It's about a 15 hour drive as the VW Thing flies. If you are driving something newer and/or less loaded down, and you don't mind breaking every speed limit and never stop you can do it in less.
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Portland Oregon to Black Rock City. The first step of any journey from Portland usually requires a raincoat. On my way to one of the driest places on the continent I passed through a deluge on Mount Hood. |
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Cedarville Pass - Much more impressive in person, this shot shows the last big hill over the Modoc mountains into the Great Basin. On the other side is Cedarville, the largest piece of civilization between Lakeview, Oregon and Black Rock City. By the way, if you can, avoid the Chevron station in Cedarville. On this whole journey the people I met in the small communities were friendly and helpful, except for the guy running the till at the Chevron. There's two legal places to camp on this road, one on either side of the pass. I gave up trying to reach Burning Man in one day and slept in the back of the Thing. Yes, it was the height of summer, but the next morning I found frost on the car. |
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This stretch of highway is empty, barren, and starkly beautiful. If you're low on gas, be sure to fill your tank before leaving Eagleville, it's a long walk back. This is a view over one of the mountain passes. Between mountains this highway stretches arrow straight across barren sagebrush valleys. It's so flat and straight with infrequent traffic that on the way back I indulged in a uniquely American experience - blasting down a deserted desert road in a convertible, both hands waving in the air, screaming a pop song. |
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This pioneer structure can be seen from the road between Cedarville and Gerlach. I don't know it's history, is it a storehouse, a chicken shack, or did someone really live in this? If you know, email me, and I'll add the info here. |
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These are actually the Black Rock mountains, Gerlach is only ten miles away. |
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Here it is - the turnoff from the paved road to Black Rock City. The group of buildings you can see here is only the entry gate. The city itself can be seen faintly in the distance. |
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