Announcing The Great Basin for Kids Book

Here it is! The all-new, fantastic book you want in your hands as soon as possible: The Great Basin for Kids! It's 40 pages of full-color, full-fun goodness.

How did this book come about?
I published my book Great Basin National Park: A Guide to the Park and Surrounding Area in 2012, and was asked, "What's next?"

I had several projects underway, but a couple conversations led me to develop a book about the entire Great Basin for kids. I thought it would take a weekend to write. Why, I'm not sure, because two years later, it is finally ready!

I approached many agents and publishers about this book, but the consistent feedback I got back was, "Great idea, but there's no market."

That was a little frustrating, but also eye-opening. Even though the Great Basin extends from the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the Wasatch Mountains and includes parts of six states (Nevada, Utah, California, Oregon, Idaho, and Wyoming), many of the people who live in it don't know it. So even though this book says it's for kids, it's really for anyone who wants to learn more about the Great Basin.

What's in the book?
Learn about some of the cool features of the Great Basin, like volcanic features and huge lakes. Find out what kind of creatures live in various habitats of the Great Basin, from sagebrush to mountain forests. Discover some of the people who live in the Great Basin, such as Native Americans and cowboys. And finally, check out the amazing night skies above the Great Basin.

Along with some information and a fun fact about each of the 18 topics in the book, there is also a kid-friendly activity. These can help you learn about the Great Basin, but more importantly, they are a lot of fun!

Also, there's a map that shows places to visit related to the topic. In the example below, you can find some caves open for the public to visit, scattered all over the Great Basin.

I'm hoping the book will help people learn more about the Great Basin and maybe even surprise them a little. I was surprised by some of the things I learned while researching the book! I can't wait to go explore more!

I also want to shout out to my brother, Matthew Schenk, who illustrated the book as well as did the design and layout. He's the one who has made it such an appealing package. He is a professional graphic designer with an impressive portfolio.

Where can I get it?
Currently the book is available from CreateSpace, Amazon, the Border Inn, and should be available soon from Western National Park Association bookstores in Great Basin National Park, as well as some outlets in Ely, Nevada and Delta, Utah.

I'd love your feedback on the book, and reviews on Amazon are greatly appreciated.

Snake Valley Festival

Last weekend we had a very busy weekend at the Snake Valley Festival, held the third weekend of June in Baker, Nevada. It was three busy days of events. Here were some of the highlights.

The Snake Valley Slither 5k/10k trail run and walk has begun! But a couple slitherers in the middle of the starting line are getting a slow start--you might recognize one of them!

Post-race Orange Julius--yum!

Desert Boy approaching the finish line with family and friends.

Desert Girl running the little kids' race.

Playing on the water feature, that was brought in to celebrate the birthdays of two special boys.

The parachute--a special treat for the kids to play.

The water fight lasted all day for some of the kids.

Desert Boy doing a magic trick for the pageant and talent show. It earned him the title of Mr. Junior Snake Valley!

Desert Girl enjoying some ice cream at Friday night's ice cream social.

Kids' music workshop with Trotta and Ronstadt with Dalton.

Horses in the parade.

Loved this sign!

Aw, sweet music! The Ely Cheatgrass Brass Band played in both the parade and later in the afternoon during the free entertainment section.

The kids joined the kid float in the parade.

The Snake Valley Festival was great fun and will be held next year on the third weekend in June. Come join us!

An Evening Kayak

 One warm summer evening we decided we should go out on the water. We loaded our inflatable kayaks and headed down to Pruess Lake. Henry came with--we couldn't leave our water dog behind! While my husband and the kids tried their luck fishing, I went for a solo paddle.

 I interrupted two great horned owls. They separated and watched me go past. The grebes kept preceding me until I got too close, then they dove underwater and came up far behind me.

I stopped at the dam, constructed in the 1800s. The water levels on the rock showed that the water used to be much higher. It's never gotten high enough to use the overflow, as the porous limestone rock proves to be a little leaky (much to water developers' chagrin over a hundred years ago). I stuck my paddle in the water and found that it was only about five feet deep.

After I got back, Desert Boy went for a paddle with me in the opposite direction. We made some rocks our destination, with cool clouds overhead.

The setting sun made everything especially scenic.

Desert Boy celebrated his paddling prowess. He did well enough we paddled quite a bit more.

My arms were sore, but he wanted to continue.

Meanwhile, Desert Girl was delighted to find a cupful of shells on the edge of the lake. It was a really pleasant evening for all of us.

Here's to enjoying summer evenings. Only a few more days until the longest day of the year for the Northern Hemisphere!

Life on the Ranch: Branding

 We found out that a branding was happening, so I packed up and took the kids to it. We had missed some previous ones because I was out of town, and I enjoy seeing the cowboys in action.

Brandings usually occur when the cattle are moved off the winter range. The calves were born in March and need to be marked so that they can legally be sold next winter. It's possible to just process the calves through a chute, as I wrote about in 2009. However, the cowboys much prefer the old-fashioned method, which involves roping the calves, separating them from the rest, and then processing them. The roping allows the cowboys to hone their skills and also provides a social function, as friends and neighbors often come to help.

We watched some excellent young cowboys rope calves and bring them back.

Sometimes it can be tricky to keep the calf down, especially if the special gadget to keep them confined doesn't get attached. Once they're down, they're vaccinated and have their ears cut. Instead of branding with a red-hot iron, ear cutting is what the ranch uses (but the whole get-together is still often called branding). If it's a male calf, a rubber band is applied to his delicate parts to cut off blood flow (in effect castrating it, but without Rocky Mountain oysters flying all over).


Here's an overview of what the process looks like: the cowboy and horse pull the calf into position, while other cowboys move in to do all the tasks necessary.


Cowgirls are very much a part of the whole operation.


It takes a lot of skill and communication to make sure that the calf is held at just the right tension.


This little cowboy was one of the best ropers out there. He made it look easy. Yet when I try to lasso something that's not even moving, I have a hard time.

Now, for some of the details.

The lasso.

The spur, stirrup, and chap fringe.

The wannabe cowboy (aka Desert Boy).

Chaps are just way too cool.

Getting new eartags ready. These have insecticides on them to help keep the flies from bothering the cows.

My nephew. The mountains in the background are something we almost take for granted. 

The high desert of the Great Basin is such a breathtaking place.

It's time to rope!

The lasso goes out...

And makes contact! The calf is pulled.

A beautiful horse.

 One thing the photos don't quite show is how hot and dusty it can all be. My camera was coated with a dust layer (of course lying on the ground may have contributed to that!). When you're right up there with the animals, it's even dustier.

A well-warranted drink break. But only if you're wearing chaps.

 Lasso up...

Nice try!

This one's a keeper. This cowboy was a great roper, even with a broken arm.

The kids got worn out fast, but I was still glad to have the chance to watch for awhile. The skill these cowboys show is amazing, something that takes years to hone.

And if you'd like to see even more photos of ranch life, A Handful of Dust Documentary has some terrific ones.

A Little Fishing

 We decided one evening to go out for a little fishing trip to a nearby pond. The kids were so excited, they love to fish.

 We're not very good at fishing because we don't go often, but the fish were rising like crazy, so it didn't take long to catch our first trout.

 Desert Boy was rocking the flip flops. He thought it was pretty cool that we let him go to the other side of the pond all by himself.

 I thought it was cool that we had such beautiful light!

 Some birds kept us entertained, like the Brewer's Blackbird (above), as well as killdeer and common nighthawks.

In the end we caught two trout (we decided we needed different bait), which we ate the next evening. Yum. We'll be back!

What's your favorite fish to catch and eat?