TRAINS, OUTHOUSES, & FRIENDS

Our "real train" day started with a short drive out to the Virginia & Truckee (V&T) Depot, just off Hwy 50, east of Carson City. When we got seated for our 10am departure for Virginia City, Tim, our conductor announced that the train was sold out, and that the ride up the hill to the Comstock Lode would take about 1 1/2 hours. Being pulled up a 2% grade behind a steam engine, is about as good as it gets for this train enthusiast, and the added sighting of wild horses only made the train ride that much better!

The revitalized V&T Railroad, with 14 miles of new track, follows the original right of way for most of the way between the Eastgate Depot near Carson City, and up the hill to Virginia City. When we arrived at about 11:30, the trolley bus took us up to Main St, where we arrived just in time for the Outhouse Parade.

The train is just about to cross the Hwy 50 bridge in Mound House.

The train is climbing the grade just above Goldhill.

Looking down at the Goldhill Hotel.

The Red Dog Saloon is where we had a BBQ lunch of tri tip, and chicken.

We started our meal in the back of the Red Dog Saloon, where the BBQ was being prepared, and there were numerous picnic tables. However, the yellow jackets soon chased most of us inside, with Ed & Anita Price the only ones brave enough to withstand the competition for the food. Patty and I enjoyed our meal, and I didn't hear any complaints from anyone, except perhaps the aerial attack while we were outside.

Several of us walked the short distance up main street to the site of the outhouse races, and despite our short window of time, managed to watch a few of the races. This event is kind of tongue in cheek, but many of the competitors take it very seriously. There are rules regarding the weight of the outhouses (minimum of 200 lbs without the driver), and other than that, most anything goes.

This is the pit area, where the competitors wait for their turn to race. The lack of toolboxes tells you that there isn't a whole lot of mechanical things going on at these races.

During the parade, the name of this outhouse (THE FLAPPER CRAPPER), got a few smiles from the crowd.

Even Arnold was represented at this parade with the "Urinator" entry.

I took pictures of a few of the outhouses while they were parked in the pit area, and focused on their names. There were about 15-20 entries, and as you can see, some of the names on the outhouses are obviously related to that most important bodily function that we all must take care of from time to time.

Two outhouses, each pushed by 2 people, are getting ready to race up Main Street.

At 2:15pm, Carl, our trolley driver parked his conveyance in front of the Red Dog Saloon, and we were transported back to the Virginia City Railroad Depot. The train departed at 3pm, and we were back at the East Gate Depot in about an hour and fifteen minutes. At 5pm, the train took us down into the Carson River Canyon to the end of track. The engineer and conductor played a little game while we were stopped at the end of the line, and the game was after the engineer blew the whistle, everybody was supposed to try and hear how many echos reverberated in the canyon. I think the most that anybody said they heard was 9. Two local wines were served on the train, along with appetizers.

While we were waiting for the 5 o'clock train to leave, our buddy Nancy, somehow persuaded the engineer to allow her to climb into the cab of the engine, and blow the whistle. Patty and I were seated on the train when she came back with a big smile on her face, and grease from the whistle cord all over her hands.

Tim, our train conductor.

We capped the day with a group dinner in the Ole, Ole, Mexican Restaurant at the Gold Dust West Casino. The meal and service was good, and it was a fitting way to end a fun filled day.

About half of our group pulled out this morning, and the rest of us will be leaving tomorrow. It was a good rally, and we're already looking forward to our next Golden Spike Rally, which will be in Indio, CA. in January. Thanks to the help from our friends Bill & "D" Hall, everyone gave us praises for organizing a fun weekend. Tomorrow, we're headed over the mountains to CA, then back home to Havasu sometime next week.