Ebbett’s Pass, Nevada Train Museum, Cacti

Last week was my 50th birthday. To celebrate, John and I spent the weekend
on a 700 mile road trip to visit the

Western Pacific Railroad Museum in

Portola, California on the Feather River. The museum was holding its annual

Rail Photography Day.

Below are photos from our trip home. The entire way, we carried with us
many hundreds of pounds of spiky plants. John bought me 3 big cactuses for my
birthday at
Poot’s in
Ripon, CA. Since Poot’s is closed on Sunday, we bought them on Friday and carried
them with us all weekend. They were padded to keep from sliding and rolling (and to
keep them from poking us too often). I named the short one “Boris” and the tall one
“Natasha”. The blue agave parryi doesn’t have a name yet.

We started home from Reno, Nevada. From Reno, we drove
to see the excellent
Nevada State Railroad Museum in nearby Carson City. From Carson, we drove
over Ebbett’s Pass (8,730 feet above sea level) to Angels Camp
(home of the Jumping Frog Jubilee).
We had a superb dinner at the
National Hotel in Jamestown on the patio
under its 100-year-old virgina creeper vine, then
continued home to San Jose, CA.

Morning in Reno, Nevada:

El Dorado Hotel Reno, Nevada:

Reno, Nevada mountain view:

4 lanes from Reno to Carson City, Nevada:

Nevada Rail Museum, Carson City WP449 Steel Sided Caboose:

Nevada Rail Museum, Carson City Katy with HO model layout:

Nevada Rail Museum, Carson City: the real Engine 27:

Nevada Rail Museum, Carson City Engine 27 Model:

Nevada Rail Museum, Carson City Engine 26 in Flames:

Carson Valley Nevada:

Starting up into the mountains on Highway 4:

2 lanes into the mountains:

Entering Toiyabe National Forest:

Down to 1 lane for 25 miles:

Mountain view:

John at Ebbett’s Pass:

Corkscrew 1 lane road:

Red and white granite boulders:

Alpine lake near Ebbett’s Pass:

Tree and sun near Ebbett’s Pass:

Entering Stanislaus National Forest:

Geodetic Survey Marker near Ebbett’s Pass:

Mosquito Lake:

Monster rock on logging road:

Jamestown, National Hotel’s 100-year-old Virgina Creeper:

John in Jamestown, National Hotel:

Sunset near Jamestown:

Birthday flowers and books:

3 new cacti safe at home:

Images Copyright 2007 by Katy Dickinson and John Plocher