Re: Bonanza Peak and the LMCO facility

On Oct 14, 11:02�pm, "m...@sushi.com" <m...@sushi.com> wrote:

On Oct 14, 10:07�pm, Desert Shadow <rch49...@cox.net> wrote:

On Oct 14, 8:27�pm, "m...@sushi.com" <m...@sushi.com> wrote:

I did an exploratory hike up Bonanza Peak to see if the Lockheed
Martin (LMCO) "secret" facility at Yucca Lake (dry) can be spotted. I
shot this using a 400mm lens plus 1.4x teleconverter on a monopad.
Generally I don't haul the telescope and tripod unless I know the
target can be seen.

If you download the GPX file then read it into Google Earth, you can
see the trail I used to hike up the peak. Technically, I didn't reach
the peak due to time constraints, plus the peak looked totally
forested. The location where I stopped to shoot the photograph was
relatively barren, though it is about 400ft less than the true peak.

This is the facility where LMCO developed Pole Cat.

<http://www.lazygranch.com/images/lmco/yucca_wide.jpg>
<http://www.lazygranch.com/images/lmco/yucca_zoom.jpg>
<http://www.lazygranch.com/images/lmco/bonanza.gpx>

Do a "save as" on the GPX file.

Here are two more images. This is of the NTS. I am presuming one of
the tower is ICECAP.
<http://www.lazygranch.com/images/lmco/nts.jpg>

I believe this photo shows the area behind Groom Lake where they fly
the UAVs.
<http://www.lazygranch.com/images/lmco/behind_groom_lake.jpg>
You can spot some targets in the lower right corner.

I absolutely love the photos. �Thanks for sharing. �The photo behind
Groom Lake is awesome. �How does Bonanza Peak compare to Tikaboo? �How
tough was it and how long did it take? �How did you get to it? �More,
More, and More details please!!! �Great photos!


It's is close to 4 hours as I crawl, er make that hike, to get to
where I took the photos. [Someone in shape could do it in 3 hours.]
There are so many switch backs it's f-ing ridiculous. The switch backs
are so close together that the GPS can sometimes get confused. Of
course, with all the switch backs, you never worry about the climb
being steep. I'll rate it at maybe 1/3 a Tikaboo, though the elevation
change is more than double that of Tikaboo and the route is twice as
long. My problem with Tikaboo is the steepness. Half the Tikaboo hike
is in terrain where you need to watch every step. One of these days
I'm going to map out a longer but less steep hike to the first summit.
Note that people have done the route to the first summit on quads
(ATVs), using the same route we hike. Nuts!

Take the road to Cold Creek. It's the road that leads to the prisons.
Drive completely through town until basically the road ends. That
takes you to the staging area. The path up the mountain has 4 small
cement pylons at the base. There are other paths nearby, but they take
you to the campsites. [I wasted two hikes on those routes, though one
was "called" on account of the trail being covered by snow.]

From the barren location where I took the photos, I did start towards
the peak, but the trail was getting a little hard to follow. I really
didn't look very hard since I decided it would be best to turn back to
insure I made it down to the staging area by sunset. It's 40 miles to
Yucca Lake, so binoculars are required.

Needless to say, when you are close to 10kft, it is cold. From what
I've read, about 8kft is where people prone to altitude sickness start
to feel the effect. I've gone as high as 10.5kft, attempting to hike
Mt. Charleston. The nice thing about hiking Mt. Charleston is you can
depend on the weather giving you an excuse to turn back. I was stopped
by rain one time and lightning another time.

https://www.google.com/health/ref/Acute+mountain+sickness
I've never been around anyone showing such symptoms, but I suppose it
is something to think about.

I like to prep for these kind of hikes with a dose of theobromine,
which can be had by drinking a big-ass cup of coffee.

I have some GPS tracks for Mt. Stirling. Getting there is more of a
challenge. Not that it is difficult, but there are all sorts of paths
in the area. When I did the hike, the road was washed out. The GPS
tracks are certainly easier to follow than Tom Mahood's instructions.
When Tom wrote his instructions, consumer GPS technology was primitive
at best.


Thanks for the info.  Sounds like it would be an ok hike!  I also
worry about losing my step on Tikaboo and laying out there in serious
pain.  Maybe if I brought one of Steve's cows on the hike, I could eat
one if I became stranded due to breaking a leg or ankle!  Just a
thought