I call the railway first thing and they confirm the train is
running. The RV park promised us a late
checkout so after breakfast we park by the station and get our tickets. This is not only an operating railroad but a
huge museum. The Nevada Northern Railway
was run for most of the 20th Century by the Kennecott Copper Corporation, who
operated mines and a smelter in the Ely area.
When the mines closed, Kennecott donated its track, stations, engine
house, engines and rolling stock to a newly formed 501(C)3 company which now
operates steam and diesel trains for people like us, and also gives tours of
the facilities.
We board the 9:30am
train for a trip across the valley and slightly up into the hills. There are only about 20 passengers on the
train so we canto ask lots of questions of Eric, the onboard guide, who also
provides detailed narration on what he calls "The Jackrabbit Express". Indeed, Vicky counts 21 jackrabbits scurrying
away from the train on the outward journey!
We learn the detailed history of the railroad and of the area. There were - and are - huge deposits of low
grade copper ore and the railroad was built to transport the ore and the
smelted copper. At its peak there were
30 ore trains a day and another 30 passenger trains taking people to work and
for pleasure trips. Today there are from
1 to 3 trips a day, covering 2 different short lines - they are working to make
more track train worthy, bit it's a slow process.
The engines they have today are all originals from the
working railroad, and the passenger cars we travel on were commuter cars from Chicago. They offer the chance to ride in the cab, and
even to drive the train, but for today we just ride as passengers. Returning to the depot, Eric takes us on a
fascinating tour of the engine house and blacksmith's shop. He explains the working of steam and diesel
engines, and the restoration process the engines must undergo to meet the
strict requirements of the Federal Railroad Administration. He also introduces us to "Dirt",
the resident cat. Dirt is probably a
ginger (orange) tabby but finds it difficult to keep himself clean in the shop
environment, and looks more orange/grey!
However, he loves to be petted and makes himself available to the guests
for this propose, so of course we're charmed.
Since we have a late checkout we stop at the local flower
shop for home made ice cream (really!).
I get a mixture of tangy raspberry sherbet and sublimely smooth dulce de
leche. Yes, I know it sounds like a
weird combination but don't knock it until you've tried it! We return to the RV and have just finished
packing up when one of the staff comes over to tell us we should have left an
hour agobecause someone is waiting for our site. The message that we had a late checkout was
never passed on and there are plenty of other empty sites. The lady apologizes when we explain but it
puts us into a rush.
We gas up the RV and hit the road. On the train we learn that the road we're
about to travel (US50 West) was dubbed "The Loneliest Road in America"
by Life Magazine in 1986. The Chambers
of Commerce and the Nevada Tourist organization have capitalized on this. We were given a passport sized "Travel
Guide" that provides brief details on each of the towns along the
route. You can get it stamped in each town
you visit and then mail in one page to receive a certificate and souvenir if
you "survive" the journey. I
get it stamped in the Ely train station, and the next stamping location is the
small town of Eureka, followed by
the even smaller town of Austin,
which is 150 miles from Ely and our destination for tonight.
Eric on the train warned us that we would cross four
mountain ranges between Ely and Austin. The
first three, at heights of 6,000 - 7,000ft,
present no challenges to the RV but are tiring to drive, so I'm glad to
stop for lunch when we arrive in Eureka. I visit the C of C which is in the
beautifully restored and still working Opera House. They validate my Survival Guide and recommend
the "Owl Club" for lunch. This
is a dining room along with what looks like the original 19th Century bar. We enjoy cheeseburgers (mine with chile) and
while waiting I take come pictures of the main street, which still has many of
the original mining era storefronts. Eureka
began as a significant silver mining center.
It had its own railroad and the original plan was to connect it with
Ely, but those 4 mountain ranges put a stop to that.
Incidentally, we've learned that Nevada
has more stand alone mountain ranges than any other US
state, and over these few days it seems like we're crossing most of them!
However, the journey west from Eureka
to Austin is mostly through a
valley covered in sagebrush. I'm glad
it's not in bloom as I'm allergic. The
valley is at first flat and then gently rising, but for the last 20-30 miles
into Austin we traverse another
mountain pass. Austin Summit is 7,884 ft
high and just short of the top, when I'm worrying the RV may get tired, we find
Bob Scott Campground. This is a NPS
campground that doesn't take reservations and is the first possible place to
spend the night. We pull in and drive
around only to find that the few large sites are occupied. There's one back in site that would probably
work but after the long day neither of us feels like trying to get in there.
So we get back on The Loneliest Road, make it to the top of
the pass and then drive very slowly down a 7- 8 % grade full of switchbacks,
eventually arriving in Austin which is itself a "vertical" town with
a steeply sloping Main Street. At the
top of the street we see the Pony Express RV Park - our 3rd choice - which
appears to have some vacancies, but we can't find the street for the Austin RV
Park and end up driving out of town at the bottom of the hill. We find a place to turn around and on the way
up we do find the missing street, but from this direction it will take an
almost 180 degree turn which is no fun in an RV pulling a car! So we end up across the road at the Pony Express
Park with a full hookup and a pull through.
(Did I mention that US50 parallels the route of the Pony Express?)
After a beautiful sunset we have an early night. We haven't unhitched the car and Vicky isn't
interested in exploring the town after seeing Main
Street twice from the RV. So that's our day.
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