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The MaryJane Sisters in Winnemucca
Yes! The MaryJane sisters are hitting the road again. Our mission as usual is to seek out old and unusual saloons with a pool table and a jukebox, and meet people who can suggest interesting places for us to visit.
We leave Reno around 3 in the afternoon, headed out I-80 to Winnemucca. Off in the distance the Union Pacific with its long load is cruising along with us. Encompassing us is the crisp blue sky balancing on top of the rolling mountains and the brown desert with its "punky" sagebrush carpet at our feet. Dry lakebeds and steam vents give us a glimpse into Nevada's past.
It is dark when we arrive, check in, freshen up, and head out for dinner and dancing. As we walk by the Las Margaritas Restaurant a woman sweeping the sidewalk greets us in Spanish. We assume she said, "come in for a good meal." The food at Las Margaritas is excellent and so is the service. I highly recommend the Camerones a la Diabla and almond tequila.
After dinner we go in search of a saloon. Right around around the corner from Las Margaritas we find the Butch Cassidy Saloon, named for the legendary gang that robbed the First National Bank of Winnemucca in 1900. It is within walking distance of our motel (another criterion of our road trips). The Butch Cassidy Saloon has a pool table and jukebox. It also has cowboy and horse gear hanging on the walls giving it that nostalgic western look. So we hang up our "guns and spurs" and belly up to the bar. I'm sure I see Butch and Sundance in the back room. On the other hand, the proprietors, retired truck drivers, can easily be the infamous duo. They are full of wild stories and seem delighted that they had tinhorns in town to tell their tales to. We end up sitting at the bar all night, captivated by their stories.
One story they tell is about a mineral plant outside of town on Jungo Road that crushes up rocks mined from the mountains around Winnemucca and sells it to Purina to put in cow feed. This pulverized rock cuts down on the cow's intestinal gas and keeps them from emitting "toxic fumes" that damage the ozone layer. Voila! "Cow Tums." We left The Butch Cassidy with our mission for the next day.
After a continental breakfast, compliments of the motel, we pack up our gear and head out. We pay a visit to the Buckaroo Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Museum with its cowboy memorabilia and displays of wild animals and rocks. But, being the inquisitive types, it isn't long before we go looking for the "cow tums" factory out Jungo road. Again we find ourselves in the desert, which isn't hard to do in Nevada, as the desert is just outside of every town in the state. We find the Min-Ad plant and meet two employees. At first they thought WE had a few rocks rolling around loose. But, after learning about our road trip, they decided not to call the Federales on us. We even got to have a few rocks as souvenirs.
Elko was our next destination so we asked their advice. They suggested we eat dinner at the Star, a Basque restaurant, and to be sure and try the picon punch. So with that in mind and rocks to add to our "rock collection" we headed out on the road again looking forward to a "hot time in the old town (Elko) tonight."
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