Old Sheepherders' Party

Last weekend was the 2011 Old Sheepherders' Party at the Border Inn. It was another great celebration, with lots of great food, stories, and general good fun. Friday evening was open mike, and we heard some great stories of life out on the range, some risque jokes, super singing, and much more.

Saturday morning sported the sourdough pancake breakfast and range tour. In the afternoon, , entertainer Sid Hausman kept the crowd in a good mood.

Sid Hausman is a real treat. A talented musician, songwriter, and artist, he had something for everyone in the program. I was in awe of his musical ability, he made it seem so easy!

He switched to a banjo, giving a perfect twang for his Southwest-themed music.

Denys Koyle, who came up with the idea of the Sheepherders' Party, took a couple minutes to dance with the youngest member of the crowd.

Ukelele? You bet. He made it sound good, too!

Then it was time to get ready for the Basque-style dinner. We enjoyed conversing with our tablemates, a mixture of people we knew and people we got to know.

The food was delicious: soup, salad, lamb, beef, chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, wine, punch, and ice cream and cookie for dessert.

The cafe was packed, and everyone was having a good time.

Then it was time to visit with friends and tap our feet to the music of the Silver Sage Band. What a great party. We can't wait till next year!

(If you want to see more about sheep on this blog, click the little blue word sheep below.)

Upcoming Events

There are lots of exciting events coming up this year in Snake Valley! Be sure to mark your calendars, and if you know of any others, please leave a comment.

January 21-22 Sheepherder's Party at the Border Inn (call 234-7300 for more details)

February 25 Harvest Festival at Baker Hall (fundraiser for Baker and Garrison schools)

March 5 Messier Marathon--an astronomy marathon sponsored by Great Basin National Park

May - School year ends and graduation

June 17-19 Snake Valley Festival, a fun family event with lots of activities (fundraiser for Great Basin Water Network)

July 4 - Fourth of July festivities

July 29-31 Great Basin National Park Astronomy Festival--peer through one of over 100 telescopes at the great night sky

August 1-3 Bioblitz at Great Basin National Park--join entomologists and park staff as they document Hymenoptera--bees, wasps, and ants in the park and look for new species to science

September 3 Snake Valley Days BBQ & Dance (fundraiser for the Snake Valley Volunteer Fire Department)

Happy New Year!

Wishing you a wonderful 2011 from beautiful (but frigid) Snake Valley!

Wettest and Snowiest December on Record

According to the National Weather Service, this has been the wettest and snowiest December recorded according to weather statistics from Ely, Nevada. Here's the bulletin they issued:

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ELKO NV
441 PM PST SUN DEC 26 2010

...SNOWIEST AND WETTEST DECEMBER IN ELY, NV...

THIS DECEMBER HAS BEEN THE ALL-TIME SNOWIEST AND WETTEST DECEMBER
ON RECORD IN ELY, NV. HERE ARE THE TOP 5 DECEMBERS IN EACH CATEGORY.

 SNOWIEST           WETTEST
25.7  2010         3.18  2010
23.3  2009         3.15  1894
22.3  1968         2.11  1966
21.0  1894         1.87  1909
18.9  1948         1.79  1964

NOTE: MORE PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED IN ELY BEFORE THE END OF THE
MONTH. STAY TUNED TO WWW.WEATHER.GOV/ELKO FOR THE FINAL STATISTICS.

Get Your Snake Valley Calendar Now!

Looking for that perfect Christmas gift? Look no further--the 2011 Snake Valley Calendar is easy to buy and full of beautiful images to enjoy for a full year!

Calendars are available for 2 for $25 or 1 for $15. They are on sale at the Border Inn or email c_g_baker @ yahoo.com if you'd like to have them sent to you.

Proceeds from these calendars benefit the Great Basin Water Network, which is working to protect Snake Valley from dewatering.

Thank you!

Smoke and Flames

Some recent sights at Great Basin National Park.



A fire crew came up from Lake Mead to burn over 75 wood piles. Pinyon and juniper were thinned around the park headquarters and residential area a couple years ago to make the area more defensible in case a large fire came. The dry wood put up quite a bit of smoke, making for some interesting photos.

Autumn is Here!

Summer took a while to get started, but then seemed to hang around for quite some time. September was a warm and dry month, and it almost seemed that summer had decided to stay. Then some of the aspens started turning the second week, and before long whole hillsides had turned varying shades of yellow, orange, and red. This transition to the colorful season is always a delight, and the longer, cooler evenings are harbingers of what's to come.

The temperatures still warmed during the days, and the contrast of the colorful leaves with the bright blue sky made me want to saunter under them all day, enjoying the view.

Autumn in Snake Valley is a glorious sight, although a bit unpredictable. The start and end are never fixed, and the duration can be short or long.

Today we went up to enjoy more fall colors and found that many of the aspens had already lost their leaves. With a forecasted week of stormy weather, it's likely that the brilliant fall colors that still cling to the trees will soon be upon the ground. The highest ones may even get dusted by snow.