Nevada Northern Engine House Tour

On Mother's Day we headed to Ely, Nevada to ride the Nevada Northern train. Moms ride free that day, so we figured it would be a great opportunity to get our little train aficionado a treat and do some relaxing and enjoy the scenery. We started at the East Ely Depot.

They have a scenic old cart near the loading area.

Desert Boy thought he was so cool with his conductor shirt on. Then came his friend Ava, who was totally outfitted as a conductor. We all got a kick out of watching them compare their outfits.

Then it was time for the real conductor to collect the tickets.

It was a windy, chilly day, typical Ely weather. We braved the weather part of the time to go to the outside car.

Lots of people chose to enjoy the views from the warmer coaches.

At the end of the ride, they offered a tour of the engine house. We had never done that before, so we got off and waved by to Ava and her dad.

Then it was time for our tour guide, an extremely knowledgeable gentleman (whose name I didn't catch), to start the tour.

Safety is obviously a big component of what they do, there are safety signs everywhere.

The signs next to the door read, "No admittance except employees only" and "Notice: Book agents, insurance agents, peddlers, ticket sellers, solicitors, politicians Positively Prohibited from visiting the offices of shops of this Company. Nevada Northern Co."

That part about the politicians is good.

The shop is huge, filled with all sorts of machines, tools, and other stuff.

Here's a giant lathe. Many of the machines are really large because the train parts they're used to make or repair are also very large.

Then the doors on the side open, and the diesel engine that had been pulling our train entered the engine house.

The Nevada Northern Railroad has a huge number of volunteers who help keep the trains running. It's quite an impressive effort.

Our tour group dwindled as others had to leave to do other things, so we ended up getting the tour guide all to ourselves. We went into the next room and found it full or trains.

The Nevada Northern has two working diesel engines and two working steam locomotives. They also have one of each that they have plans to repair. And they have many more housed there, probably because they have room and future plans.




I should have taken notes on the tour, because I'm afraid I don't re,member all the details. I guess I will have to take the tour again!
As we were leaving, we saw steam locomotive 93 heading into the engine house. It gets a bit of rest before it goes out on its next trip.

Magic Candles

My sister-in-law had her birthday while she was visiting, so we made some special cakes for her. She's a naturalist, so we had to make something nature-related. First we made a butterfly cake, and Desert Boy enjoyed decorating. Does he look at all guilty about eating the decorations? Nah, I didn't think so either.

And we also made a ladybug cake. Okay, these aren't exactly masterpieces, but they do look slightly better than my attempt at Elmo cupcakes!

The finished butterfly cake.

Then it was time for blowing out the candles--both Desert Boy and his cousin Maria were happy to help.

But these weren't just any ol' candles, these were magic candles that apparently shoot fire. To see the action, check out the video below.

Ready for me to make your cake? Ha, ha.

Cattle Drive

We heard about a cattle drive the other day and went out to investigate. Off in the distance we could see a bunch of dark shapes with dust rising here and there. We cautiously approached, not wanting to get in the way or make the cowboys' job any harder.

Right away we could see some action. A calf was making a mad dash away from the group, and a cowboy and his horse galloped after the wayward young'un.

The calf had spotted open country and decided to make a run for it. It obviously wasn't thinking about other consequences, i.e. it would be lonely and hungry without its mama. This calf was living in the moment.

But the calf didn't have its freedom for long, the horse caught up and turned the calf, all at high speed.

The calf sprinted back to the rest of the cows, the horse urging its quick return. Dust rose as hooves pounded the dry, hard ground.

It was such a high speed chase that the cowboy's hat even fell off!

They're still running.The calf had strayed far from the herd. The cattle were being moved from winter range to summer range, and it was the calf's first time to see this terrain. I can feel it's curiosity, crossing over the pass and seeing so many different things. And sometimes a kid just has to run, to stretch his legs.

Hurray! Back with mama and the rest of the cows and calves. A couple of cows used the distraction to take a snack break.

Then it was time to get the cows moving again. Four cowboys and some dogs kept the cows walking most of the time. It's a fairly slow process, but with steady pushing they can cover a lot of ground.

It was a beautiful day, with pleasant temperatures and beautiful scenery. My brother-in-law Dave came over to ask a question. I took the opportunity to get some close up photos.

He still has a wide smile at this stage of the trip! He knows that it will be many more miles and hours to go.


In places a lot of dust is raised. Being a cowboy can be quite dirty work.

Now the cows are moved along the little two-track road. These cows aren't quiet as they walk along. In fact, they have quite a lot to say as they tell another cow to get out of the way or comment on the brown cow's butt or share calf-raising tips or cuss out the cowboys. You can hear a sampling in the video below. What do you think they are saying?



And then away they go, slow and steady, the sound fading as the distance increases. Quiet returns to the desert, interrupted now by grasshoppers whirring from one bush to another, horned larks chirping, and the wind rustling the squat vegetation. The moment of excitement has passed.

Where are the Deer?

While my brother was visiting, we had to stop to take a picture of some flowers. It just so happened that we stopped right by the deer crossing sign, and I happened to see him imitating a jumping deer. Of course he didn't want to admit it. I mean, who would?

He tried to cover up by then looking for the deer. Notice how he is so thoughtfully scanning the horizon? He's used to small white-tailed deer, not the big burly mule deer we have out here. He really wanted to see them. He might have better luck if he shaded his eyes with his hand instead of posing in such a photogenic way. (Ha, ha, Peter, thanks for being such a cooperative model.)

And look, sure enough there were some deer out in the distance, in their favorite dusk hangout. They like to go out in the fields to munch on the yummy alfalfa and have a drink or two with their buddies. They've got the good life figured out.

Owls, Owls, and More Owls

This has been a great spring for owls. I've seen them all over. Here is a baby great horned owl sitting in the large nest. It still has its fuffy feathers.

Baby owls are rather large, so I can only imagine all the work that must go into feeding them. It has been a very good rodent year, so perhaps that's why we're seeing so many owls. I wouldn't mind a few more around my house!

Fifteen miles away from the first owl nest we found these two owls hiding out in a tree. Do you see both of them? The one on the lower right is partially obscured by the branch.

This tree is right outside our house and there are four owls on it. Do you see them all?

On the lower branch on the right is the mama and a young one.

On the left about half way up is this fluffy juvenile.

And near the top on the left is this juvenile. Can you see the talons?

I think mama owl is winking at me! And the baby has its beak open, telling me to beat it.

So it's time to head to a different habitat to look at an owl species I haven't seen in years.

This is a burrowing owl. Instead of making a nest in a tree, it raises its young in a burrow. This is probably the male, keeping an active lookout while the female incubates the eggs.

I didn't go very close because I didn't want to disturb it, but I think you can still tell from the photo that it's a really cool owl. I hope the young do well and they return next year.