On Top of Highland Peak, this was a long drive to the top of this mountain here in Nevada, narrow roads and luckily we never met another car coming from the other direction. There were a few places with snow up here, extremely windy at the top.
There is a short video below showing where I got out of the jeep and walked towards the towers there. Until I saw the signs stating warning, the warning was for high radiation. So I immediately said lets go.
This was the highest mountain we traveled on during the adventure out west. So if you want to travel to the top of Highland peak, well now you can see what is up there just incase you change your mind. The view was spectacular though.
Nevada Landscapes, I will be going back and forth with some photos that I took out west that I have not gotten to yet along with where we are traveling now. Adds a little more variety to this blog here.
This is our first time visiting the state of Nevada and I have to say I was quite impressed with the change of scenery and the diverse landscape out west has to offer.
We stopped in a little town called Pioche, a quaint old western town with lots of history in the mining field. Here is the link to the video that describes more of the town and the museums it has; Pioche Nevada Video by Sandra J
To the north is a state park called Cathedral Gorge, with an unusual landscape formed from volcanic ash that has eroded into what they call Bentonite clay spires.
This is a close up of the Bentonite clay itself, it is like hardened mud and if you tap on it, it sounds hollow inside.
Then travel to the west of Pioche and you have Highland Peak Mountain range, that we drove up to the top of one day, nearly 10,000 ft elevation. I will have a video of that coming out next week. At the top the views are fantastic but it also had radio towers all over the top with high voltage signs everywhere. We did not stay long as there was cables and wires everywhere.
I guess not to many people go all the way to the top, the road was only a service maintenance road and I probably would not go up there twice. But I am glad I took a couple of photos to remember the view.
Sunrise on Ohio River, I arrived early enough to view the blue hour today during sunrise on the river as the lights shined across the calm water from a dredger doing its work.
In a more general sense, a ship equipped with an excavation tool that is capable of weeding off depositions such as sand, gravel, sediments, etc. from the seabed is referred to as a dredger ship or more commonly just a dredger.
Dredgers are of great importance, as they serve the purpose of ensuring the necessary safe bottom clearance for safer voyages and it added a little extra to this sunrise photo today.
Tug Boats and Barges on the Ohio River, we were camping by the Ohio river as we are heading south again, one of our favorite places in Metropolis Illinois.
The tug boats are still running on this river in November where as I heard that the mighty Mississippi river is drying up in some places farther south where the barges are sitting still because there is not enough water to go down stream.
This barge here is loaded with coal and moves down every morning at sunrise.
Earth Speaks to Us, Flowers are the earth’s endless effort to speak to us of the beauty that surrounds us everyday. To grab our attention with bright colors and unique designs. To remind us that creation is a wonderous thing.
Longest Simple Truss Bridge, This is the Brookport Bridge over the Ohio River, one of the longest simple truss spans in existence. It may be one of the longest simple truss spans ever built, at least in the first half of the 20th Century. Video Below
I was taking photos down by the river at sunrise and a car pulled up next to me. A woman got out and introduced herself, she was a local in the area and was excited that someone was taking pictures in her little town. This spot is one of her favorite spots to sit and enjoy a sunrise before she heads off to work.
Well, she continued to tell me about the area and mentioned this bridge here, that it is a historic bridge that you can still drive across and that most people don’t because it is very narrow and old. But thanks to her telling me about it, we had to go investigate.
It is by far the coolest bridge I have yet to cross and take photos of. There is a short video below and yes it was a little unnerving to go across it. Mainly because it is so long, one would hate to get a flat tire in the middle of this bridge.
One of the unusual details of this bridge, is that the largest span is at the southern end of the bridge, not in the middle. The navigation channel was located at the south side of the river. However, there was an additional navigation channel in the more traditional middle of the river, and to accommodate this second navigation channel there is a truss span which at 514 feet long is larger than adjacent spans (measuring 396 feet), but not as large as the 716 foot span.
Video Crossing the Bridge;
The 716 foot span has some additional unusual details. While the roadway maintains the same narrow 19.7 foot width, the 716 foot span is notably wider (distance between trusses) so on this span there is a gap between the edge of the roadway and the truss lines. The reason for this is presumably for stability reasons. The trusses of the bridge are incredibly deep (tall) due to the span length, and the extra width probably helps keep the bridge from becoming top heavy and tipping over in high winds.
Visually this is a spectacular bridge. A must see if you are ever in the area of Metropolis Illinois.
Artistic Bridges, during our visit to my sisters home town, we did a photo shoot of all the children and grandchildren while we were there. We took a day to scope out a location for the shoot and came across this beautiful walking bridge.
I do love the design of bridges, this one with the nice straight lines and white rails and post. I have been to this town many times but this is my first time seeing this bridge.
Horses on the Farm, I grew up with horses so I have a special place in my heart for these beautiful animals. It has been years since I have had horses, but I do get to enjoy them at my nieces farm now as she has 4 of them.
This first photo is her horse and she has some smaller ponies for her daughters to work with, that allows them to learn the responsibilities of caring for animals. Horses are a lot of work, but very rewarding I think to be able to take care of them and see how such a large beautiful animal can be so calming to ones spirit.
This one is her newest yearling filly. I just love her one blue eye.
The youngest child is already taking riding lessons and learning how to be safe around horses and have fun going out on rides. She has a trainer that works with her, which is a great idea f
Intelligent and Adaptable At first glance, the coyote resembles a small German shepherd dog, yet its color can vary from animal to animal. Shades include black, brown, gray, yellow, rust, and tan.
We were walking in a bird sanctuary out west and this little guy was just minding his own business walking along in the tall grass next to us, appeared to be just looking for something to eat. Just living life.
Always take some time to stop and smell the flowers Don’t hurry past the things that make life beautiful Before your life runs down to a few precious hours
Remember to share life with the people you love There’s always someone special, watching how you live
So with those around you, be sure to share your time There’s always someone needing what you have to give
You’re sure to be remembered by the love you leave behind. By Chris Embrick
Harvest Time, “Give thanks for a little, and you will find a lot.”
This is a sample of my digital oil painting below, I picked up these acorns and set them on a picnic table and took a few photos. Adding a warm texture for the background.
Pet Photography, autumn is the best time to take photos of your pets I think. With all the warm colors and crunchy leaves all around. So my Chloee is the subject of today’s post because she poses so well for photos.
I have two dogs and I got them both at a shelter, Chloee is 11 years old now.
This little one below is Deohgee, she doesn’t pose as well because she is a bit on the twitchy side. She can’t sit still, always on the go and she is 15 years old.
I have been learning a new technique in the digital painting world and love how it allows my imagination to come to life when it comes to my photography. I am always wanting to learn new things and enjoy letting my creativity expand beyond just taking a photo.
Hello Again, well I am back to taking photos again. We have had the best time the last few weeks visiting with family and seeing how much all the children have grown in my sisters family. It reminds me of a saying I heard just the other day.
Days are long but weeks are short. One should live in the moment as time goes by so fast. Which I can attest to after seeing how much all the little ones have grown this past year.
My sister and I were talking one day and she said; ” I can’t believe how the generations are changing in our family”, She said her grandchildren asked the other day, ” What is a mall?”. They have never been to a shopping mall, which isn’t a bad thing, but makes her and I realize the changing of the times.
Autumn is being prolonged as we travel south again. My Chloee sits so well for photos, with a little help from husband to keep her attention as I take the photographs.
Winter will be here soon enough so I am enjoying the last of the fall colors here.
We are snow birds along with millions of other baby boomers (those born between the years of 1946 and 1964) who head south each year to reap the benefits of a seasonal migration.
The RV is packed and we are heading south, we have lots of family to visit and spend time with, so I will be taking a few weeks off from writing post to visit and be with all of them.
Not only are we visiting family, but we have a wonderful thing happening next month, my husbands son is coming home from being stationed in Italy for the past 4 years in the Air Force. I have not seen him in so long, I am so blessed to be able to call him my son as well, as some of you may know I never had children of my own. But I am proud to call him my son.
Thank you to all of you for your wonderful comments, I do appreciate it and enjoy visiting with all of you through this thing called blogging. I wish everyone a wonderful season of thanks giving and peace. May our Father shower us with love and may we pass this love on to all others.
I will be back next month around Nov 7th, see you all again soon. Blessings to you and yours.
Rustic Warm Colors – There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of creation—the assurance that dawn comes after night, and Autumn after Summer
Autumn Has Arrived – The fawns are growing up, the leaves are changing color, soon to be falling all around us as winter temperatures begin to settle in.
September and October are my favorite months of the year. I have been posting photos of our trip from last winter and I can’t hardly believe the next winter is apon us already.
We went for a hike the other day and came across this gentlemen painting the landscape in front of him. I am always amazed to see someone do this, to be able to just paint what the eye sees.
This is the landscape he is looking at. A place I have been coming to visit since I was about 4 years old. I never get tired of it.
Fourth Largest Lake – Lake Superior is the fourth largest lake in the world by water volume.
The average underwater visibility of Lake Superior is 27 feet, making it easily the cleanest and clearest of the Great Lakes. Underwater visibility in places reaches 100 feet. Lake Superior has been described as “the most oligotrophic lake in the world.”
Lake Superior freezes at least in part every year and less frequently in its entirety. The last year that it froze completely was in February 1994. It almost froze completely in March 2003
We took this photo in January of 2022. That was a cold year and snow will be coming soon again.
Being Immersed in Nature – Whether it is a walk in the forest or hearing birds chirping in a luscious forest, there is something so remarkable and beautiful about being immersed in nature. It’s easy to be swept away with today’s technology and fast-paced living, but no matter where you are, nature always has a way of bringing peace of mind and grounding a person.
So, as you venture out to see the fall foliage, it’s important to be mindful of how we take care of nature as we enjoy the great outdoors and how we take care of our selves, physically and spiritually.
The noise around us can be upsetting, the news seems to get worse everyday of war and rumors of war.
See how nature, trees, flowers, grass-grows in silence;
See the stars, moon and sun how they move in silence;
We need silence to be able to touch our hearts and souls.
Before and After Art Work – I talked a bit last week about imagination and photography. How I look at a photo and decide weather it is a keeper or not. Because I take a lot of photos and not always is the lighting right or the scene itself may be to busy with background noise like telephone poles and buildings.
It is always up to the artist on what makes a photo to them. For example, this first photo below, I had the exposure correct for the train itself but the background is completely blown out. Now one can take multiple photos and then stack them to put the entire scene together.
Or work a little magic in post processing, what ever is most suitable for the situation.
What I noticed first when I look at this photo is the reflection of blue along the side of the engine and that is when my mind starts seeing a different photo. There is a process to changing a photo to art work in photoshop, I won’t go into it because I just start working and every photo is different.
The main part is to get rid of the wires and telephone pole and the gentleman working on switching the track next to the train. Adding a blue sky from a different photo of mine and then let my imagination begin to fill in the area to what I see.
And this is the result below. Now I still create art the old fashion way with photoshop and lots of cutting, pasting, coloring, paint brushes, the whole thing.
Technology is changing even more now with something called AI, artificial intelligent with photography. Where you don’t have to do all the little steps like I do, there are programs where you just type in what you want and the computer will create it. I am not a fan of that, even though it is still art work in the end.
What ever your style, art work is an individual decision. Sometimes if you think your photo doesn’t look so good at first glance. Don’t just throw it away, look closer at it and let your imagination go.
Don’t just go by first impressions, because hidden behind every thing we see is something more beautiful and precious then one might expect.
Animated video below; it only works if you visit the website. They don’t show up in reader format.
Shelby Copper Mining – Ely was settled in the fall of 1878 when the Selby Copper Mining & Smelting Company established a small smelter at the site. A post office was established in November of that year.
At the time there wasn’t much interest in copper mining, and Ely remained a camp of little significance well into the 1880s. The settlement was little more than a stage station and post office – no business district had developed.
Ely finally got the boost it needed in 1887, when the state legislature designated Ely as White Pine County’s seat of government.
By 1900 the copper deposits near Ely were attracting new attention. In 1902 approximately $500,000 in copper was produced in the district. In 1903 many of the claims were consolidated under the ownership of the White Pine Copper Company. A second company, The Giroux Consolidated Mining Company, made promising copper ore discoveries in one its shafts.
In late 1905 construction started on the 140-mile Nevada Northern Railway, linking Ely to Cobre on the Southern Pacific main line.
With the railroad on the way, smelters being constructed, and millions of tons of ore in reserve, Ely became a boom town in 1906.
This is what the mining area looks like today. With the technology of todays mining equipment, this area looks like a piece of art from above. With the different layers and colors. Precise piling of material as they dig into the earth.
Standard Gauge Short Line – The Nevada Northern Railway was built over a century ago to service what would become one of the largest copper mines in North America.
Today, several of the original coal-fired standard-gauge steam locomotives that were ordered and delivered new to the railroad over 110 years ago are still in operation! The Nevada Northern Railway is the best-preserved example of a standard-gauge short-line left in North America.
Rail Towns – Ely’s importance as a rail town during the 1900s is showcased on the Nevada Northern Railway, which offers a twisty ride in an open-air car through the mountains of the Egan Range. Originally built to transport copper from nearby mines, today this National Historic Landmark is one of the last operating steam locomotives of its kind.
We were here back in May of this year and it did snow a few days which made the mountains in the background look so nice behind this locomotive.
The Nevada Northern Railway arrived in 1906 . Now, this well preserved short-line railway draws visitors from all over the world to ride on its queens of steam and historic diesel engines.
The first day we went down to see the locomotive it just happened to be down by the shop getting fine tuned for the weekend rides. It runs all year long, taking passengers on a short trip around the area. There is nothing like hearing the whistle of a steam engine and the rhythm of the engine chugging along
I placed a video below straight from my library, so I am not sure if it will work here on word press, usually I put videos on from my you tube channel, but I thought I would try it this way. If you would like to see more of my videos on my You Tube channel, here is a link to that; Adventures Outdoors, by Sandra J
Murals, art galleries and a sculpture garden decorate the historic downtown. Rugged mountains rise up in all directions with amazing year-round recreation opportunities in places like Great Basin National Park, Cave Lake State Park, Ward Charcoal Ovens State Park and Ward Mountain Recreation Area.
Four Season Mountain Town – Ely Nevada is a remote mountain town where history, art and outdoor adventure thrive. Ely was founded in the 1870s as a stagecoach stop and trading post called Murray Station, but it would become one of the country’s major copper mining regions.
When I was researching this little town the first thing that popped up was that it has a working steam locomotive. So we had to stop because I just love trains, especially the older ones.
More train photos coming next week, have a great weekend.
On our way to Ely was my first sighting of an elk crossing the road. The only elk I saw on this trip.
Spring Valley Nevada – If you drive east of Pioche Nevada you will find a very interesting place with a history that one might not think about these days.
This area is still considered desert, but here in spring valley the water flows continuously from natural springs. It is said to have at least 150 springs through out the valley.
But the interesting thing about this area is how folks made a living here. They tried growing crops like wheat, barley and oats. But the freezing temperatures, grasshoppers and animals would ruin their harvest. But a few people realized a new crop could be had in the form of ICE.
This valley would flood every summer during the monsoon rains and then freeze. So the settlers made special tools to cut the ice into blocks. They built ice houses under ground and sold the ice blocks the next summer to the town folks and kept a lot for themselves to keep their food cold all summer.
People have always found a way to survive and provide for their families. Good hard working folks learning to live off of the land that is provided to them.
The Journey Continues – As you may know from my blog post, we travelled the SW last winter. We spent 4 months of that winter in the south from Texas to Arizona and headed north from there. But during those 4 months it was all desert. Dry dry desert and not green anywhere.
By April we had finally reached Nevada where our first sight of green grass and dandelions was a very special treat for me. Some people don’t care for dandelions, but after 4 months of seeing only dirt, the beautiful color of yellow amongst the green grass was a sight for sore eyes.
We stopped at a little town called Pioche NV, a quaint little town nestled at the base of the Highland Peak Mountains. A mining town from back in the day that has a wonderful community of folks who are very nice and a small RV park right in town that was free to park at.
We stayed here for a week and enjoyed visiting their museum and driving up into the mountain.
Highland peak sits at an elevation of 9,337 feet. To say the least it was a narrow dirt road all the way to the top, but the view was worth the journey.
