On 26 Jan 2006 12:37:33 -0800, miso@sushi.com wrote:   
      
   >Often in regards to the Toiyabe National Forest, one asks "where are   
   >the trees!"   
      
   >   
   >   
   >thomsona@flash.net wrote:   
   >> One thing that struck me as strange while researching this is that   
   >> there are few to no mentions of the activities associated with New   
   >> Bomb.  I'd have thought that transportation of ordnance from Hawthorne   
   >> there would be accompanied by noticeable security and, possibly, the   
   >> adjacent segment of SR 359 might be closed off during explosive   
   >> operations.   
      
      
   well exactly !!!   as miso says ,  there isn't much actual forrest   
   around there .. it's pretty much just barren desolate desert  and   
   sparse scrub  stuff , no water there , anywhere.  one of the driest   
   places you'll  run across !   
      
   you are right about the highway being closed off as well.  they   
   frequently  close off  the highway , mostly in the mornings.  from   
   my experience there , tho, it's been due to weapons testing from   
   Hawthorne that is most often the reason why.  as you drive towards   
   Hawthorne from Mono Lake , once into Nevada you will come upon   
   a portable road sign mentioning the closings, and a pile of traffic   
   cones. when they close the road, cammo dudes man the road block   
   and only let in locals and  people with business in the area.   
   sometimes you have to wait some time before they will let you pass.   
   it happens most week days in the mornings before noon or so !   
      
      
   >>   
   >> Also, those operations probably were sometimes noisy and otherwise   
   >> conspicuous.  The area is in a national forest, there are walking   
   >> trails in the area. You'd think someone would have remarked on it.   
      
   we have  part of a mine in the area , on Lucky Boy Pass . (  Lucky Boy   
   mine,  not far from the bomb disposal  site  and overlooks Hawthorne ,   
   down in the valley )  it's a  mine that has been dead since the turn   
   of the  20th century.  it's on the lucky boy pass road, that connects   
   Hawthorne to the ghost town of  Bodie !  it runs behind the  bomb   
   disposal site  area.   you do see an occasional  vehicle on that road   
   and a  prospector or two  out there but basically it's about 4" of   
   powder dry silt , 8000' alt, on top of barren land and an extremely   
   hostile place to be taking hikes.  probably doesn't attract too many   
   outdoors types  around that area.  it is  all mostly open  public land   
   , tho , but  if you got stuck or broke down out there , you could   
   spend  days  before you saw anyone. no cell service out there as well   
   ..... not even any broadcast  radio stations and absolutely no   
   drinking water anywhere until you get to Hawthorne.   
      
   the skies are busy  with jet  planes,  missiles tests  , flares ,   
   smoke trails ,   explosions  and a lot of activity quite a bit of the   
   time.  bombs going off are probably so common that locals wouldn't   
   even  notice the noise from the disposal site !    ( kinda  like Ft.   
   Hood if you've  ever been there )  most of it is weapons testing   
   (  I'd  guess ) related to NUWTL  , or ( ha hah ah  ) maybe it  IS   
   partly the bomb disposal site after all !!!!    Hawthorne has a large   
   artillery range and  nearby  a large  mobile missile launcher  site   
   ( tucked into the hills south of Hawthorne so that you can't see it   
   from the main road in Hawthorne and town but easy to see when coming   
   in from California ) .  when they close off the local highways , they   
   use those areas  along the highway  ( 359 )  for their plane and   
   missile  testing ranges.  kinda an odd way to do things !   I keep   
   hoping that I'll find some real kewl souvenirs lying around the road   
   when I drive through there ! h ah ahah a haa   
      
      
   theres other VERY interesting stuff to go see , out there, that I   
   wouldn't want to mention here.   I highly recommend  going   
   out and exploring and if you keep a sharp eye you'll most likely   
   stumble on it as I have !!!  lots of fun looking and VERY interesting   
   stuff  to run across , but sometimes a little scary  !!   
      
      
   >>   
   >> I did find a Usenet posting from 1994 describing a glider flight in the   
   >> area on 7 July 1993 that confirms that loud noises were sometimes   
   >> produced:   
   >>   
   >>   
   >   
      
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