Eureka and Elko, Nevada

June 28 - July 1, 2020:

I leave in the morning on route 50 west for Eureka, Nevada, but soon stop about 10 miles west and take another dusty road up to Garnet Hill.  This is a BLM area which is actually another good dispersed camping area.  At roads end you enter a parking lot which a few tables and bathroom facilities.  Also A few old men, or they look old, with rock hammers, bags of stuff and a few rocks.  They gave me a quick course on what to do and I went off in search of garnets like an old prospector.  I began by looking for rocks on the ground with garnets showing, that wasn’t working so well, then I began to dig holes, that also did not work.  I then saw a rock that just looked right to me and I hit it with the hammer end of my hatchet.  It split in two and a small garnet was exposed.  I though that was pretty cool, then a noticed a twinkle in the dirt a few feet away, I found the object which was a small garnet with a perfect faceted shape.  I was satisfied with my finds and decided that was enough.  Note:  I think in all that excitement and physical action breaking rocks, I twisted my back because by the time I pulled into Eureka, my back was stiff and hurting.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/garnet-hill

View from Garnet Hill

Garnet hill is opposite part of the massive Ruth Copper Mine, one of the largest in the state, and as I get back to the highway, I hear the steam train whistle.  It Locomotive #40 of the Nevada Northern Railroad coming down the tracks.  This locomotive is used to pull a passenger excursion train almost daily during the tourist season.  This railroad also has a impressive shop tour and museum, not to be missed, I’ve did it on a previous visit.  I hustle into position and am able to get a decent photo of it, although it is just the engine.

View of the fringe of the mine from route 50

Engine # 40

I arrived at Eureka in early afternoon, another place I’ve been before and it hasn’t changed much.  Eureka was the birthplace of the silver-lead smelting industry in the United States, but it didn't last long.  From 1869 to 1879 Eureka was the major producer of pig lead until overshadowed by  by places such as Leadville, Colorado.  

The best thing in town is the old Opera House, built in 1880, which somehow was saved and restored and is now utilized as a conference center, a music venue, a dance hall and other assorted town functions.  Especially cool is the backstage area where many performers have signed their names and the restorer was smart enough to save them, not paint over them.  In another area they encourage current performers to do the same.
Another good attraction, not to be missed is the Eureka Sentinel Museum with its fully equipped turn of the century (1900) newspaper printing shop.  The equipment was all left intact after the death of the owner and was a almost ready made museum.
There is also a well done self guided town historical walking tour map. I followed it for the most part, but I found it sort of depressing as many of the historic buildings are vacant or in badly deteriorated condition.  They have a free roadside rest area just outside of the downtown (18 hour limit) where I spent the night.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eureka,_Nevada

The most impressive reproduction of the stage curtain

I see Ramblin' Jack Elliott was there

View of the Opera House

Louie's Lounge with the Eureka Hotel built in 1873 in the background

No fun these days at Louis's Lounge 

Nice mural giving tribute to a respected sheepherder

Old General Store built in 1882 but hasn't been open for years

Several Main Street buildings are in desperate need of attention 

As with most historical western towns, the Chinese played a big part

 In the morning, my back is really a mess now, I now know I shouldn’t have done that walking tour earlier.  I down a few painkillers, work out a few kinks and decide to do breakfast at the Owl Club.  I am a little nervous about it, but then I walk in, it looks clean and I go for the basics, eggs, home fries, bacon and toast.  It was great, best breakfast in a very long time, you just never know.

There are four buildings consolidated into the present Owl's Club built between that were built between the 1880's and 1957

The Eureka Sentinel Museum, built in 1879, which housed the Eureka Sentinel newspaper until 1960

Interior walls are originals left on the last day of business

It was a very well equipped operation, state of the art for its day

Now with a flannel shirt folded up behind my back to alleviate some stress, I hit the road for my next stop in Elko, Nevada.  I’m leaving route 50 and taking route 278 north for approximately 80 miles.  It is another loneliest road contestant, no services, no attractions, except for the crossing of the Pony Express route.  You can actually hike, bike or drive on the trail for ?  The next attraction was the California Trail which was a bigger deal than the Pony Express really.  The Pony Express is very hyped up, but in actuality only lasted one year and was a financial disaster. On the other hand thousands of people made it to California on the trail to seek their fame and fortune.

Miles of these views along this route

The clouds were spectacular

I detoured to the ghost town of Palisade, Nevada, the former terminus of the
Eureka & Palisade Railroad.  It's still a railroad center but saw no town. 

A California Trail interpretive site

A marker there

  

I also rode through the town of Carlin, NV  tying to find something of value besides the Pilot travel center and found absolutely nothing of interest.  

I arrived in Elko, Nevada in mid afternoon and explore the old downtown a bit, no much is open, it looks more distressed that I remember from my previous visits.  I spend the night in the parking lot near the Southern Pacific Locomotive display where there are no signs saying “no overnight RV camping”.   In the AM, my back still hurting, I go to the visitors center for info, do some shopping at the famous JM Capriola saddle and tack company and the Western folklife Center Store, then have a pastie for lunch, the highpoint of my day.  The man at the folklife center tells me that Elko is doing well, the mines are booming, but that they have cancelled the Cowboy Poetry Festival for this winter due to the uncertain Covid-19 situation.  I’m kind of surprised about that as they are a pretty conservative group.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elko,_Nevada

The Club Silver Dollar looking a little shady

Elko is another railroad town

Love this mural

Also this one

Banner at the Western Folklife Center

I like it but not sure what it means?

A premier restaurant in Elko

The Centennial Tower

The Stockman’s Casino in downtown Elko is nearby and I can’t think of anything better to do so I go over with my usual (high roller) $20 limit.  I get on this slot machine and it gives me about 25 free spins resulting in a gain of about $90 overall.  I seem to be on a lucky streak and that’s just not normal ?  Late in the afternoon, it begins to rain and rains fairly steady into the night, first rain on the van in months, hope my luck holds and nothing leaks.

I’m up early to ride into the nearby Lamoille Canyon Scenic Byway which has many scenic wonders, good hiking and the very scenic Lamoille River.  Lamoille Canyon is part of the Ruby Mountain Scenic Area.  I think my back is slightly better, but after a mile on a mostly flat trail, it’s hurting.  I took lots of photos, but the sky was so gray with dense cloud cover much of the time, I wasn’t happy with the results.  As a result, by 2 PM, I couldn’t hike, was disgusted with the photos, was getting tired and decided to just park the van and hang out.  I overnight in the canyon at a roadside pull off, it’s a cold, dark night.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamoille_Canyon_Road

Ominous looking road heading into the canyon

A prosperous looking  ranch on the way to Lamoille Canyon

The beavers are busy here

Snowy peaks remain

I was getting a little caught up in this flowing water scenic treat

Beautiful fast flowing cold water is addictive

Was having a reflective moment

Another Beaver Dam

The Aspens have not leafed out yet

A backward glance

It’s 35 degrees outside, I start the van and run the heater, first time I’ve done that !  It’s about 6 AM, the morning light is great, so I ride a last time through the canyon making a few stops for photos. I should never take photos in the mid day.  I drive back into Elko, get some cooking fuel for my stove, a new air filter for the van, rest a little and catch up on internet stuff in a McDonalds parking lot.  I then take a ride steeply uphill to a Shale Pit on BLM land a few miles north of Elko.  It’s an unmarked rough dirt road leading to an open area with much trash, broken glass, gun shell casings.  I always wonder; Why do people who live in such beautiful country abuse it so ?  I pry away at at hillside of shale looking for fossils in the separating layers, it’s kind of fun and you do find many, although most are of poor quality. Ok, with that done, I’m ready to move on.

My next stop is due north towards Owyhee, Nevada and into Idaho.