Newfoundland Mountains.

This is quite possibly the most remote area I have ever ventured. To make the trip a little more un-nerving, We did it in a single vehicle with no back up. (don't worry, we had a time table to be back and everyone had good directions to where we would be)

We left home yesterday evening about 9:30PM and drove 150 miles to the Hogup Mtns on the western edge of the Great Salt Lake. After parking at 2AM and setting up camp we sat back and drank a couple cold ones to unwind. At 6:30 this morning I could see the orange glow from the sun peeking over the lake so I got up to grab a couple quick shots.







After leaving the Hogup Mtns we headed south to the old pumping station. Years ago when the lake reached record levels a very stupid Governor in Utah thought it would be a good idea to pump the water out of the lake into an evaporation pond on the western edge of the state. They never used them. The lake receded on its own.

The pump house.


The Canal heading west into the mud flats.


Once we left there, we got a look at the Newfoundland Mountains for the first time.

Once you leave the pumping station you have to follow the rail road on their right of way for 10 miles across the mud flats.




Finally after all night and part of this morning we reach our destination. I had the GPS coords for two different geocaching caches. Both of them happened to be at old mines. Even though they were only one mile apart it took the better part of the day to go around the other side of the Mountain to reach them both as they were on the east and west sides.

The first one we came to was a really cool old mine that used some sort of wacky tram system.






it still had the engine to run the pulleys.


The view east, out of the canyon. Looking toward Salt Lake City across the mud flats.


This truck had a shattered U-joint. Funny thats all it took to leave it there.

We stopped for lunch at the very northern tip of the range. The rocks here were really strange.


From there we headed west to another geostash and another old mine.

Looking from the cache, toward Nevada and an old mine building.


Windshield perspective.


From there it was mad 150 mile dirt road dash out and back home this evening.

awesome trip, ryan. nice pics, too

Looks like a great trip, did you take I-80 out to the western edge of the lake or a northern route to get there? Great pic's.

ok. dude....where's the rest of the pic's. come on i know you have some more.

slider said:

ok. dude....where's the rest of the pic's. come on i know you have some more.

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I put the best ones up. I took a lot of the same things...with different camera setting and such. However if you want to see them all...

http://s58.photobucket.com/albums/g265/DrMoab/Newfoundlands/

and where are yours?

Interesting. I was out at the new MagCorp site last week looking at a new substation we are building for them, that's a pretty barren and remote part of the country.

DrMoab said:

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Looks like an awesome area, thanks for sharing.

Theres something about this shot that i like..

DrMoab said:

Click to expand...

OverlandXJ said:

Theres something about this shot that i like..

Click to expand...

Agreed. I might compose it so the horizon isn't quite chopping the image in half, either less sky or slightly more sky might improve it. Then photoshop any remaining blotches out (dirty lense on the point n shoot?). Decent focus from foreground to far enough out. And it keeps the eye busy. The slightly off center rail and point of the perspective lines with the jeep to one side all works well together imo.

I would like to make it out there some time.

Those guys were hearty souls...

Nice picts...

Curt