This roadtrip is dedicated to vintage trailerites, Andy & Judy Bennett. The Silver Spur Mine and many other mines in the area were once claimed/owned by Andy’s grandmother. We thank Andy for sharing this special location and its history, upclose and personal, with our vintage trailer group.
Andy & Judy
Lone Pine is one of our favorite places to camp while in the eastern Sierras. There are so many short trips in the surrounding area which can be traveled by car or 4WD. We set out by ourselves on Thursday morning with no agenda. The ride was so colorful and beautiful. We so wanted to go to the train station; but it is a private home, and we did not want to disturb the residents (no trespassing signs) — we just snapped a quick picture and drove on . . .
You could see remnants of the old railroad tracks near the road . . .
Chuck noticed a clump of trees off in the distance. We decided to investigate.
We were later told this is most likely where the mine stored their dynamite . . .
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On Saturday, our group of trailerites were in for a treat provided by Andy & Judy as we
caravanned to their family’s old mining claim where an old cabin once stood —
which BLM sadly forced them to remove a few years back. We were surprised and
delighted that it was the same place we had visited on Thursday — now we had an
opportunity to learn the history of the Silver Spur Mine Claim.
There is life to be discovered in the desert! It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a horned toad . . .
We love cacti and here are a couple examples:
Some “potty” humor . . .
Judy tries to redirect our attention to other scenery . . .
This is a photo from Andy’s archives 1981. Thank you, Andy for making this roadtrip to the
Silver Spur Mine so memorable.
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We left to return to our campsite at the Boulder Creek campground taking a quick jaunt
through the Alabama Hills — a favorite short drive where they filmed early western motion
pictures, altho’ we did not stop at the places with the famed popular rock formations. You’ll need to
take that drive yourself to see nature’s amazing creativity.
The Bennetts Aljoa back at camp . . .
Aw! home sweet home . . .when we’re on the road . . .