Four days in Elko NV…
Whey we came…
To visit family and friends!
The campground…
Iron Horse RV Resort was nice. It’s conveniently located off the highway, but sits lower so vehicle noise is minimal. The place is well run and the facilities are clearly maintained. Though there are quite a few long termers, they keep their sites tidy. We were in the transient area and were surprised that we never got neighbors. I imagine that as the season progresses, the transient area experiences a high turnover due to the park’s convenient location near the highway.
We had a long back-in site that was fairly level and consisted of packed gravel. We had full hook-ups, decent wi-fi, and a good Verizon cell phone signal. There was no problem getting satellite TV, but they also offered cable. We didn’t use the laundry facilities, but the bathrooms, clubhouse, pool and hot tub areas were very clean. We were comfortable at Iron Horse RV Resort and would gladly stay there again.
We were comfortable at Iron Horse RV Resort
Nearby towns…
Elko NV, population 18,297 and elevation 5,066 feet, has a semi-arid climate and its economy is based on gold and silver mining. “Most of the gold from Nevada is mined near Elko.” “It was first inhabited only in 1868, when it was at the east end of the railroad tracks built by the Central Pacific Railroad.” Elko lies along the route of the historic California trail. The trail ran through the area because it followed the Humboldt River. Elko is a Shoshoni word meaning “rocks piled on one another”.
The medium sized town has a good selection of stores, restaurants, and services. If you can’t something in Elko, you would need to travel 230 miles east to Salk Lake City or 290 miles west to Reno.
Approaching the Ruby Mountains from the east. We enjoyed the drive over Secret Pass.
As we drove around Elko, we saw obvious reminders that we were in Nevada. There were a few casinos and slot machines were in convenience stores, grocery stores, and restaurants. We even saw a couple of legal brothels. In addition, there were aisles of alcohol in the grocery stores. It was all weird to us after spending the last six months in Utah!
Slot machines in the grocery stores and legal prostitution…we must be Nevada!
Adventures…
Fun with my cousin and her family…
We met Cousin Tiffany and four of her daughters at the California Trail Interpretive center. It is one of their favorite places to visit and they had a good time giving a tour to Arleen and me.
“Between 1841 and 1869, up to 250,000 people sold their belongings, packed wagons, and set out for California.” We learned the stories of the pioneers who endured the 2,000 mile trek including the Bidwell-Bartelson and the Donner-Reed party.
The Interpretive Center had great displays on how the migrants packed up in Missouri, life on the trail, and the challenges of getting across the desert and the mountains. Finally, we learned about “seeing the elephant”.
After a good Italian meal with Tiff and the girls, we went to one of the local schools to listen to a recorder concert put on by the 4th grade class and Tiff’s youngest daughter.
Tiff’s oldest daughter met us there too. It was good to see all the girls, though we missed seeing her husband, Juan, again. We hope they are able to join us out on the road someday!
Our adventure began at the California National Historic Trail Interpretive Center
It was great hanging out with my cousin and her family!
Greg and the National Weather Service…
We both worked with Greg in Alaska. He heads the National Weather Forecast Office in Elko.
He gave us a tour of the office and explained the challenges of serving the area of most of northern and central Nevada.
We spent time looking at the new weather satellite images from Goes 16. They were amazing! Satellite has progressed so far since we joined the career field 30 years ago.
Greg took us to one of his favorite restaurants in Elko for lunch. The Star Inn serves Basque family style meals and is the top rated restaurant (out of 64 on Trip Advisor) in Elko. A number of Basque sheep herders settled in the area at the turn of the century.
Greg and I at the Elko NV National Weather Service office / Greg showing us the new GOES 16 satellite capabilities…cool stuff!
Snowshoe adventure in the Ruby Mountains…
We left Elko and headed south on Highway 227. As soon as we crested the Elko Summit, the grandeur of the Ruby Mountains loomed ahead. They rise abruptly from the Lamoille valley and at first glance they reminded us of Wyoming’s Teton Range.
The Rubies are truly the jewel of the Nevada ranges. Not only because a ruby is a gem but because they are stunningly picturesque. Early explorers thought they had found rubies but they were actually garnets. However, the ruby name stuck.
The Rubies reach a maximum elevation of 11,387 feet on the summit of Ruby Dome and they run south-southwest for about 80 miles. There at least 25 lakes, and most of them have trout. Many of the lakes can be reached via maintained hiking trails, but others require rock scrambling and navigation skills. There are lots of good pictures and good info on the “Hiking the Ruby Mountains” web page.
As we drove up the Lamoille Canyon Road, we could see the U-shaped canyons, moraines, hanging valleys, steep granite cliffs, and cirques…all evidence this area was carved by glaciers during the recent ice age.
We only made it to mile 5 of the 12 mile Canyon road before we were halted by snow on the road. We were only a quarter mile short of our goal: the Thomas Canyon Campground. We parked and donned our snowshoes.
As we left, we noted one other truck. We greeted the snowmobilers unloading their toys. They offered to pull us up the canyon in our kayaks!
We made our way around the campground, still covered in 2-3 feet of snow, and across the bridge. The trail up the canyon immediately pitched up and the snow deepened. Unlike Great Basin, we would get good use out of our snowshoes here!
The view up the canyon was 360 degrees, from the jagged peaks ahead of us to the granite cliffs behind, and the ice choked creek making its way below us.
While we hiked we had hoped to spot the Himalayan snowcock. The Ruby Mountains are the only known location of this bird in North America. Mountain goats also reside in the rugged terrain.
Arleen heard a rumble and pointed out a small avalanche across the canyon. It would be the first of at least six avalanches we witnessed. The warm spring conditions had created unstable conditions, especially on south oriented slopes.
We expected to be safer on the opposite side of the canyon (north sloping). When a hefty load of snow broke loose, we both quickly glanced at its trajectory to make sure that we were safe. Luckily, I had the camera out and I was able to capture a video of almost the whole avalanche!
We stopped about 2 miles up Thomas Canyon where we had a great view of Mount Fitzgerald (11,016 feet) and Snow Lake Peak (10,885 feet). It was a perfect spot for a rest and a few snacks.
When we got back to the truck, we were amazed to see that there were seven other trucks parked near us. Every truck hauled snowmobiles up to play in the snow covered Lamoille Canyon. We were thankful that we had the peaceful Thomas Canyon to ourselves.
Snowshoe route up Thomas Canyon in the Ruby Mountains / About to start our adventure
Entering the Ruby Mountains / Learning about the Lamoille canyon and glaciers
Lamoille Canyon info / How the Rubies got their name / The road was snow covered within a quarter mile of Thomas Canyon (Click the pictures for a better view)
Admiring an aspen grove and imagining it in the fall
Headed into the spectacular canyon
Higher up the canyon. Note the classic glacially carved “U” shaped valley
We were blown away by the scenery
We felt like we were in Grand Teton National Park!
Just having fun
See the frozen waterfall above Arleen? / Close-up picture of the pretty waterfall
Headed back down the valley
Thankfully there was a bridge across Lamoille Creek / This avalanche was exciting…Check out the video below
Video of avalanche in the Ruby Mountains NV - 12 April 2017
Next…
Our next stops are Reno NV, Lassen Volcanic National Park CA, and Crater Lake National Park OR. Then we will spend the summer in eastern Oregon and central Idaho. Life is great!
Parting shots…
Keep an eye on your gas needle when you drive across Nevada / IS THAT SASQUATCH?!?
(163,200)
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