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!

Nevada Northern Railway--Exploring the Yard and Enginehouse

Note: If you haven't already, you can check out Day 1 and Day 2 posts about the Nevada Northern Railway Winter Steam Shoot.

Sunday morning dawned with scattered clouds, so I got to the East Ely Depot early, about 6:30 a.m. I found the conductor sprinkling salt on the icy surface. We had been hoping for snow, but got freezing rain instead.

Nevertheless, it was turning into a beautiful morning, and I enjoyed wandering around the tracks. The caboose gave a nice burst of color.

The Baggage truck made a nice foreground for the East Ely Depot.

Then I went down to the freight barn. It's been renovated to hold parties.

The coaling tower and water tower caught some of the morning light.

I was surprised to see someone in the Scale House--but the person never moved. Not quite a live person in there!

Photographers were starting to gather in front of the Engine House, waiting for the steam engine to emerge. We still had time, so I kept wandering.

The RIP building, or Restoration in Progress building, is quite impressive. I had seen a photo of it with the windows reflecting a very pretty sunrise, but the clouds didn't quite cooperate this morning.

The end of the building reflects the motto "Safety First."

On the other side of the RIP building I found some of the shops and icy tracks.

There was also an old freight car.

And this cool gizmo--I'm not quite sure what it is.

Here's the Paint Shop.

And another view of the Engine House and Machine Shop complex.

I asked Dale if it was okay to take his photo. He's a frequent visitor to the railway, almost always on his trusty bike.

I wandered back over to the other photographers and we thought we still had more time, so I looked at this machine, which was used to replace old ties.

Yep, the doors are still closed. Why not look around the back?

I found the Wrecker Outfit Shed.

And a couple of old Army locomotives.

And quite a collection of junk. I mentioned before that the Nevada Northern Railway was shut down and just walked away from? It makes it so authentic, and it's on the National Historic Register because of it.

The track symmetry continued to fascinate me.

This is the entrance to the Machine Shop.

And then I saw the door was open! I hurried over to the photo line.

It was super cool watching the steam engine emerge.

It took off and we still had an hour until the train trip, so I decided to explore the Engine House. I went in the door the engine had just come out.

The diesel engines were sitting on the next track.

Back a ways was the Rotary Snow Plow. What a cool piece of equipment.

Then I entered a door marked Blacksmith Shop and I felt like I was in a candy store. It was beautiful! I didn't know what everything was that I was looking at, but I sure felt like I was back in time.

I also checked out this old caboose, which is on the repair list.

And this sign amused me.

I jumped down into the pit so I could get a different view.

It was such a fun exploration, and as part of the Winter Steam Shoot, I was allowed to explore on my own and take as much time as I wanted. It was a lot of fun.

Up next--another train trip in a different direction with some great lighting.