost town in woods hidden ghost town in woods](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/af/3e/a9/af3ea97029788104736346638fb2158a.jpg)
Alexander Mairs, a BLM representative, provided backup routes to the backup routes, and advised, come hell or high water, to hoof it two hours to the nearest peak to get enough of a cell signal to call for help. I repeated the instructions like a mantra, jotting them down in my field notebook and hoping they’d do me some good in the middle of nowhere. VEER OFF TO THE RIGHT ONCE YOUR REACH THE CHECKPOINT. Leslie David had written about the one-time settlement in 2012, a year after the Environmental Protection Agency agreed to designate the mercury-plagued town as a superfund site.ĭavid couldn’t provide any more information than the Bureau of Land Management, but she did have one question for me: Could the Benito Link write a story about my harried attempts to visit the mine? One of her reporters, John Chadwell, had written a novella about the town of New Idria and was eager to follow my steps-and stumbles-as I weaseled my way in.Īfter spending the better part of an hour on the phone with BLM, poring over topographical maps and tracing out routes, I learned I would need two permits, one for myself and one for my vehicle, to even access the land.ĮNTER HERE, TYPE IN THE GATE CODE THERE. By some stroke of luck, the person on the other end was a journalist whose work had informed my original New Idria research.