Take It to the Lake - 2014 Race

On Saturday the kids and I headed to Cave Lake for the third annual Take It to the Lake Race sponsored by the Ely Outdoor Enthusiasts. This was my third time to race; in 2012 I did the half marathon, last year the 10k, and this year the 10k. The kids were there for the Kids Fun Run, a mile-long race. Overall there were many more participants this year than last.

The race course changed from the previous years; instead of getting bussed to a starting point and running nearly the entire race uphill, we started at the lake and ran downhill and then turned around and back uphill. I liked that better.

The 10k race started at 8:30 am and my goal was to be back in time for the kids run at 9:30. However, due to a serious lack of training (my longest run was 3 miles, and I didn't even run the whole thing), I finished in 1:04, so missed the start of the kids run. However, that time was good enough to put me in third place for the female finishers. And our friend Clint won the overall 10k! Way to go!

After the run, I "took it to the lake" and plunged myself into Cave Lake to cool off (I had been wanting to do that the past two years and finally worked up the courage to do it this year and it felt so good!). Then I went in search of the kids.

Desert Boy was running well.

He had quite a determined look on his face for this photo!

I had to go quite a bit farther to find Desert Girl, who was hanging out with friends and alternating walking and running. Some year they won't be last. But they're having fun, and that's what matters!

And they all got medals a the finish line, which they treasured.

Perhaps their favorite part was the mud foot bath after the race.

Some of the kids took a full plunge, although the lake was on the cold side.

We all had a good time and enjoyed the BBQ lunch and raffle afterwards. Maybe next year I will find the time to train a little better. At least I'm now trained up for a race I just heard about--a triathlon in Delta, Utah on October 4. Desert Boy will give it a go as his first triathlon--stay tuned to see how that goes!

Hiking with Kids: Wheeler Cirque Bristlecone Grove

As I've mentioned in a previous post, I've had bristlecones on my mind a lot this summer. One of my trips up to see these old, high-elevation trees was back in early July. There's a lovely bristlecone grove accessible via a 1.5-mile (one-way) hike in Great Basin National Park, along the aptly-named Bristlecone Trail. We decided it would be a great destination for six kids and four adults. But before we started, we had better stretch!

One of the keys to having kids enjoy the hike is to make it a game. Apparently balancing was a major part of the game, because as I looked back at the photos, I saw the kids were really enjoying it.

We had planned to eat lunch at the bristlecone grove, but based on the level of whininess (that's a word, right?), we adapted and changed our plans to eat lunch at Teresa Lake (0.7 miles from the trailhead, or about an hour away at our speed). Water is always appealing to kids, especially when we told them they could go swimming! They quickly figured out that it was very cold water for swimming, but that didn't stop them from hanging out at the edge.

Rested up and fed, we continued our hike to the bristlecones.

Meeting up with Ranger Carolyn provided a nice rest break and photo op.

The trail is stunning, with great views as you get closer and closer to the glacial moraine where the bristlecones live on the Prospect Mountain quartzite (most old bristlecone groves live on dolomite or limestone, so this grove is a bit different).

Heading up a switchback.

And then we were there! We saw cool bristlecones all around.

The kids weren't interested in the bristlecones, but instead the prize we had promised: doing their nails. Whatever it takes!

I left them to walk the short interpretive trail and visit some trees over 3,000 years old. One of the oldest trees in the world, Prometheus, at about 5,000 years old, was found near here, but many scientists think it was an outlier, as they haven't been able to find any others in the area over 4,000 years old. Nevertheless, living 3,000 years is still amazing. And once a tree dies, its wood can remain intact for thousands of years more.

The reason that bristlecones can live so long is that most of the tree dies after time. A narrow strip of bark supports just a small section of life on the tree. Meanwhile, wind and precipitation shape the remaining dead bark into fascinating forms.

Although the kids weren't interested in the interpretive trail, they still did think the bristlecones were pretty cool. They took time to touch the needles, which can remain on the tree up to an amazing 45 years.

After a big snack, it was time to head back. We had another motivator: ice cream at the Lehman Caves Cafe. But we had to move fast to make it in time.

Fortunately we got there about five minutes before closing and they were kind enough to smile and make something for all of us. That sure put smiles on our faces! What a great hike.

White Pine Public Museum, Ely, Nevada

One of our favorite places to stop at when we go to Ely, Nevada is the White Pine Public Museum. The museum front isn't very large and there's no parking lot, so it's easy to miss, but it's right on main street at 2000 Aultman Ave., so you don't even have to go out of your way. One of the things we like best about it is that every time we see something different. There are so many details that you can't absorb them all in just one visit, especially if you have fast-moving kids with you. 

When we had family visit in July, it was the perfect time to stop in. 

The museum advertises its Cave Bear. And it is spectacular.

Two bear skeletons were found in a local cave, which sure shows that the fauna in the area was quite a bit different! The giant short-faced bear  (Arctodus simus) was quite a bit larger than today's grizzly bears. The museum shows a model of one of the cave bears. 

 Near the cave bear was one of the kids' favorite exhibits, an interactive paleontology table where they could uncover part of an ichthyosaur, Nevada's state fossil.

This little guy really liked the video of explosions at the mine.

And Desert Girl pointed to an animal case and said, "I know crows."

Then it was time to head outside to the one-room school house from Baker, Nevada.

The kids thought it was great fun to pretend they were in school. Well, for about five minutes.

We checked out the Cherry Creek depot, the old caboose, and this massive mining car.

Some of the exhibits aren't too impressive, like these old, rusty wheelbarrows. You can never have too many, right? (I think the museum has seven.) I guess it's hard to turn down donations.


Outside by the beautiful mural, the kids spent some time in jail.

The museum doesn't have the most up-to-date, techno gadgety exhibits, but it is a lot of fun. Entrance is by donation and hours are variable (but it's usually open in the middle of the day on weekends and some weekdays). You can learn more at the White Pine Public Museum website.

A Birthday Party Treasure Hunt

 I love it when a good party comes together! In this case it was Desert Boy's friend, Ava. Her mom had a great idea--a treasure hunt around town. Every time she announced the clue, the kids took off sprinting.

They paused long enough for a lineup and a photo.

But then they were off again after seeing the next clue.

It was a hot afternoon, so we paused for a drinking stop. Some of the kids discovered a puddle. I kinda thought I knew what would happen next.

And I was right!

By this time the photo stops were not well tolerated.

The kids were delighted to get to the water spigot in the playground. Some of the kids thought it was great to take off their shirts.

Desert Girl didn't mind drenching herself.

They eventually reached the treasure chest, where they found cool hats and sunglasses.

It was a great time. Happy Birthday, Ava!

Desert Survivor's Get-Out-And-Camp Challenge Check-in

Hi, are you taking Desert Survivor's Get-Out-And-Camp Challenge? If you missed the post, click on the link to learn a few details of the name-how-many nights you want to camp and then just-go-and-do-it challenge.

We decided we would camp out 12 nights this year, and last weekend we added nights 7 and 8. They were great, at Cave Lake State Park near Ely. The kids love it because it's close to the lake. I love it because they have hot showers! I also had some fun with night photography.

Reflections in the lake

Night sky over the campsite

UFOs

 Actually, stranger than the UFOs were the numerous lights along the lake edge. What were people doing? I decided to investigate.

What I found is that a bunch of teenagers were crawdading. They could easily see the crawdads with their flashlights close to shore, and then they netted them. One group had a bucketful!

The next night they were out again (under the Milky Way--what a blessing to have such dark skies!). We decided to join them.

The kids caught a few all on their own (I was busy taking photos). So when Desert Boy told me he was soaked up to mid-chest, I gave a big sigh and expected to run back to the tent. Nope, he wanted to keep catching more. I think there's something very strong in our genetic code to keep hunting and gathering!


Here's some of their catch:

Since I had no intention to cook any, we gave them to the teenagers (who I believe were planning on eating them.)

 Staying out to crawdad meant that the skies had darkened quite a bit, and the Milky Way really popped.

One of the trickiest parts of photographing the night sky are all the airplanes and the resulting airplane trails they leave. I'm starting to learn how to remove them in post-processing, as well as some other tricks, but it's a steep learning curve.

Nevertheless, it's fun experimenting with some different photographic techniques. And it's fun to go unplugged and just enjoy the scenery around us.

So there you have it, go out and camp! There's still plenty of time to begin and finish the challenge. Fall camping features cooler nights and gorgeous changing colors.