We spent our morning exploring Old Mason and the Blue Stone Mill. Lets just say I could have called it a day and still been very happy with all the great work and memories we made. But since I was only about 25 to 30 miles from hitting up Rockland I really wanted to check out the town site high up in the Nevadan Mountains.
 
This is a very relevant location as years ago when I first moved up to this region I did an investigation and adventure in a ghost town called Pine Grove. That town had one of the nicest school houses in the state from back in the pioneer days until some punks burned it down. No less Pine Grove was a large town and just on the other side of the mountains was its sister city of Rockland which today is abandoned as well as very remote.
 
It does get dark early going to a ghost town is fine at night but the problem is you wont find anything. A mine at night is like a needle in a haystack to find just as much as any foundations or to even see the scenery around you. So in light of that notion I decided to take the shorter of the two dirt roads little did I know that the shorter route was in fact much more treacherous and was the original old wagon road therefore it is not maintained. Right before you turn off on the road there is this dilapidated old pioneer homestead to kind of remind you that just about anything that has ever been built out here ended up being forgotten.
 
You can physically take the route SW or you can take the route heading from the east. Both routes will take you to the town site. The problem is that in the winter months its much harder to get back here. Besides being I took the more difficult narrow road it took me over an hour just to go seven or eight miles its just that rugged. You cant rush these roads or you could do some serious damage to your vehicle then get stuck here which is not ideal.
 
I would head south along the sierras towards Bridgeport. Most of you may or may not know this but Bridgeport California is the gateway into the ghost town of Bodie and a ghost town we encountered a mountain lion at known as Masonic. The Bridgeport Wilderness is full of wagon roads that lead to a variety of ghost towns two those being Pine Grove which I already done some work at and Rockland where we were heading. The area is very remote you have many forested mountains which blend right into the next and eventually head up into the high sierra mountain range.
 
We would enter into the Humboldt Toiyabe National Forest right away I hit snow on this road. As a matter in fact the road had miles of snow I had to drive through. Some areas the jeep was fish tailing no less other areas there was allot of huge rocks and dips. It was not always an easy road to drive considering that its so narrow that my jeep was brushing up against the trees and foliage. I had to drive so carefully because I could not even turn around if I wanted to. There was areas the brush was so overgrown you could not even open one of the jeep doors to get out if you had to take a leak lol.
 
I had to be very careful because a mix of forest and high desert also brings with you certain types of brush that are like razor blades so you can scratch up your paint really well if you are not careful. Luckily I put only a few surface scratches then can be buffed out or be covered up with my touch up paint I have for my jeep. But no less I was stuck on this dirt road for nearly 8 miles in NYE canyon. This is a beautiful canyon full of forest, reddish rock formations, tall massive snowy peaks, creeks and even ponds. Its a part of Nevada so very few would ever get to see because of how hard it is to get back in this canyon.
 
At times the kids had to walk in front of the jeep clear brush for me to continue down the road when you only have an inch if that on each side of the jeep you have to really work tediously to keep the wheel steady. Not to mention that the snow was so bad in some areas I almost was stuck thank goodness I have four wheel drive. But some of the snow was very thick other parts were quite icy because the sun really does not warm up this canyon very well.
 
There were cattle guards because the area is still at times used for cattle ranching and was over a hundred years ago. Their are other forest routes or roads that crisscross along the old wagon route but they are harsh roads that may lead to other mines or ghost towns but would not recommend taking them unless you have a very souped up high clearance vehicle. Some of those roads were in such bad shape that trees are growing in the road and well not that the road I was on was any better but if you continue on it you can reach Rockland which sits very high up in the mountains.
 
I would pass by a mine probably part of the old mining districts below the boom town but kept on. I figured worst case scenario if I do not make it to town I have a mine to explore for now. Eventually the road was getting so bad I almost bottomed out the snow as getting thicker so was the brush which consumed the road. It was to a degree I could no longer even go forward because my jeep would not fit and the road seemed to be blocked with piles of earth.
 
I had to slowly back up try to turn around on a section of road that had less brush it took awhile and allot of back n forth to get it turned around. As a matter in fact I started spinning on the ice and almost had gotten stuck in some deep snow. After nearly getting stuck twice in heavy snow on certain parts of the road I decided id head on up to this open area in the canyon where the mine was, fire pit and some nice scenery. I was going to park and hike up to Rockland but knowing that I had four miles of hiking on a road where the snow was getting higher with each step we really just did not have enough time.
 
Rockland sits in the national forest high up not to far from Bald Mountain which is almost 10k so the terrain here is unforgiving. I took my family back to this big open meadow it was pretty rock formations that tower above it, peaks with snow, patches of forest and a wide open area to skywatch. I just did not have enough time to hike up to Rockland when the road had gotten bad. The thing is Rockland is not the biggest of towns but what remains is scattered on the hills and in the woods. Sure it has a mill and a few collapsed miner cabins but at night you wont see any of it so I made the call and we geared up to explore one of the towns mines. Near the mine was this really odd shaped gourd or pumpkin it was like a long large hot dog perhaps someone was using it to target practice with!
 
The mine we explored was not as large as I had hoped it to be as we all decided to check it out together. Its a small tunnel made more for a hobbit probably 5' in height so when you explore it you have to duck down. But the tunnel is not very deep maybe 50' as it curves around to a dead end. Its all good though after exploring the mine, offroading in the Rockland Hills and playing in the snow we had a picnic at the mine. Their was a nice meadow it was flat allot of scenery and so we had put a blanket down to sit on. I was laying on my back eating chocolate, drinking brews, smoking my pipe and taking photos. My kids were chasing one another then we eventually did some target practicing before the sun went down. Its such a hard area to get back to so to have a picnic and hike around a little was nice.
 
I wish I made it to the mill and town site but darkness set in far to early. It was not even 5pm and it was almost dark back in NYE Canyon. No less the road and both the mine are historic in value to the town itself. I had gotten to see the outskirts of this once thriving mining town and had gotten to sort of feel out what the pioneers may have encountered back in the day when they had to traverse the area on foot or via horse wagon. I also seen the old road up to Aurora which is another fascinating ghost town id like to someday visit perhaps this year ill visit it then will have another great boom town to add to our site.
 
I wanted to return to Rockland in later December then the snow hit and now you cant even get back there. I know one thing ill definitely take the other more well traveled route on in which actually takes you through Rockland Canyon rather then through Nye. One canyon is less harsh the other and the other route is much newer then the first wagon road built here in the mid 1800's. But at least I can say I came and I saw to the fullest extent of what Rockland Nevada has to offer. I can only imagine in the future how awesome it will be to finally reach the town site even if it means getting an early start getting as far as I can then journeying with my backpack the rest of the way in.
 
The last time I was in the Bridgeport Wilderness was when I offroaded up to Bodie, Chemung Mill & Mine and the ghost town of Masonic. Its vast a mix of forest, desert and many massive mountains. Its so desolate here you can hear a pin drop and it looks as if you can journey for miles without an end. I know for a fact not to far from where we are at are bigfoot hot zones who knows what was up there watching us that day. These mountains just blend right into the Sierra Nevada's anything could be in those woods its hard enough to even get back here to check out anything.
 
Once the sun fades away in NYE Canyon it gets cold really quick back here. Yeah you could camp in this meadow their were signs others have but if your not experienced outdoors or you do not have the proper gear this place could be your grave especially in the winter where storms can hit randomly dumping 10' of snow. I have allot of respect for Rockland and the early pioneers who braved living here like most towns in the region they were abandoned not just due to the mines being exhausted but also mother nature.
 
I did not find anything paranormal but I did find some smaller deer bones in the meadow. There are bear back in here and mountain lions trust me. I mean this is a mix of forest, high desert and easily a hundred miles of mountains in every single direction. These forgotten roads were once home to stage coaches traveling them to places like Aurora, Bodie, Masonic, Pine Grove and of course Rockland. They were the only way in and the only way out. It was either do or do so for me it was an honor alone to traverse these forgotten roads of the American West.
 
I cannot wait to return this year again only next time will focus on checking out the mill, seeking out remnants of the town and perhaps finding some mines. I cant wait to traverse higher up into the range its very scenic once you get to the town site that is if you can get to it. The area itself says allot about the harsh life early miners had to endure to building a town back here then sustain themselves battling the frontier. If I had struggled with four wheel drive you can only imagine what it was like trying to take a bandwagon through here.
 
We will return for a second expedition then ill be able to enjoy hiking around the town perhaps investigate some ghost and maybe even Sasquatch himself. Its such a vast area but its filled with hidden gems and a part of Nevada so very few have ever seen. Who knows what will see or what other adventure await. I know I spent about four years just thinking about journeying here. I have a few friends who been up here to camp and hike around they are never disappointed with Rockland always something new to see here.
 
So will Get R' Done believe me riding off into the sunset out of NYE canyon was intense. The road was intense and at anytime you felt as if something creepy could just leap across it anytime. Its ashamed the forestry does not maintain this place its great for hiking, exploring and offroading. You would think that being a part of the national forest and a wilderness area they would make it a little more accessible but everything out here has been let go.
 
 Their are abandoned mines, ghost towns and roads for miles on end. We will return and our next jaunt will even be more exciting guaranteed!!! I cant wait to see what else this area has to offer and if their is any paranormal were going to find it but the search continues!!! After our expedition I came home we ordered burgers then watched Into The Badlands and The Walking Dead. As hard as I journeyed all day in Mason and Rockland it was a rest well deserved. We ventured into mines, mill ruins and climbed mountains of the Singatse what a great day. I had gotten in some adventuring, family time and finally had gotten to reach two locations that been in my mind for quite sometime.
Peace,
Lord Rick
PGS Founder

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