The 2-headed calf, Jiggs

The MaryJane sisters left Jiggs Bar and its two-headed calf late in the afternoon and headed south. The weather was excellent for travel and the dirt road was in good condition. The Ruby Mountains guided us on our left and the Diamond Mountains on our right. We were truly driving in beauty.

On the road to Eureka

However, while observing beauty we may have zigged when we should have zagged. It was dark and nippy when we finally drove into Eureka and we caught a glimpse of two deer foraging for tidbits of grass near an old building.

". . . don't invite the MJ sisters to pay a visit to a place unless you are serious."

Didn't they know it was the beginning of hunting season?! They must have felt safe in town. We got a room at the Jackson House Hotel, which had recently been renovated. Since we were travelling during the "off" season we were able to view all the rooms and pick our favorite.

While relaxing in the Crystal Parlor, we imagined ourselves in 1877 getting dressed up to attend some gala at the Opera House next door. On the other hand, if the MaryJane sisters really did live in 1877 we would probably just throw on our denims and head to the nearest saloon for prairie dew and an invigorating game of pool. The Jackson House was without a doubt close to the action.

The Owl Club restaurant

We ventured into the Owl Club Saloon. As we were ordering drinks the gentlemen playing pool were leaving.

Obviously, we couldn't let them go as they were the only persons to shoot pool with. So the MaryJane sisters persuaded them to stay for one more game. As we proved to be adequate opponents, our new friends decided to play additional games with us. We kept the drinks coming and the jukebox going, remembering to play the bartender's favorites. They told us about their work reclaiming land from bankrupt gold mines. We were intrigued and the "light bulbs" were flashing in the heads of the MaryJane sisters.

The next thing we knew the bar dog was closing the shutters! The MaryJane sisters love to close the bar. Before parting, our friends invited us to visit their work site in the morning. Now, remember, don't invite the MJ sisters to pay a visit to a place unless you are serious.

The Jackson House, Eureka

After our continental breakfast we headed for the "gold mines". We drove through Pancake Summit, probably named by Pony Express riders thinking it looked like an English saddle. We found the turn off and headed out the dirt road into the desert valley with its punky sagebrush and lazy russet mountains in the distance. It was open range and we came upon an enormous pile of horse droppings in the road. We wondered how big that horse was! Around the next bend, there stood a cavvy of mustangs. The white stallion stared from afar, while the band beside the road all stared at us together. But, they all looked normal size to us. So how come the pile of manure was so huge? It didn't take long for us to find out.

The Eureka Opera House

Continuing on, we came upon a large mound of waste dirt and a road leading to it. But, we weren't sure how to get around the gate. There were ditches on either side of the road that we were sure to get stuck in. As we sat there contemplating our dilemma we could see the road zig-zagging up the mountain. We weren't about to give up and continued to sit there pondering. Finally, some hunters came by and informed us we could go around the gate if we backtracked and took another route. On that advice, we headed up the mountain.

In no time the desert valley floor was far below us. The view was breathtaking and as we went up the mountain snow appeared on the ground.

Diamond Peak

Rounding a switchback we came upon our friends. They were surprised to see us since we didn't make it there at the designated time (because we were pondering at the gate). They figured we were no-shows. Never underestimate the MaryJane sisters.

After a couple of hours sightseeing and touring the abandoned mine, we headed back down to the valley floor. We stopped alongside the road by a cluster of pinon pines and gathered pine nuts to munch on. We went out the dirt road passing the same curious horses and headed back through Eureka and on to Austin. For us it was a whole days travel between Eureka and Austin and we were ready for a "hot time in the old town tonight."

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