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.