Member of the Arts and Cultural Highway
Austin is located on Highway 50 in Nevada. Many heritage buildings still stand in this old town.
September 9th and 10th, 2002
After our visit to the school in Eureka, we took Breezy to visit Dr. J.J. Goicochea, the local vet. He gave her a good once over and it turns out she suffers from aches and pains not unusual for an older mare. A bit of hock trouble has been aggravated by all the trailering, so we picked up some Bute which will help keep her comfortable and moving a little more freely. Also grabbed some wormer (we'll put a bit more weight on her yet!) and some topical ointment for her little cuts and scrapes (she seems to have a knack for nicking herself on fences, getting in and out of the trailer, etc.)
After the vet visit, we wandered up the picturesque main street in Eureka until we stumbled into the Opera House, home of Wally Cucchine (Mr. Eureka!). He gave us a personal tour of the Opera House art collection, the amazing graffiti done on the walls of the structure by performers who have played there over the last hundred years or so, and the county courthouse (still home to records going back to the very beginning of the county's incorporation and kept in some fantastic ancient vaults guarded by massive steel doors).
Jane, Dani, and I each took a turn sitting in the judge's chair in the courtroom before we all headed over to the museum. Wally generously gave us each a T-shirt (I'm wearing mine right now!) featuring the Opera House.
By the time we had finished our grand tour we were ravenous and, based on Wally's recommendation, headed for the Eureka Cafe where we devoured some of the best hamburgers any of us have ever eaten anywhere! YUM!
We spent a fair amount of time trying to capture the perfect moment on film as Breezy strolled around her coral, a magnificent sun blazing in the west.
There is a trail marker very close to town, so all the kids knew exactly where the Pony Express trail is located.
After we wrapped up at the school, we loaded Breezy and drove two hours north to the town of Battle Mountain where the press and about 300 students were waiting for us at Eleanor Lemaire School. Phew! What a busy afternoon. Many of the students came outside afterwards to visit with us and chat with Breezy. We finally escaped and headed for Hilltop, just outside Battle Mountain. There, we stayed with Garry and Faye Burkhart, Pony Express riders from way back who kindly offered to let us keep Breezy in their corral.
Dani had a leisurely ride as the sun dropped over the hills and we all turned in for an early night.
At each place we visit, my crew gets more serious about jumping ship and settling down here in Nevada.... I didn't think I was that hard to get along with! Actually, the truth is, we are all having such a lovely time here and enjoying our adventures so much, none of us ever want to come home!