A Short Ski up Strawberry Creek

 We had a good storm on Thursday, March 26. On Saturday morning, I took the kids out for a short ski up Strawberry Creek. We drove up to where the old restrooms used to be (yep, good directions!). Or another way to put it, where the turn off to the old corral that burned down in the fire (I'm getting better at this, right?).

Beyond that, the road typically gets steeper and the last drifts are there under the trees. It was a good place. We got on our skis and headed up the road.

Desert Boy was enjoying himself, eating the snow.

Meanwhile, Desert Girl was having trouble getting traction with her skis and she was not happy. We need to trade her skis in for a bigger size and one that is more backcountry friendly.

 We got to the trailhead in short order.

We were excited to see the bridge that had been replaced last summer.

The interpretive sign about Stream Survivors is still there, although the Bonneville Cutthroat Trout are few and far between after the 2016 wildfire that burned a lot of the watershed.

We crossed the bridge and headed up into the meadow.

But we soon found too many rocks and turned around. The kids weren't sad, but I was. I love a good ski, and this is a place I rarely go, as you usually have to park way down the road and then it's a long trek.

The trailhead parking wall on the east side was covered by snow, with animal tracks taking the trail in that direction. This might be our last ski of the season, as the temperatures are getting a lot warmer and the snowline is receding up into the mountains. We're crossing our fingers for a wet spring, though, as we're still below normal.

And if you want to find out just how much snow is in the high country, here's a link to the Wheeler Peak Snotel (located above the Wheeler Peak Campground in Great Basin National Park), and a camera located there. This area still has lots of snow, but is quite difficult to access until the road opens in late May/June.

2020 Ely Bristlecone Birkebeiner plus Bonus Train Photos

 One of our favorite races of the year is the Bristlecone Birkebeiner in Ely, Nevada, put on by the Ely Outdoor Enthusiasts.  This is the longest running cross-country ski race in the state of Nevada. It has also expanded to include snowshoeing and fat tire mountain biking. We arrived about 8:35 am on Saturday morning, giving us enough time to attach our numbers. I was doing the long-course (4.1 miles), while the kids were doing the short course (1.5 miles), their first time at this new distance. In previous years, they had done the kids' race, but we had done a practice loop a month before on the short course and did great.

I took my phone with me, thinking I might take photos along the way, but I got a little competitive and didn't want the lady behind me to pass me. So I didn't get any photos until the end! Fortunately, a photographer was out on the course, and you can see some photos on their Facebook page.  Here are the ones of us (photo credit I believe to Jani Ahlvers):

I did see the first fat-tire mountain biker come in.

Then I went to find the kids. Desert Girl was making s'mores at the fire pit. She graciously made me one.

I got back to the finish line in time to see some friends arrive.

NDOT had a cool tent set up with the logo: "Preserving Nevada's Waters for Future Generations." Thank you, NDOT!

People hung out at the shelters, waiting for everyone to finish.

Then it was time for awards. About ten people did the short course. And Desert Girl came in second for women! (fourth overall). 

And Desert Boy came in first overall for the Short Course! What a difference from a few years ago, when he was in tears and falling down a lot. Goes to show that practice does pay off! (Of course getting a little bigger might have helped, too!)

In addition to the cool awards, the kids also won gift certificates to Sportsworld, which they really enjoyed spending.

I finished mid-pack for the long course and really enjoyed my ski. I guess I better start taking lessons from the kids if I want to place higher. :)

The Fire and Ice Winter Festival was being held that weekend in Ely, but we had another commitment back home. We did run over to the train yard to see the newly crafted wooden train engine. When we got there, we found they were getting ready to attach Engine 40 to the train cars.

It's so cool to see a coal-fired train engine on the move.

A film crew was there. They are making a documentary about White Pine County and will be in town for about a month.

A few other people were gathered. Later that day, they were planning to shoot off fireworks from the train.

The Nevada Northern Railway is not to be missed if you're in Ely.

Across from the new parking lot we found the wooden replica. We couldn't believe all the detail that had been put into it.

The plan was to burn it at the bonfire that night. 

First, though, the kids could climb on in!

It would be cool to have one of these around all the time, it was so cool!

Ely Outdoor Enthusiasts has a bunch of races throughout the year, so if you want some inspiration to go out and enjoy the beautiful outdoors, check out their website!

Happy 2020!

 Desert Girl and I enjoyed some cross-country skiing to kick off 2020! Here's to a great year with lots of outside time and fun adventures!

My computer crashed and I lost some files and photos, but hopefully I'll be really up and running soon. If not, I'll just have to spend more time outside, lol.

After a first successful ski trip, we went another time, this time with Desert Boy accompanying. He is a moody tween, but realizes he needs a break from screen time. This time the snow was quite icy, and we had trouble getting traction going up in Grey Cliffs Campground.

It was nice to find a flatter spot on the way to Loop B.

The edges of the snow were very thin, as the afternoons are warm. We're in need of another big snow (at least for the mountains!).

I'm hoping we can do lots of cross-country skiing this winter, it's such a lovely sport and makes being outside more fun. We are also looking forward to the Bristlecone Birkebeiner cross-country ski (and fat tire bike and snowshoe) race on January 18 in Ely!

An Afternoon of Winter Fun in Ely

 

On a recent afternoon, we went to Ely, Nevada. And as most of our trips to town are, we had lots of things to do on our list--take in recycling, eat some yummy Chinese food, and then head to the Art Bank, accessed through the Garnet Mercantile on main street (Aultman Street).

The Art Bank is an old bank building that has been turned into an art gallery. Every time you go in, you see different works of art. I sell some of my photography there. When we go, the kids and I always pick out our favorite piece of art. It's never the same, because there is so much good art!

 

Besides photography, there are paintings, wood boxes, stained glass, jewelry, scarves, and so much more.

 

Here's the Art Bank's website.

It so happened that on that Saturday afternoon, Santa Claus was at the Garnet Mercantile, willing to take photos.  It took the kids a minute or two, but before long they recognized Santa. Benefits of living in a small community--you know everyone! They had a fun discussion.

The resulting photo came out very nice.

Next up was a trip up to Ward Mountain Recreation Area. We go here every January for the annual Birkebeiner cross country ski (and now also fat tire mountain bike) race. It's lots of fun, but why limit it to just once a year? When I saw a Facebook post that the trails had been groomed, I knew we had to go!

The question was just how far we should go. I let the kids decide, and they were soon off on the trail to the warming hut, and I was trying to catch up!

The warming hut wasn't too warm, so after a quick look, we continued on.

Desert Girl was so happy to lead the way. She tried to keep far ahead of Desert Boy.

But in her haste, she fell down. Desert Boy kept going.

Even though it was over 40 degrees, the grooming had done wonders with the snow, and we didn't have any sticky snow.

Before long, we were back at the trailhead, having completed the short loop (1.5 miles) of the Birkebeiner route. I think the kids are ready to move up from the Kid division!

We weren't done yet. Time to shake off those sore legs with a swim at the White Pine County Aquatic Center. They have a small, shallow pool...

...and a six-lane 25-yard long pool.

There's a deep end...

...with two climbing walls. We met friends there and had a fantastic time. We'd like to try and get back once a month throughout the winter, as it's such a pleasant way to spend some time, and good exercise.

Next up was some birthday bowling. We hadn't bowled in for so long, so I was just hoping to bowl an 80. I remember my 80+ year old grandma used to be able to bowl a 160 when she bowled weekly with her friends. I channeled her, and ended up getting a couple strikes in a row and a 117! Woohoo!

There was plenty of space at the bowling alley late on the Saturday afternoon, and it was a fun time.

There's so much to do if you just go out and do it! Click here for more about what to do in Ely, Nevada.