Jaci Dawn

Our trip took us into Salt Lake City during rush hour. We didn’t stop again mostly because we were cruising through country we’ve both seen, we were tired, and we wanted to make the last leg the shortest (from Elko to Reno). The slat flats are always interesting to me, but I’m not so much into the city of Salt Lake City. It’s a city and I live in one.

We made Stateline as the sun dipped completely below the horizon and completed the trip into Elko in the dark.

Terry and I spent our very early years between Elko and Jarbidge, NV, where Dad was a Forest Ranger. Summer months were spent up at Jarbidge and winter months were spent in the Forest Service housing in Elko. I was always overwhelmed when we came to town. Our little sister was born in Elko in 1959.

Even after we moved to another Ranger station in another town, we spent a lot of time visiting old friends in Elko or just passing through on our way to Jarbidge (we spent a lot of vacation time at Jarbidge). There’s a little nostalgia in Elko for us.

We checked into our motel and kicked back. I picked up some advertising rag they had in the room and was shocked to see White King displayed without the backdrop of the Commercial Hotel & Casino. Terry assured me that the Commercial still exists and White King is still reigning there, it had to be some fluke of advertising that they put him on a different page than the casion.

I suppose Elko is all about White King. It’s the first thing that comes to my mind.

When I was a very little girl, White King was a brand new attraction. I remember very clearly the awe I felt when I first viewed the colossal polar bear in his new glass display case just inside the doors of the Commercial. In later years, my sister and I would beg Dad to take us to the Commercial just so we could see the bear. He probably obliged us once, but once was all we needed to keep trying to get to go see the bear.

Terry took me to go visit the polar bear.

He stands 10’4″ (just over 3 meters) and weighed 2200 pounds in life.

I’m still pretty much in awe of him.

He is still reputed to be the largest polar bear ever taken (and he was taken by Native Americans, not by a Great White Hunter). Just an fyi.

Seeing the old bear pretty much made my day.

The rest of the trip was not routine or boring, but I feel a need to bring my story to a close and move onto other subjects. From Elko, we went to Winnemucca, another place where we spent many years of our childhood growing up. And from Winnemucca to Reno where Terry still lives.

We saw antelope, mule deer, a small wolf, a porcupine, a bald eagle, a golden eagle, a coyote and one dead elk. I think that was our wildlife count: Terry might add something.

In Reno, I met up with an internet friend, Heather, and spent an hour over coffee with her. It was wonderful to put a face to someone I know online (and yes, I do this frequently). She’s a wonderful person!

Terry and I made a drive to Fernley to eat at a wonderful little casino and restaurant, mostly on Heather’s advice. Mary & Mo’s Wigwam is not only a bit of a local icon, but is an interesting little Native American Museum. Everywhere you look in the restaurant, you can see displays of arrowheads and other Native American paraphernalia. But it’s almost all arrowheads.

The service is good and so is the food. Definitely a place to stop, even if you are like me and you don’t gamble.

While in Reno, of course I connected with some family members: a cousin and her husband plus my brother’s daughter and her two babies. I haven’t had a chance to meet Kimm’s babies and this was such a wonderful gift to me. Not only did I make the trip to see my dad and my son with his new family, I got to see my niece and her family.

Elijah looks so much like his grandpa at this age. Totally fearless. He’s a few months older than Zephan.

Little Miss Brooke is days older than Justin. Can you see how impressed she is by me?

Unfortunately, I was in the throes of a cold and was afraid to hold the baby much. 😦 Maybe next time I visit I will get to cuddle with this little bundle of sweetness.