In December the Nevada State Railroad Museum located in Carson City, NV rolls out N°25 to drive The Santa Train.
You know when I went to the Railroad Museum before she wasn’t out that time. click here to see that post. I’ve wanted to get back up here to see the Steamie since.
Just as I did before I arrived early hoping to see the crew rolling her out of the garage, but I was a wee bit late she was already out and building pressure. N°25 was built in 1905 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works. She’s a 78-ton 10-wheeler. She hauled both passenger and freight cars between Carson, Virginia City, and Reno from 1911 to 1947.
Now she runs on special days throughout the year.
One of the special events she’s rolled out for is during December when she’s The Santa Train which is N°25, a passenger car, and a red caboose. Passengers come for a ride around the station and Santa Claus is on the train to talk to the children, and I hear he passes out candy canes to everyone.
Here she is at the station getting some water, and passengers.
I spy Santa! He’s with the Conductor, Engineer, the Brakemen, and some Elves disguised as cowboys. 😉
Here comes THE SANTA TRAIN!! TOOT! TOOT!
I don’t know if I’ll be posting much anymore this year things are going to get busy pretty quick. Big Baby Boy and The Crosscourt Kitty🐈 are arriving soon for the Holidays and #1 Grandson is coming to visit too!
There’ll be kids jingle belling, holiday greetings, gay happy meetings, and tales of the glories of Christmases long, long ago! It really is the most wonderful time of the year!
In case I don’t get another chance to let me wish you all a very Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, and a Happy, Healthy, Prosperous New Year!! xx
I’m chugging out…TOOOOT! TOOT! 😍
Nikon D810| Nikkor 24-120mm| PS CC 21.0.1| Lexar Digital Film
I went to see the Kokanee Salmon that are migrating upstream right now in South Lake Tahoe last Friday. I was hoping to see a bear since I just got butt shots of one the last time I went to see this migration back in 2010.
We saw salmon schools and some swimming around the creek, but no bears while we were there so, we went to look for fall color, have lunch, and return for the late afternoon, early evening and maybe see a bear come to the creek to eat.
We got lucky and a young black bear did come by to eat! It got really exciting for several seconds when the bear wanted to get up on the deck I and quite a few observers were on and cross to the other side. This is how close I was. Right at the very edge of my focusing limit…too close! I and everyone else backed up and the bear hopped up on the bridge and I was still too close so we backed up more and the bear walked across the bridge and into the woods.
It looked like it was heading back to the creek but near the other bridge so, I made for that and sure enough, the bear went up on a huge beaver dam and started hunting for something to eat. It didn’t fish. I wonder if it didn’t learn that skill?
That’s my bear tale. It was pretty exciting and neat seeing it.
I hope you’re all having a lovely week!
Nikon D810| Nikkor 80-200mm| Lexar Digital Film| PS CC 20.0.6
This image is from some months back when I first discovered the Nevada Wild Mustangs.
It also made me laugh out loud when I got home and uploaded my images to discover this Cowbird landing on the back of this Mustang looking as if it’s ready to ride, grab some mane and say giddy up! 😂
I hope you’ve had something to laugh out loud about this week. It’s good medicine; laughter. I hope this makes you smile at least! Happy Hump Day Y’all!
Nikon D810| Nikkor 200-500mm| Lexar Digital Film| PS 20.0.6
A friend came up to meet me for a meet-up over the week-end and after a long day of hiking, and elevation gain she spent the night in our guest room. We both were a bit wiped out after 8 miles of hiking and several hundred feet of elevation gain so, we stuck closer to my area rather than go hiking again on Sunday. I’m still suffering from elevation sickness when going up, and so was she. I hope this isn’t going to be an issue for my whole life!
My left hip was really achy too and has been for a year or more. Anna, my friend suggested P/T for it. That got me thinking about stretching so I dug out my Yoga book and Monday I added 4 stretches to my morning routine that I have left out for a couple of years. After 3 days of incorporating the hip stretches my hip feels so much better! I love yoga stretches!
Anyway, I digress. One of the things she wanted to do was see the area so we did a photo walk of downtown Carson City’s Civic Center. Carson City is the closest “biggish” town to me now.
Thankfully, Carson City has kept some of its old west charms and St Charles Hotel/The Fox BrewPub is a Historic building located across the street from the Capitol Building that is one of those charming buildings that has been preserved and is still in use today. Carson City is the Capitol of Nevada for those out of the country who may not know that.
For the History Buffs, I gleaned some information about the Hotel/BrewPub from Carsonpedia. I’ve linked their page below.
“The hotel was originally built as two separate buildings. The northern, three-story, section was started on April 1, 1862, and was named the St. Charles Hotel. Construction on the southern two-story building started one month later, and it opened as the Muller Hotel. The builders were George W. Remington and Albert Muller, and they partnered with Dan Plitt who owned a bakery on the corner where the hotel was to be built. The hotel was first advertised in the October 2, 1862 edition of the Silver Age newspaper. It was called “the most desirable and commodious first-class house in Carson,” and “the pleasantest resort in Carson and where everything kept by the bar is the best quality.” ~http://carsonpedia.com/St._Charles_Hotel
Isn’t it interesting that no one of those who were invested in or partnered in the venture was named Charles? Who was Charles? I want to know. Was it a neutral name that all could agree to so no one was bigger or more acknowledged than the other?
The Hotel has had some successful years and quite a few failed years and has had 8 name changes since its construction in 1862 and a few owners.
I love how literate the people were back then. No one says commodious anymore and it’s a terrific and descriptive word.
It is said that Mark Twain likely had a drink there since he lived in Carson City for a spell. I wonder if that was after his friends saved him from a pistol duel that he was challenged to in Virginia City where he lived for a couple of years? It’s said his closest friends knew he was a really bad shot and wanted him to live and continue writing, so they helped him get of town in the dead of night to avoid the duel. I’ll have to research that. I do know that he and his brother traveled by an Overland Coach to Carson City from St Joseph, Mo. in 1861 for $150.00! That was a princely sum in those days! I’m gobsmacked that they paid so much then! Are you? He wrote about his journey to Carson City in his book Roughing It. I bought it and have been slowing reading it. It’s really good! FYI. There’s a really great Mark Twain Impersonator in Virginia City. One day I hope to find him alone without some modern person speaking to him to get a photo of him. He’s really great, but there’s been a modern person speaking with him both times I’ve come across him, and I waited, and waited, and waited, Good Lord these people can talk! I have given up both times and moved on after 5 minutes. I just don’t have the patience to wait that long for a “people” shot. I’ll wait hours for a landscape or night sky shot, but not a people shot. My heart just isn’t in it. Hat Tip to those who will wait for that shot! You are amazing!
I digress again! History has so many twists and turns that I tend to get caught up in one or another and go off on tangents for awhile. I eventually come back to the point but…I love history. That probably should have been my major, but it wasn’t. It was my son’s though ( Big Baby Boy)…so the beat goes on. 😀 I’m talking way too much, aren’t I…
Today in 2019 it is the Historic St. Charles Hotel/Fox BrewPub
The door is small from this angle, but I loved the whole building with its red bricks, door, white trim, and balcony. I didn’t get closer for a close up of the door and now that I’m typing this up I thought, ” DOH! We should have had lunch there!” We didn’t. We went to a new to me but a new favorite of mine called Jimmy Johns. I love their Tuna on Thick Wheat Bread. Do you have a Jimmy Johns where you live? We didn’t in Silicon Valley. I need to snap a photo of the sandwich too! I’m usually so hungry by the time I get to the restaurant or deli that I inhale my meal and forget to get a photo of it. Sigh…I’m not a good foodie photog.
I think if the topic fit I should have written this for Stream of Consciousness Saturday cause I’m digressing all over the place, but… it’s not. So, a little bitty view of a red door on very cool Historic building with a whole lot of verbiage is what I’m bringing today to Thursday Doors.
This is part of Norm Frampton’s Thursday Doors. If you have a door or two to share head on over to his blog and join in the fun or just head over and see the doors others have shared from all over the world. Just follow his directions at the end of his Thursday door post.
CarNikon D810| Nikkor 24-120mm| Lexar Digital Film| PS CC 20
