Desert Destination: Cave Lake's Fire and Ice Show

January 17-18 were the dates of the annual Fire and Ice Show at Cave Lake near Ely, Nevada. The fire consists of a huge fireworks show and an historic black powder cannon being shot off "as often as possible." The ice covers Cave Lake and is the scene of ice fishing and ice sculptures, with a top prize of $1,000.

I think those ice fishing outnumbered those ice sculpting, and people of all ages participated in both. I asked one fisherman how thick the ice was--we've had unusually warm weather the past two weeks--and he said 12 to 14 inches. 

Here's an ice sculpture in progress. We toured about 2 1/2 hours before the quitting time, when the sculptures would be judged. This is a sculpture of a man riding a horse. Not shown in this picture is the same scene but going in the opposite direction. I'm guessing these ice sculptors were fairly experienced, bringing plywood to keep off the wind. But the weather was really pleasant--the ice sculptors just wished there was more snow.

This scene has a bed/recliner, fireplace, a tree, and a couple other things. We'll revisit this scene at the end of the post and see what they've accomplished in 45 minutes.

This is a rendering of the Hoover Dam. A huge group came up from Las Vegas to work on it. They said if they won the top prize, it would pay for their hotel rooms next year. The Fire and Ice Show has been in the Top 100 Events for both 2008 and 2009.

We wondered why paths were shoveled out on the ice, and before long we got our answer--the ATV-towed wagon. We couldn't resist a ride around the lake. 

Some of the ice sculptures were still in the blobby phase. 

Others were pretty much done, like this steam locomotive.

Here's a mouse watching a cat catching a mouse and some catnip in front of it. The sculptors are busy shoveling snow around their creation.

An ice cream sundae. yum.

I think this is the doughboy. Or maybe the monster in Ghostbusters crashing through skyscrapers. I was fascinated by the process of making the ice sculptures. Buckets, shovels, sleds, heaters (to warm up water), ice augers (to get lake water), chairs, ladders, and concrete finishing tools were the most popular tools to make the ice creations.

Here are some cute penguins, part of a bigger sea scene.

The Hoover Dam is getting bigger. The columns were starting to tilt a little, but they just kept patching them up.

The tree is looking a lot more like a tree that we saw in the first scene.

Walking around could be a little slippery.

Next year we'll have to bring a sled--kids loved being pulled around. And people were sledding off the hills all around the lake, playing ice bowling, and generally having a great time. It was a wonderful day to be out and about. Now if I can just convince a bunch of friends and family to join me in ice sculpting next winter, maybe we can try for that prize!

Here's a video from last year's Fire and Ice Show from another blog:

The Extraterrestrial Highway

I saw this lovely cow crossing the ranch road the other day. Now, for most people, this would not be a memorable moment. But there was something in the cow's stature, the far-off mountains, and the winter lighting that made me remember of a trip I took a few years ago, a trip not to be forgotten.

That trip was out to a desolate highway, with plenty of open range, except the open range wasn't quite the same as it is throughout the rest of the West. This open range had the special designation shown above the cow on the sign. (Photo from rachel-nevada.com website). I kept expecting to see cows being beamed up, and the music from Close Encounters of the Third Kind played in my head.

This trip was out on the Extraterrestrial Highway, Nevada 375. This 98-mile long highway only passes one town, Rachel, NV. Calling it a town is a bit of a stretch, with just a scattering of buildings. Normally it would be totally ignored, but it has the fortune of being close to the infamous Area 51. If you like UFOs and aliens, this is a mecca. 

The Little A'Le'Inn is a restaurant and hotel. When I went in, some folks from the military base were enjoying a little time off by entertaining themselves with looking at the numerous photos covering the walls of UFOs and clippings of strange sights seen in the area. Locals offer tours to special spots where outsiders can peek into the ultra-high security area and try to determine what's happening inside. (By the way--the magnet above is a bit old--the new area code is 775, but the rest of the phone and fax numbers are correct.)

At the time I took my trip, the Nevada tourism office was offering a promotion that if I turned in a couple receipts from the ET highway, I could get this cool bumper sticker. I still haven't ever seen anyone else with one. I wonder why not??

And after recalling that wonderful trip and all the potentially strange things happening over the Great Basin desert, I look closer at the image of the cow crossing the road. Maybe some of those white clouds really aren't clouds after all...

Desert Destination: The Mojave Desert

The Great Basin Desert where I live now is quite cold in winter, being a high desert with a thin atmosphere. So it was time to head south to the Mojave Desert, which has warmer weather.The Mojave desert covers the southern part of California and Nevada, the northwestern part of Arizona, and a little of Utah. 

Heading down the highway, I saw the pinyon and juniper trees and sagebrush fade away and a new character appear...

A Joshua tree! The Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia) is the signature plant of the Mojave desert. It pretty much only grows in this desert, and its outlandish character makes it really easy to spot. Whenever I see one, I wonder if Dr. Seuss found inspiration in these trees.

Joshua trees are slow growers, stretching about three inches higher a year for the first ten years, and then only an inch and a half a year thereafter. Joshua trees can live hundreds of years, with a few even surpassing their thousandth birthday. They don't have growth rings, so it can be really difficult to age a Joshua tree. The tallest ones reach about 45 feet high.

Joshua trees can grow from seeds or underground rhizomes that spread from nearby neighbors. They apparently can have quite an extensive root network. The leaves of Joshua trees are pointy, so they don't exactly encourage caressing. From February to April, white flowers appear and are pollinated by the yucca moth.

As the trees grow older, they can have many branches that reach out and take even crazier forms. The name Joshua tree was given by Mormon settlers traveling across the Mojave desert who were reminded of a biblical story of Joshua reaching his arms up to the heavens in prayer.

The valley bottom is covered in fog, making these Joshua trees appear even more supernatural. Joshua trees do not grow everywhere in the Mojave Desert; for example, they were not on the valley bottom. Although they can survive with scarce precipitation and hot temperatures, even they have their limits.  

Desert Destination: Ibex Practice Rocks

About an hour west of Delta, Utah, steep cliffs descend to a dry lakebed called the Tule Hardpan. Over the last couple decades, these cliffs have been "discovered" by rock climbers as an excellent place to climb without crowds. About two miles to the northwest is a smaller rock outcropping, known (at least by me) as the Practice Rocks.

These Practice Rocks are sedimentary rocks called Eureka and Watson Ranch Quartzites. Fossils are rare, but occasionally found. The name Watson Ranch refers to Jack Watson, who moved to the southern end of the big Ibex crags in 1911. He developed a ranch and operated a small store for sheep herders and anyone else wandering around the West Desert for about 20 years. Nowadays, no one lives out here. In fact no one lives for at least 40 miles in any direction.

Because the practice rocks are so much smaller than the main crags, they don't get much attention. But there is a campfire ring, and after scrambling around on the rocks for twenty minutes, I decided I'd like to make use of it sometime. There is plenty to see and do to make camping a good option.

Many of the rocks are parallel to each other, allowing hallways, and in some cases, tunnels, to get between them. There are easy and difficult ways to move about the rocks, and it would be an awesome place to play hide and seek. (I can't help it, scrambling on rocks brings out the kid in me. In fact, I kept thinking how fun it would be to bring a bunch of kids out here and play--but I would give each one a whistle because the area is big enough it might be hard to hear a shout.)

The views are spectacular, with distant mountain ranges appearing in all directions. Notch Peak is to the north, which is a fun climb I'll cover someday in a separate post.

One of the surprises at the Practice Rocks is the corral, which was built using the rocks themselves on one side to help keep the sheep in place. The corral is in pretty good shape, so I expect it may still be used once in awhile.

The Practice Rocks are only about two miles south of Highway 50, and they're worth the detour to scramble around and take in the outstanding views. It's always fun to stop and find something is more than it seemed while passing it at 65 mph on the highway!

Gunnison Massacre Site

I've passed this sign several times and never drove the two miles to see what was at the Gunnison Massacre Site or what it was about. But the other day we had a little spare time, so we drove out the gravel road. And here is what we found...

A metal stake and a rock. I was severely underwhelmed. I got out of the truck to take a closer look.

The metal post said: "Gunnison Massacre Site Oct. 26 1853, More info Great Basin Museum Delta UT." 

Well, we went to the Great Basin Museum, but it was closed. So I looked on the internet, and I found some interesting information that made me glad I had taken the time to drive four extra bumpy, dusty miles. The Daughters of Utah Pioneers (DUP) had placed a marker at the site in 1927, but due to vandalism (primarily target practice), the marker had been removed and placed at the museum. 

Here is what it says:

In 1853, Captain John W. Gunnison was selected to lead an expedition to find a trans-continental railroad route. He followed the Old Spanish Trail through Salina Canyon, over the mountains to Pahvant Valley, and upon reaching Fillmore, visited his friend, Bishop Anson V. Call. Gunnison made friends in Utah while serving with Howard Stansbury's mapping expedition in 1851. Bishop Call warned him of Indians near the Sevier River because an old Indian brave in the Kanosh Tribe had been killed by members of a California-bound wagon train. Moshoquop, son of the dead brave, had vowed to avenge his father. Gunnison knew Kanosh and Moshoquop as friends, but they did not know of his return to Utah. On the evening of October 28, 1853, Gunnison and his party made camp on the bank of the river. They took a few shots at migrating wildfowl. Two Indians heard the shots and crept near enough to see the military uniforms and army equipment, but not close enough to recognize the men. The Indians reported the news, and during the night, plans were made and the camp was surrounded. At daylight the cook made a fire, Gunnison went to the river to wash up, and men began working with the horses. As the sun appeared over the mountain the first shot was fired. Three men escaped on horses, although one fell and had to hide in the brush. One man swam the river and hid in the willows. Eight men were killed by guns and arrows. The survivors made their way to Fillmore and reported the tragedy. Gunnison's body was taken to Fillmore for burial. William Potter, a Mormon guide, was buried at his home in Manti. Six men rest in a common grave at this site. They are John Bellows, W.J. Creuzfeld, botanist; R.H. Kern, artist; and Privates Lipcott, Calfield, and Merteens of the United States Army.

This is an early map of the area, published in 1889 in Bancroft's History of Utah 1540-1886. You can see the Sevier River in the bottom middle of the illustration. Then it flows north, around the Wasatch Mountains, and curves around to Sevier Lake. The town of Delta is not shown on the map--it didn't exist until 1906.

This is a view of the river today: a dry creek bed. That's mainly because many dams have been installed upriver, so only on exceptionally high water years does water flow all the way down the Sevier River into Sevier Lake. As a result, the lake is usually a dry lake bed. Well, whenever I see that sign now, I will have a few thoughts to occupy my mind. I find that occasionally stopping and exploring on my most common drives makes them go by a lot faster because I have memories to fill my mind when I pass the landmarks.

Desert Destination: A Cold Lake

I think because we live in the dry, desolate desert, we are attracted to water. That would certainly explain why I post more photos of water than dry terrain in this blog! Last weekend we took a detour to visit a nearby lake.

The lake is very popular for fishing. During the summer lots of boats dot the blue waters, while in the winter ice shacks are set up over holes in the ice. The main catch is rainbow trout, although northern pike have invaded and are also found in the lake. They aren't good for the rainbow trout population.

We didn't have any fishing gear with us, so we had to entertain ourselves by throwing rocks into the water. Desert Boy was happy to participate.

He spent a lot of time throwing rocks.

And throwing another rock.

And another.

But don't worry, I realize I've had a lot of posts about Desert Boy lately, so here's some other information about where we were. This is rabbitbrush with some seeds still clinging on despite the chilly temperatures.

There were a number of birds out on the lake, including this American Coot. It's easy to tell apart from other waterfowl with its all-white bill.

Here are a couple more coots, also called mudhens, swimming away. The birds didn't seem to like having their photos taken.

It was fun seeing the lake before it gets covered with ice for the next few months. The cool temperatures seemed to make the water look icy blue, and it was definitely cold. The wind pierced our coats and made the water choppy. We definitely live in the cold desert!

Desert Destination: A Forgotten Cave

Every Monday we visit a desert destination.

This weekend I had the opportunity to meet up with a bunch of cavers from Southern Nevada and go on a caving trip to a small, infrequently-visited cave. To start our trip, we parked and put on our caving gear. Even the kids had helmets and headlamps.

Our first challenge was to find the cave entrance. We hiked through the woods and eventually found an opening in the rocks that led into a nice, dark hole.

We climbed down into the hole and split up into pairs, exploring different side passages. Then we all got together to go up a steep climb into another part of the cave.

This upper section was sort of like swiss cheese, with lots of holes in the rocks. In some places we could go up or down and end up in the same place.

Jonathan found a fun little hidey-hole to peer out of and watch people go by.

The other side of the hole was a big passageway. Well, big enough for Jonathan to stretch out in. Sometimes "big" in a cave is relative.

Here's his mom in action, climbing down a steep part in the cave.

We saw a few formations, like these soda straws and stalactites, but there weren't a whole lot of formations in the cave.

This little drapery, or cave bacon, looked really cute.

The cave kept going down until passages were filled with water. From the mud coatings on the walls, it was obvious that during some times of the year, the water rises higher. 

We weren't interested in getting wet, so we headed out of the cave. This is Ricki, who enjoyed the trip.

We could see the bright sun coming in through the entrance, and it took our dark-adapted eyes a little time to adjust.

Once outside, we made sure everyone was accounted for--and that we hadn't picked up anyone extra! We dusted off our knees and headed back to the trucks, happy to have gotten some time underground.