Horse Creek Springs, Gas Hills, and Beyond…

I’ve wanted to find the source of Horse Creek Springs for fifteen or twenty years, and failed. After looking at Google Maps/Earth, I decided to give it another try.
So I drove out to the Dry Creek Road and followed the dirt road to the place where I couldn’t go any further (in the Nissan, anyway) and unloaded the Rokon. I rode the Rokon to a spot that LOOKED like HCS, but wasn’t. I’d have to look at Google Earth to figure it out, later that night.

I drove out Dry Creek Road west and came upon BLM road 2401-Beaver Rim Road, which piqued my interest. Nevertheless, I continued out Dry Creek, and returned to Casper via CR 211 and Powder River. The temperature had been pretty pleasant, but the moment I got to Powder River, it was very hot. It was fine so long as I kept the pickup moving.

The next weekend I tried again: this time I succeeded.

After visiting the spring (which is listed as a warm spring in one of the WGS pamphlets), I drove down the road to BLM 2401/Beaver Rim Road. It heads generally northwest and eventually connects with BLM 2404/Agate Flat Road. I turned North to connect with Beaver Rim Road again, and drove along the rim until I came to a road that bailed off into the Gas Hills. I drove west from there and couldn’t find a two track to Ore Road, and turned around, this time returning to Casper via CR 212 and Waltman.
The bottom of the Nissan was polished clean by the sagebrush I’d run over during the trip.

I skipped a couple weekends to attend a meeting of the Bighorn Basin Amateur Radio Club in Kirby which was excellent), and to meet a colleague for a camping trip (ugh-don’t even ask), but the next weekend I drove out to Gas Hills via Buck Camp Road (which turned into a two track, just my luck), then to the Gas Hills, up the road to the rim, and back onto Beaver Rim Road. I drove the twenty? miles to Ore Road, driving to Riverton to fuel up and have a chicken fried steak at the Trailhead restaurant, then Back home.

The next weekend, I drove to Castle Gardens, walked along the trail and took pictures

A great read from Adam Piggott

From the excellent blog Pushing Rubber downhill:

On the discussion about celibacy, reader Deti had the following to say:

The love of a woman is one of the sweetest, most sublime experiences a man can know. It is integral, if not essential, to the human condition. Men and women are intended to be together. We are not intended to be isolated or alone. We are intended to be fruitful and multiply; and that requires social and sexual intercourse.

I have a difficult time telling men who have never known the love of a woman to just forget about it. It’s real easy for me to say that, having experienced all of the above.

I’m not going to mince my words here; this is what is known as putting the pussy on the pedestal.

Go read the whole thing here:

https://pushingrubberdownhill.com/2022/03/30/too-thirsty-for-the-chicks/

It’s WAAYYY worth your five minutes.

I know, I’ve been tardy in posting

Here’s what I’ve been up to:

New engine, ready to go in

Last summer, I bought a used engine vie a ebay seller. When it arrived, I cleaned cleaned it inside and out and pulled off everything until I had a long block. I also pulled the cam/lifters and ordered a new cam from Schneider (great people, BTW). I changed out the cam/lifters, cam gear set, main and rod bearings, oil pump, pickup tube, fuel and water pumps, all the gaskets and seals except the head gasket, and clutch assembly. I took my time, completing the work on evenings and weekends.

In October, I removed the old engine, and installed it over a weekend. After the obligatory camshaft break in, I took it for a drive and it runs great.

New engine in!
It’s in!

It was a but of a long process, but the truck runs much better.

Flat tire, damnit.

Went out to the Buick at lunch yesterday to a flat tire, and put the spare on. Tonight I used a plugging tool to repair the tire, aired it up and installed it in place of the spare. The spare was a bit low so I aired it up and Bob’s your Auntie.

Memorial Day Weekend

Not much to report. I spent Friday night on Beaver Rim:

Beaver Rim campspot.

It was a beautiful night. Naturally, I was alone because the Fifth Wheel Tribe can’t get their rigs in.

I used my little Yaesu FT-60R to call a friend in Riverton (26 miles SW of Beaver Rim) and was able to get him through the GMRS repeater, and via simplex, although he was unable to contact me via simplex.

Saturday morning I had breakfast with some friends, attended the Memorial Day Weekend gun show put on by the Wyoming Weapons Collectors, and headed towards Worland, and to the Blue Bank Road. I drove south, took a side trip to Castle Gardens (the one close to Tensleep), took another side trip to Cedar Ridge to scout out a campsite (fail), and turned off on the Nowater Trail.

IMG_20210529_164359473

Took Mud Creek Road to Black Mountain Road

IMG_20210529_172606348_MP

and drove to (nearly) the top of Black Mountain.

Black Mountain is just a bit over 6,00 feet in elevation, but what a view!

It looks like you can see a hundred miles in any direction. I apologize for not taking photos, but I was hoping not to get harassed by an oilfield worker, and left in a rush.

I drove home via Lysite road and Waltman, arriving in Casper pretty late.

Where have I been?

A couple folks have asked why I haven’t updated the blog.

Short answer is lack of interest and sloth – I won’t bother offering any false reasons.

So here’s a little update.

First, the Buick. In March 2010 bought a 1998 LeSabre from a guy the next town over, with a seized engine but in otherwise good condition. Bought a JY engine with 92K on it from Wade at Low Mileage Engines, but had little time or motivation to deal with it due to Covid restrictions and workload. By July I had the “new” engine resealed with all new gaskets and seals, except the head gaskets. I removed the old engine…

Engine bay is empty

New engine in and running around 30 August 2010…

Closer...

And it runs pretty well.

It’s been a really great car – great fuel mileage, starts good in bitter cold weather, and it’s really comfortable.

Today I installed power wire for my amateur radio equipment.

It looks like I’ll need a new engine in the Ford F-150. More on that soon.