Weekends
BJ and I make the long boring drive through northern Nevada a couple times a year to visit friends and family in California. We’ve never ventured far off the highway through the barren state but a recent trip to Lamoille, Nevada may have changed that for future trips out west. Just 30 minutes from the city of Elko, the small town of Lamoille sits at the base of the stunning Ruby Mountains. There is even heli-skiing in the Ruby’s if that gives you any idea of their grandeur.
The reason for the trip? Jean’s grandmother and grandfather had a ranch in a protected little valley in Lamoille and Jean spent quite a bit of time down there as a child and teenager. Although the main house is no longer standing, the ranch still exists. From her many stories and a video she brought along, it was easy to imagine the ranch as it used to be.
The Lamoille Cemetery: Jean's Great Uncle (John Billet - died age 15), Great Grandmother (Hanora McDermott Billet - died age 43 in 1918), and Great Great Grandfather were all burried here. They have their own family plot.
The family plot.
A well known Basque restaurant we ate at in Elko. We had way too much food - endless soup, salad, french fries, beans, and spaghetti .. oh, and our entres of beef, pork, and mountain trout too. Our waitress gave us some laughs.
On a drive up into the Ruby Mountains. Like I said ... impressive.
It was hard to leave this little slice of Nevada. Other than exploring the tiny tiny town of Lamoille, visiting the ranch and the cemetery, and driving up the Lamoille Canyon into the Ruby’s (okay, that actually sounds like a lot), we sat at home snuggled into the couch with many cups of coffee and multiple books. It was one of the most relaxing weekends I’ve had in a while.
The following weekend we got a group together to ride the Pinnacles Trail on Togwotee Pass. The only stories I have heard about the ride involve grizzly bears so along with our 8 bear canisters for our group of 8 riders, we spent most of the ride hooting, hollering, and singing down the trail. In the end we were a little bummed we didn’t see a bear – ha! The ride was around 17 miles but with the number of hike-a-bike sections, it felt much longer. It took us roughly 6 hours car to car. The views were amazing and I couldn’t have asked for a better group of people to ride with. Don’t miss our mid-trail dance (led by the one and only Barry Lewis) … everyone was so delirious at this point.
Riding through the meadows.
At the saddle.
The sketchy section.
Yay - fun group.