Elko - National Cowboy Poetry Gathering - Day 1

First day of the NCPG 2024 -  starting slowly, but pleasantly, after a good hotel breakfast and pick-up of media credentials in the still almost empty Pioneer Saloon. The saloon, a theater, a shop and gallery are parts of the headquarters of the Western Folklife Center in the historic Pioneer Hotel. The WFC is organizing the festival and is doing a great job, relying mostly on volunteers!

First, since the sun was out, we went for a short walk through downtown Elko to check out what has changed (not too much): Capriola, the famous bit & spur company, is still there, there are lots of murals (the one below refers to Elko's basque history), and there is the Elko tower & railroad. Elko was founded as a railroad city in 1869.

 

After having studied the program and gotten organized, we watched several films in the G Three Bar Theater, one after the other, all of them highly interesting. First, about a 92 year old cowboy "John - The Last Cowboy" living alone with his cows in Montana.

Second: "Words From a Bear" -  about the life and work of N. Scott Momaday. This Pulitzer Prize-winning writer was a Kiowa Indian and one of the first indigenous people whose poems and other writings became world-wide recognized. He passed away only a week ago. 

The third film "Inhabitants" followed five Native American Tribes in different parts of the country and showed their efforts and successes to steward and shape the landscapes for decades. Rarely watching films/movies at home, we spent hours in the theater today, and, thoroughly enjoyed it.

After a short break at the hotel for a quick early dinner (left-overs from yesterday's roasted chicken) and a beer at the local brewery "1718" - in a historic bank building! - we drove to the Convention Center (5 min, just straight ahead) to "enhale" our first big show, already sold out (over 900 seats!): "The Big Band Show". 

 

Three fantastic bands were playing: First, young "Sam Platts & The Plainsmen" (photos above) presenting sort of a retro-swing, followed by "nouveau zydeco" by the great Geno Delafose (right pic) - a Louisiana cowboy - and his band. 

The grand finale on stage was Wylie & the Wild West, one of my all-time favs! American Music, real Western Music, Yodelin', Boogie-Woogie - top notch music presented by a great showman, rancher, horse breeder & trainer and former rodeo cowboy from Montana. On the photo below, great Wylie Gustafson and Geno Delafonse were jamming together:

Tired, didn't sleep much the last two nights because of the jetlag, but it has been an entertaining, interesting, packed, long day.

Through the "Cowboy Corridor" from Reno to Elko

 "Cowboy Corridor" - that's how the Interstate 80 between Reno and West Wendover (at the border to Utah) is called. It's mostly sparse, dry High Desert landscape, here and there some cattle (no mustangs, though, at this time of the year!), spread-out ranches and mining camps - some of them ghosttowns -, and, some big mining operations, many of them digging for gold. Lots of billboards of all kinds along the highway, too, everything from Jesus to hotels to legal assistance.

 

We drove 300 mi. or 4:20 hours on the same highway, from Reno to Elko, on a sunny, rather warm day. Nice big GMC Terrain, a real "mountain truck", comfy and roomy! For the first time, we flew into Reno, before, we had always started our trips in Salt Lake City, which is a bit closer to Elko (3:30 hours). Last year we drove over from Las Vegas, which was an exhausting 8-hour-drive, on the way back in the snow.

Well, first things first: after breakfast in Cafe Capello in Reno (located on the Truckee River promenade , we explored downtown Reno a bit, which seems to have suffered quite a bit during COVID. Some big casino operations in downtown were closed. We walked to Sundance Books & Music (for literature) and checked out of the hotel. Being old-fashioned, we stopped at AAA, a little out in the suburbs, first, to pick up a couple of new maps, then headed east with a couple of stops.

First stop then:  Lovelock (photo below) - one of these crazy places, where people leave their locks to demonstrate their love. Not quite as attractive as the art installation in Lovelock, Colorado, but, unique in this otherwise small town.

 

Winnemucca (left) next, a bit larger and once an important railroad town (Central Pacific, 1868), considered an "oasis in the desert", with a museum, some bars, shops, and, of course, a rodeo. The town was named for the 19th-century Indian Chief Winnemucca's daughter, Sarah, who was an advocate for education and fair treatment of other tribes in the area. In 1883, she published the first autobiography written by a Native American woman. 

Battle Mountain to Carlin and here we were: Elko. The California Trail Center (photo below), a little out of town, were we stopped first, was closed on Tuesday. Therefore, we drove on to our nice Hampton Inn Hotel, went shopping, and called it a day not too late. Below view towards the Ruby Mountains from our hotel room. Wish, we could once explore the region in the summer, it must be beautiful!

Right Where We Belong - on the way to Elko/NV

 

Exactly one day later than last year, we are headed out for our "traditional" February U.S.A. trip. Main reason for choice of date: the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko/Nevada - for the 5th time! Since we won the IPW award for best destination article (about this cowboy event) in 2018, we got to love it and are coming back all the time.

 

Last weeks were a bit hectic, for different reasons,  and, this morning wasn't uneventfull neither: We had arranged for a car service, and, the distance to the airport Munich, which usually takes about 1:15 hours, took over 2 hours. Autobahn was completely shut down because of an accident, and, after slow progress, we were sitting in the car without any movement at all for about 30 min.  A "plan B-scenario" was being discussed already ,,, Fortunately, the accident was cleaned up at around 9:40 am and our driver tried hard to catch up, so we arrived at the airport at around 10:15, in good time to drop the luggage, go through security and visit the restroom before boarding. Flight departed at noon, on a B777-200 – only about 2/3 full with the center seat between us free –  and was rather uneventfull. 

 

About 11:15 hours flight time to SFO, ending with a beautiful descent into the Bay Area with views of the coast, the bridges (Golden Gate Bridge in the center of the photo) and downtown. We had a 1 1/2 hour layover, before we boarded for another 40 min flight - at sunset, and, over Lake Tahoe (see pic) - to Reno. 

 

Luggage came fast, but to get our AVIS rental car took a bit of time. We got a new big GMC Terrain with lots of fancy functions/buttons/equipment. Fortunately, only about 10 min. to our hotel in downtown Reno in the dark. Hotel was not much more than okay (if that) and we only threw our luggage in the room and went for a short walk to "Reno's Brewing District". At Lead Dog Brewery (below) we enjoyed our IPAs while the locals were engaged into "Trivia Night". It was interesting to watch, and, a good introduction to a completely different world.