slgwv's User Profile - Atlas Obscura

slgwv

I'm a geologist by training and have taught at the University of Nevada, Reno. I've lived most of my life in the US west and currently reside outside Reno, Nevada. I like hiking and exploring 4wd roads, and continue to check out lots of out-of-the-way spots. A disclaimer: the infelicities in the text on a number of the places I've submitted are due to Atlas Obscura's editing. In case anyone's wondering, my avatar is a picture of Fissure Ridge, a volcanic eruptive center about 15 miles west of Gabbs, Nevada. In addition, more of my travels can be found at the Ipernity photo-sharing site:

http://www.ipernity.com/home/289859

2021
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Leaderboard Highlights

slgwv's activity rankings

1^st

Places visited in Fallon, Nevada

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Places added to Nevada

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Places edited in Nevada

2^nd

Places visited in Nevada

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Places added to United States

2^nd

Places edited in Idaho

3^rd

Places visited in Hiko, Nevada

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Places added to Colorado

3^rd

Places edited in North Bend, Washington

Silver Peak, Nevada

Silver Peak

The precious-metals strikes dating back to the 1860s are now mostly inactive, but this area has become the United States' only domestic source of lithium.

slgwv

Bunkerville, Nevada

Devil's Throat

An unexpected sinkhole in a desert flat within Gold Butte National Monument.

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Woolsey, Nevada

Lovelock Airmail Arrow

A surviving concrete arrow from a 1920s navigational network is preserved right off a modern freeway.

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Lee Vining, California

Panum Crater

A volcanic cone that formed over 600 years ago.

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Graeagle, California

Frazier Falls

The viewpoint for this attractive, off-the-beaten-path waterfall is reached by a paved, wheelchair-accessible trail.

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Lovelock, Nevada

Nevada Quicksilver Mine

An abandoned mine serves as a stark memorial of when mercury was a valued strategic metal.

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Old Town, Washington

Dungeness Spit

The longest spit in the United States ends at a lighthouse in the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

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Angel Lake and the East Humboldt Mountains

An attractive alpine lake at 8,400 feet that is accessible via a paved road.

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Tygh Valley, Oregon

Sherars Falls

Members of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs still net migrating salmon in the traditional way at this cataract on the Deschutes River.

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Grover, Colorado

Pawnee Buttes

On the edge of grassland in northeastern Colorado, these rock formations are some of the few remnants of a high plain that has eroded away over millions of years.

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Burney, California

Burney Falls

The flow from this waterfall sometimes comes out of springs below its rim.

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Kimberly, Idaho

Shoshone Falls

These falls, sometimes called the "Niagara of the West," still put on a good show at the right time of year.

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Clarkdale, Arizona

Verde Canyon Railroad

An excursion train traverses a picturesque red-rock canyon along the Verde River.

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Scheelite, California

Pine Creek Tungsten Mine

For decades, the largest tungsten producer in the U.S. was located in a spectacular setting in the high Sierra Nevada, with some of the workings over 11,000 feet.

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Silver Springs, Nevada

Fort Churchill

The ruins of a military outpost from the 1860s form the centerpiece of a Nevada state park.

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Hawthorne, Nevada

Aurora

This Gold Rush ghost town was once the subject of a territorial dispute between California and Nevada.

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Yerington, Nevada

Yerington Pit (Anaconda Copper Mine)

A deep toxic lake fills this abandoned open-pit copper mine, now a Superfund site.

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ATK Rocket Garden

Dozens of rockets and missiles are on display outside a testing facility in the Utah desert.

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Susanville, California

Bizz Johnson National Recreation Trail

This hiking/biking/horse trail along an old railroad grade features trestles, tunnels, and a roadless stretch through the scenic Susan River canyon.

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Spaulding, California

Eagle Lake

At the edge of the high desert, California's second-largest natural lake is home to a unique subspecies of trout adapted to its alkaline waters.

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Mold, Washington

Banks Lake

Every drop of water in this 27-mile long reservoir was pumped up from the Columbia River using power from Grand Coulee Dam.

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Gerlach, Nevada

Elephant Head Rock

A remote, little-known natural arch in granite in the desert of northwestern Nevada.

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Transcontinental Railroad Back Country Byway

This now-abandoned part of the original transcontinental railroad route provides a surreal driving and historical experience.

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Lamoille, Nevada

Lamoille Canyon

Drive up a paved road into "Nevada's Yosemite" for exquisite views and mountain hiking in an alpine setting.

slgwv