Four Wheeling in Ely

When we finally made our way up the long highway to Ely, we got the take the four wheeler out for a spin. Alex's dad was nice enough to let us take it for the afternoon and we had a blast! And yes, we are wearing hoodies at the end of June. That's how we roll in Ely!! :)

We got a quick shot before we put the four wheeler back in the truck.

On our way back down the mountain.

Yep, we just went down that steep hill!!

Wait, who is taking the picture????

Pretty little trail that Alex took me to. We were hoping to see some deer, but the four wheeler might have been too loud.

Sitting on the four wheeler in the middle of a stream. Our pants were pretty muddy at the end of the day.

The four wheeler didn't scare the cows away at all!

Such a cute little baby calf!!

Don't run away!! MOOOOOO!!! Alex was laughing at me cause I kept "mooing" at the cows.

Yep, we are standing in the snow at the end of June!!! I guess we should have been wearing our sweaters, huh??

The snow!!! It certainly looks better on the mountain than on the roads in Virginia!!

View from the top of the mountain...

I am queen of the mountain!!!! The wind was blowing like crazy up there! Even with my sunglasses my eyes were watering.

That's the view of Ely from the top of the mountain. It's a little bigger than Caliente.

It's the King of the mountain!!

Pretty purple flower. I think it is called Indian Paintbrush, but I am not 100% sure so it will just be known as a pretty purple flower.

We went all the up to the top. Not all the way with the four wheeler because I was too much of a sissy. So we walked for the last little bit.

Alex told me that his friend dared him to go up that hill the last time he took the four wheeler out. He said that he didn't make it. :(

Getting it out and ready to ride! Yay!

This is a picture of the mountain that we went to the top of. Pretty impressive, huh?

Family and Pioche

Here are the pictures of some of my family and my hometown. We drove by and saw everything on our way up to Ely to see Alex's family.

On our drive up to Ely is was so nice to see the big blue skies and tall mountains.

The wide open road!!

Alex knew this highway by heart when we were dating in high school. I can't count how many times he drove his little blue Toyota Tercel down this road to come and see me. He even drove through a blizzard just to see me. I guess hindsight is 20/20!

This is the park that I used to play in ALL the time when I was a kid. I actually used to live in a house right behind that picnic area and would come down and play for hours on the swings. I played little league in that field, watched years of Labor Day fireworks, and I even remember when I got caught building a fire near the bathrooms at the park and getting caught by my friend's dad who happened to be a police officer! Just lots of memories!!

The old Pioche train that sits in the park. You can also see a little of the new play equipment in the park. That wasn't there when I was a kid but I guess the only thing that stays the same is that everything changes!!

Did you notice the year? This building has been around for a LONG time!!

Pioche is the county seat of Lincoln County. I went there to take my drivers test. I was one of the last people to take my test in Pioche before they quit coming down from Ely.

This is the house that built me. It's right on Main street and looks a little different. It didn't have the wall and it did have some green grass. You can't tell from the front but it's actually a three story house. I lived there from the time I was about 7 to when I moved out after graduation. SO many memories!!

This is where I went to Elementary school. It is actually a lot bigger than this with a gym attached. But now it's run down. I know that it was around 90 yrs old when I attended there so it's now over 100 yrs old, but now longer in use. It kind of makes me sad to see it like this. I only had a few kids in my class. I remember until the fourth grade there were only 3 of us. Lacie, Nykki, and I were the only ones until Beau came along in the fourth grade. And we got a couple others in the fifth and sixth grade, like Tulie and Adam. Mrs. Neat was our teacher for most of our Elementary school experience and we really owe her a lot. I remember one time she wrote in my year book that she thought I could be the first woman president! It was nice to know some one believed in me and I am still friends with Lacie, Nykki, and Beau today! :)

I wanted to get a better picture of this, but there really wasn't much else to see, I guess. This is the only movie theater in Lincoln County and it sadly closed my sophomore year of high school. I watched so many movies in that old building including The Lion King, Titanic, Jurassic Park, and even Free Willy. I went so much that the owners would let Nykki and I help with the concessions stand and then we would get to see the movie for free. I will never forget the sticky floors, the scratched up wooden arm rests, and the smell of hot buttered popcorn....

This is one of the 3 bars in Pioche. My step mom worked in the restaurant that used to be attached to the bar, but it closed down. If you even want to party in Pioche, this is the place to do it!!

I always loved this slogan "from gasoline to Vaseline" Tillies had all that we needed. I used to walk "up town" and buy candy and treats from Tillies. It was where I would get my gas when I was finally able to drive and it was the only place to rent movies from for the most part.

This restaurant has had many owners since I was little. I will never forget when I was really small Anna worked there as a waitress and a man named Art was the owner and would give my little sister a quarter when she would come up there with my stepmom while I was in school.

Here another shot of Tillie's. It really hasn't changed.

Main Street, Pioche Nevada. Looks really busy, huh?

Heritage Park with the fountain on. I used to play in the park A LOT when I was little because my grandparents lived right across the street. Stephanie and I would play in the water and roll down the grass hill.

More of Heritage Park. This is actually where my life began in Lincoln County. My dad and step mom got married here on a warm day. I don't really remember a whole lot of it, but I do remember throwing up at the reception and my step mom raced in her big white dressed to help me get into the bathroom!

And here it is!! Pioche Nevada nestled into the side of a mountain. Did you know that this town has actually burned down three times?? Just a little trivia for ya!

Grandma and Grandpa Thompson. They are the best and have always been around even after my dad and step mom got a divorce. They don't ever give up their grandchildren. :)

So happy that I got to see these girls!! Last time I saw them they were so little!! I can hardly believe how much they have grown. I didn't even recognize them at first. They were my step sisters when their mom and my dad were married. When their mom passed away, they went to live with their dad and I haven't kept in touch as much as I should have.

From left to right: Me, Cheyenne, Laci, and Shanna. We are just missing Shayli, but she is living in St. George with her dad last I heard. Just another interesting fact, these girls were my cousins before they were my step sisters. Their mom had been married to my step mom's brother. Did I lose you?? That's ok, most people can't really follow all that. It was s0o0o0o0 good to see them!! Love you guys!!

Home Means Nevada

Here is the pictures of us in Caliente. We stopped here first to see friends and family there. I am kind of upset that we didn't get more pictures of the people that we stayed with. I didn't get pictures of Kelli and John, or her parents. And I also missed getting pictures of Beau and his little one!! I just miss them all so much, it would have been nice to have pictures to take home with me. I guess I will just have to get them next time!!

Here is Russ. (aka Russy) getting ready to go swimming. He is going to be such a little heart breaker some day!! And Alex is keeping occupied with my iPad.

It's me and Ally (aka Ally Bug!) I used to change this girls diapers and now look at her! She is a beautiful young lady!! Time just flies!!

Here is Dakota (aka Koda Bear) playing on the DS. I should have gotten a picture of him playing with the iPad. He loved it!! I told Kelli that they should get him one for his birthday lol.

Look at the teenage boredom!! :)

Here is Alex with more of the teenage boredom! I guess that's what you get on hot summer days!

Alex and I took a John's jeep out for a spin one afternoon and really enjoyed seeing the desert and mountains that we miss so much when we are here on the east coast. They sure don't have a lot of dirt roads in Virginia. At least not that I have seen!

This is the only "fast food" place in the ENTIRE county!! No drive-thru though, but we survived. :)

So happy to be home!!

Baby, lets drive!

Jeep Hair!!! hehe

Look at that! This is just gorgeous!! This is right next to the highway as you're leaving Caliente.

Trying to get us both in the shot. And that's little ol' Caliente in the background.

I love Jeeps!! Maybe I will get one someday! There is another shot of Caliente, too.

And there it is, Caliente. And would you believe that is actually the biggest town out of the three that made up my high school??

Waiting on Alex to get gas...

Another restaurant along mainstreet in Caliente. It is actually has a bar attached too.

I was trying to get a shot of the old railroad station as we were driving by. One of my really good friends grew up in a house just behind the old there.

Caliente's main businesses. There is actually a TruValue and a radio shack in there with all those old shops. Looks pretty busy today.

We drove out to Kershaw Ryan state park, but we weren't sure if we would have to pay to drive up there and take pictures. So I just decided to take a quick picture of the beautiful mountains.

My best friend having a good time driving the jeep. He loves driving a manual. When he drove through the water, he was nice enough to go slow that I didn't get covered with muddy water. :)

Home means Nevada, Home means the hills, home means the sage and the pine.......