Winnemucca Rain

I wonder if the heat is behind us? The temperature climbed above 100F a couple of weeks ago, but seems to have cooled back off. Last Monday, the streets of Winnemucca were doused in rain. More rain fell from the sky in 15 minutes than it had all year. I'm sure those that haven't lived in Winnemucca long wondered if the world was coming to an end. Living here forever, I've known that rain can eventually burst seemingly uninhibited from the sky... if you are patient enough, it will come. The Humboldt River usually fills to its brink in spring, sometimes erupting from its banks and filling the sloughs. However, rain like that in the middle of summer is not a common occurrence. The creeks and streams, not to mention the hardpan, do not have the capacity to hold all that water falling from the sky at once.

Flash flooding is actually the most often occurring "natural disaster" (outside of fire) that occurs here. Although, now you have to take into consideration the earthquake issue. I remember back about 20 years ago when they were running earthquake drills in the elementary schools because they thought a "big one" would hit. It never happened, but it has always left me wondering if it is only a matter of time. There are several significant fault lines that run through or close to Winnemucca. Rain, fire, and earthquakes....trust me, its not all that bad!

A Wagon Crossing

Winnemucca....the only town named after a Native American in the state of Nevada. Have you ever thought about how they name towns? Winnemucca was actually once called French Ford. It began as a wagon crossing on the Humboldt River. Pioneers saw this country when it was virtually untouched. But, has it really transformed that much?

There is something said for wide open spaces, as far as the eye can see. A certain holiness may overwhelm the novice traveler. Dusty roads lay across the vast desert. If you venture down one of these unkept paths, you may find deep trenches from tires that cut through what was once moist earth. It appears like jagged knives had cut through the hard earth to expose what lay beneath. Nothing but hardpan. During the heat of the summer, the region's large alkali flats seem dry and virtually unlivable. If you choose to wander from the trail, you may find secret canyons full of life and beauty tucked among the mountains. Most never find this beauty. They are too set on moving forward and not risking wasted time. This land has many seasons, which bring many changes in the scenery. Winter can bring delicate white blankets of snow, covering the landscape in pristine brilliance. Spring brightens the landscape with wildflowers growing amongst the sagebrush and rocks. But the summer...it is hot and dry. Not until you experience the full cycle, do you understand that the barren season only strengthens appreciation for the rain, the water....the green valleys....the fragile buds of spring.

The journey across the high deserts of the West soon leads to a river. The Humboldt River. This river is the curviest river in North America, snaking back and forth between the shores. A river that you cannot follow, that must eventually be crossed. The place called French Ford sprung up at a crossing.

Can you imagine what this landscape looked like to the pioneers? Most likely a lot like it does today. Only it was viewed at a slower pace.

Feeling Free

Cool crisp clean air....and miles and miles of sagebrush. A liberating freeness that settles in your soul. It's like that here....in Nevada. The wind caresses your face in a motherly way. The warm sun heats the earth bringing confidence to the flora. The smell of the earth greets your senses awakening that innate connection to nature. You begin to imagine times long past....a time when lives were being forged in a virgin desert. New beginnings of untold hardships. A community at the brink of creation.