Back onto Hwy-50 we headed for Ruth. We were surprised at the condition of the town, tired and run down, not how I remembered it as a kid in the early 60’s when we looked down into the huge copper mine. The old road to Riepetown and Kimberly was closed, hence another disappointment (guess I’ll have to contact the DOT about the road closure).   

Below: Remains near Ruth.

Our next stop was Ely. I remember Ely from the early 1960’s, going to visit the Land Rover dealer then there (Pete Gamboa). Instead of Land Rover’s, our interest now was trains, the Nevada Northern Railway Museum to be exact. This is another must see during the summer months, see them at   http://www.nevadanorthernrailway.com/         I was unable to see the steam engines, as they were put away for the winter.                                                              Below: The Ely RR Station and some railroad history.

After a few hours of looking at trains and related railroad buildings, cars and photographs, we decided to head north along Hwy-93 for Wendover, on the way we’d make a few more stops. McGill is a time capsule of old building and homes. Next we stopped at a rest stop to feed baby and found a maker for Schellbourne, located three miles east of the rest stop, another place we will have to explore at a later date.

Across Highway-93 from our rest stop I spied a gravel road heading west… with baby once again strapped in we made our way along the road, our destination being Cherry Creek. During the 1908 New York to Paris Race, the Thomas Flyer stopped here in Cherry Creek on its way to San Francisco. See www.TheGreatAutoRace.com

Cherry Creek: Here, at one time, was the largest town in White Pine County. Part of the Cherry Creek Mining District, Cherry Creek's years of largest gold and silver production were between 1872 and 1883. At a peak of its prosperity, the town had an estimated population of 8,000.  Five miles south of here is Egan Canyon, where one of  the oldest gold mines in Nevada was located. marker #52

Above: Ruins from Cherry Creek...                             Below: Where Cherry Creek Station once stood; the tracks looking north..

Leaving Cherry Creek with visions in our heads of what it must have been like in its heyday, we headed northeast for Interstate-80. 

We arrived at Wendover before sunset, coming in from the south was new for me, as I’ve always be going west or east on I-80. I was more than blown away when I saw the new Wendover, being quite disappointed to see that the Silver Smith was no more (the Smith family had one of the oldest gaming licenses in Nevada, dating from the early 30’s). To see all those new casinos and homes on the west end of town was a bit depressing. You see, I remember Wendover when Hwy-40 (2-lanes) ran through town (I was always against the I-80 bypass around Wendover). Nevertheless, we stayed at the Pepper Mill (because the Silver Smith was no more), and were quite pleased with both the room, the price, and the food.