Monday Vulture Blogging

 

Vulture - Point Reyes  2022

Alas, no more Nevada animals for Monday Blogging purposes. But I thought that this individual, seen on a recent Abbott's Lagoon hike, would fit in nicely with recent Nevada desert photos.

Also, Halloween!

Evening Storm

 

Storm Clouds (Ely) - Nevada  2022

Storm Clouds (Ely) - Nevada  2022

Returning from the railroad museum: wow . . . almost looked like the Rapture was approaching.

Top photo taken with a Nikon Z5, bottom one with an iPhone 7 Plus.

Ely Railroad Museum - 2

 

Tower, Tracks (Ely) - Nevada  2022

Repair Shop (Ely) - Nevada  2022

I had an interesting and satisfactory experience roaming around the site, unimpeded. 

But and alas: no steam engine to be seen! They have one, but it only comes out on the weekend. So I have to take some points off for that.

Ely Railroad Museum - 1

Safety First (Ely) - Nevada  2022

 

Union Pacific Boxcar (Ely) - Nevada  2022

There was no one around. It felt a little strange, having the whole place to myself. So, I wandered around, here and there under threatening skies.

East Ely Station

 

East Ely Station (Ely) - Nevada  2022

East Ely Station (Ely) - Nevada  1996

I paid an afternoon visit to the railroad museum in Ely. Top: as it looked that afternoon, no rain but heavily overcast skies. Bottom: a black and white film photo I took in 1996.

Ely Murals - 3

 

Flag, Mural (Ely) - Nevada  2022

Window Mural (Ely) - Nevada  2022

Last in the series.

Ely Sightems

Paint (Ely) - Nevada  2022

 

Jailhouse Casino (Ely) - Nevada  2022

Intermittent rain.

Monday Flicker Blogging

 

Flicker (Ely) - Nevada  2022

Flicker (Ely) - Nevada  2022

". . . be sure to listen for their loud, ringing call and their piercing yelp." Yes! That's what drew my attention to this particular individual. I got as close as I could with the Nikon and a 24-200mm zoom lens. I still had to crop the photos quite a bit. Taken while walking around the Ely railroad museum.

More flicker pix were posted on the blog in 2012.

Ely Sightems

 

Highway 50 (Ely) - Nevada  2022

Elk Statue, Intersection (Ely) - Nevada  2022

Ely is located in eastern Nevada - a relatively short drive to the border with Utah.

Ely Murals - 2

 

Hank Yelland (Ely) - Nevada  2022

Horses (Ely) - Nevada  2022

You can read about Hank here. "He had quite a sense of humor and loved to play tricks and tell stories to anyone within earshot. Hank has a small mural of his likeness painted on Ely’s main street."

Ely Sightems

 

House (Ely) - Nevada  2022

Champs (Ely) - Nevada  2022

US $400 on eBay.

Ely Murals - 1

 

Car, Mural (Ely) - Nevada  2022

Building Mural (Ely) - Nevada  2022

I parked the Toyota and started walking up and down the main street of Ely, carrying a small Canon G5XII camera.

Ely Weather

Parking Log (Ely) - Nevada  2022

Rain Spout (Ely) - Nevada  2022

My initial plan was to spend two days exploring Great Basin National Park, about a one-hour drive from Ely, but the weather forecast caused me to do a rethink. Flash Flood Warnings? Yikes!

I decided to spend my first day in Ely, wandering about. Driving through town I had noticed that there were a number of murals scattered around downtown. And then, of course, the famous train museum.

Ely Weather (National Weather Service)

 

View from Motel

 

View from Motel (Ely) - Nevada  2022

More or less the same as my 2016 view, but with much more dynamic weather. The large vacant lot was serving as a staging area for large-load truck haulers.

Monday Vultures in the Rain Blogging

 

Vultures (Ely) - Nevada  2022

Cemetery (Ely) - Nevada  2022

So, they were hanging out on tree branches overlooking the town cemetery.

Interesting.

Entering Ely

 

Welcome Sign (Ely) - Nevada  2022

Copper Mine (Ely) - Nevada  2022

I was headed for the La Quinta Inn in Ely for a three night stay. Two full days in Eastern Nevada!

There are massive copper mines just west of the town that I somehow never really noticed before. 

Sage, Rain

 

Sage, Fenceposts, Rain - Nevada  2022

Sage, Rain - Nevada  2022

Taken at a minimalistic rest stop. When I left I saw a few raindrops on the windshield, but no downpour on the highway.

(I tend to call all desert plants "sage." Not correct, I know.)

Mountains and Clouds

 

Mountains, Clouds - Nevada  2022

Mountains, Clouds - Nevada  2022

More Nikon Z5 photos. All photos were taken in color, some were then converted to black and white in Photoshop.

Desert Storm

 

Approaching Rain - Nevada  2022

A scenic viewpoint at the petroglyph recreation area. I took the photo using a Nikon Z5, then quickly made my way back to the car accompanied by rumbles of thunder.

Petroglyphs

 

Petroglyph - Nevada  2022

Petroglyph Sign - Nevada  2022

I think this site must be new . . . anyways I don't remember seeing it during my last drive through the area in 2016. I drove down the short dirt road to find some nice picnic tables, just right for my sandwich, Fritos and beer.

Fritos and Beer - Nevada  2022

Austin, Nevada

Building Art (Austin) - Nevada  2022

Building Art (Austin) - Nevada  2016

. . . through the years. The satellite TV dish seems to holding up pretty well . . . unless it's been replaced in the intervening 29 years since I took the photo below.

Building Art (Austin) - Nevada  1993

Google Street View has captured a wider view of the same building, in August, 2022 . . . one month before my most recent photo.

Building Art (Austin) - Nevada  (Google Street View, August, 2022)

Monday Geese Blogging

 

Geese (Ely) - Nevada  2022

Taken in the rain. For some reason, these geese were behind a chain link fence in downtown Ely.

Highway 50 - 3

 

Highway 50, Clouds - Nevada  2022

Highway 50, Rain - Nevada  2022

Monsoonal hurricane-related clouds. And some rain!

Energy Infrastructure

 

Windmills - Nevada  2022

Powerlines - Nevada  2022

One reason to drive through Nevada on Highway 50 is to enjoy the vast empty spaces that one encounters. But I wonder how long the views will last. 

Recently passed climate change legislation includes big money for energy infrastructure upgrades. I saw some windmills driving towards Great Basin National Park . . . but they've been there for some years now.  I was surprised to see hardly any solar installations (maybe one just east of Reno). I wonder if that means giant expanses of solar panels alongside Highway 50 in the future.

Highway 50 - 2

 

Signpost and Mountain - Nevada  1996

Signpost and Mountain - Nevada  2022

Top photo taken in 1996 using black and white film. Bottom photo taken in September, 2022 using a small Canon G5XII digital camera.

Nicer clouds in 1996! And sadly . . . no Starbucks yet!