Baker Creek Snow Survey 2019

 The end of February meant it was time to head up Baker Creek to go measure snow for the NRCS Snow Survey. Fortunately this year we were able to use the park's UTV to get shuttled up there, which was great, because the snow was deep. Can you see the 8,000 foot elevation sign in the photo above? We're usually avoiding rocks in this area, and this time we were skiing on top of bushes!

We had some new participants and they quickly go the hang of measuring the snow depth and weighing the snow tube so that we could figure out the snow weight equivalent (SWE). This SWE lets us know how much moisture is in the snow pack.

When we get a core, we push the metal tube to the ground, and we know we've reached the ground when we pull up a little soil or grass. But we don't want to weigh that, so we have to remove it.

The Baker Creek snow courses have been measured since 1942, making them one of the longest data sets for Great Basin National Park. There are three snow courses, and in the photo below, we've moved up to the second one, about 9,200 feet elevation.

We lucked out with a beautiful day!

As we got higher, it got snowier.

In 2005, with a 300% snowpack, this avalanche changed the landscape.

On this day, we ended up with about 140% average snow water equivalent. It's great to be above average!

You can find out more about the snow survey program here.
And this is a link to the Nevada Snow Survey Program and the monthly report. Our photo made the front cover of the March 1 report!

Way to go, snow surveyors! It was a great day out. (Photo credit: Great Basin Heritage Area)

Mayday Training

I'm a volunteer firefighter for our county and over the years have responded to a variety of incidents, such as wildland fires, car fires, a hay fire, and even a structure fire. We don't have many people out here, so we don't have many structures, and fortunately they don't catch on fire frequently. But if one does, I want to know what to do, so I've gone to a variety of training. 

One Sunday the county hosted a Mayday training, which is what to do if you or another firefighter run into trouble. Basically the training was going through an obstacle course on an SCBA tank (breathing air through a mask), with the mask blacked out so we couldn't see where we were going. 

I volunteered to go first and started busting my way through some drywall. That was a lot of fun! (These photos aren't of me, but I looked pretty much the same.)

Then I crawled, following the hose and started feeling "wires" I had to try and keep the SCBA tank from snagging on the wires (hint: roll over and put it in the corner as you move). 



Here's a view from the other end. It sure was a tangled mess!


Another fun obstacle was the corrugated pipe.

It had a surprise inside (which I won't share, because if anyone reading this is doing similar training, it's better not to know what's coming!).

We also went up the stairs, where another fun surprise awaited.


Finally we had to drag a mannequin out of the "house."

I found the most difficult part was maintaining communications. I wasn't used to getting to my radio with the thick gloves and mask on and doing it all by feel since I couldn't see anything. I really enjoyed the training. Probably my caving experience helped!

I'm grateful the county puts on these training sessions so we can stay safer.

2019 Sheepherders Gathering

 Every January it's time for the annual Sheepherders' Gathering at the Border Inn, located along Highway 6 & 50 on the stateline of Nevada and Utah. Sheepherders, sheep owners, and other aficionados of the sheep industry drive up to hundreds of miles to attend.

On Friday evening there's an Industry appreciation dinner (invite only) followed by Open Mic night. I really enjoy this, as you never know what entertainment there will be. Nephi Clark Allred "Red Clark" opened with a sampling of his musical repertoire (above). Check out the link to hear some of his tunes.

Thank Hank Vogel took the floor as emcee.

Denys Koyle started the Sheepherders' Gathering many moons ago, and it has become a huge success.

Next up were a variety of stories and tributes.

Recognize this little performer? It's Desert Girl! She sang and played (sort of) Mary Had a Little Lamb.

Her jokes were better than her playing (she needs some practice).
Q: What do you call a sheep covered in chocolate? A: A candy baaa
Q: What do you get if you cross an angry sheep with a moody cow? A: An animal that's in a baaaad mooood.

Next came more memories.

Melanie has been performing since she was just walking. It's been so fun watching her grow up and seeing her talent blossom. 

Waddie Mitchell, cowboy poet, was the headliner for the weekend. He certainly knows how to spin a good yarn!

We missed many of Saturday's events because we went into Ely for the Birkebeiner Ski Race. There was a sourdough pancake breakfast, film screening, and more poetry by Waddie Mitchell.

We got back in time so my husband and I could attend the delicious Basque-style family dinner. The crowd was huge, filling the whole cafe and events room. I managed to forget to take a single photo!

Then we were entertained by the Front Porch Pickers. They sounded fantastic, and it was a really great evening.

It's so nice to have a special event to look forward to in the middle of winter. Keep an eye on the Great Basin National Heritage Area website if you want to attend next year!

Winter Raptor Survey 2019

 

In early January it's time to do the Winter Raptor Survey. It's done all over the state of Nevada (and probably many other states) to monitor raptor populations. We did a route in Spring and Snake Valleys. The most common raptor we saw was the rough-legged hawk, pictured above. 

The Spring Valley wind turbines caught my eye, with the inversion hanging out with them.

We celebrated when we found a Prairie Falcon.

Our turnaround was a place called Stonehouse. It's miles and miles from the nearest building. Today it's abandoned, but I can only imagine what it was like living here many moons ago. 

Watching birds is always a great excuse to get outside!

How's your backyard bird list going? We're up to 12 species for the year. :)

2019 Fire and Ice Festival

One of our favorite events in January is the Fire and Ice Festival in Ely, Nevada. This year the events were expanded to include many more activities, such as water volleyball, darts, bowling, a bonfire, and more.  We didn't have a chance to make it to those, but we did head out to Cave Lake on Sunday to enjoy the traditional ice/snow sculpture contest. Some winters it's not cold enough, but fortunately Mother Nature cooperated this year. We checked in on friends making Engine 93 from the Nevada Northern Railway to celebrate the 150th anniversary of White Pine County.

We also brought ice skates and desert Boy gave it a go. The ice was rough for skating, but he made it work.


Then Desert Girl and Ava gave it a go. Having a ski pole keeps you upright more. :)


We also got in some sledding. Then it was time to take another look at the snow sculptures. This one was quite impressive, with the horse breaking out of the water.


That inspired our group to do our own snow sculpture. The kids made a snow alligator.


Meanwhile, Jenny and I made a sea creature (we never could quite decide if it was a dolphin, fish, or monster!)  Photo by Jenny.

Usually we eat at Cave Lake, but the food booth was having trouble getting their heaters to work. We hadn't brought lunch, so my dear husband ran into town and got us some burgers. They never tasted so good!

Some year I'd love to stay for the fireworks, but the drive home at night over mountain passes in the winter with lots of wildlife on the road is a little daunting. So for now it's a daytime event for us. And good news, our friends won 1st place!

Maybe next year we'll get organized enough to compete??  See more photos of the event on my friend Jenny's blog.