"What's there to see in Elko?" Val quizzed.

The email last week from Sue began,
"Hopefully, you remember the group of teachers
you took on the mountain tour last year.
We all enjoyed the trip so much that Val
returned with her friend Celeste later for another tour."

"I have sad news…Val had a series of strokes…
surgery…did not go as well as we hoped…
massive stroke…paralyzed…ended life support
…deep coma…memorial service."
Sue.

John and I do remember.

In early fall the call came from six Wisconsin
teachers, Catherine, Sue, Patti, Betty, Val, and Ane,
visiting northern Nevada.

"What’s there to see in Elko?" Val quizzed.

A few health problems had persuaded her to retire
from teaching, but that hadn’t slowed her down much.
Instead she took the title, "ring leader" and organized
adventure trips for teacher friends.

John queried back, "What do you want to see?"
That was no help; they were ready to see everything!

So, John overwhelmed them with high granite
peaks tipped in white, sunbeams shining through
vintage Tiffany windows in the country church,
dusty wagon tracks on the old California Trail, golden
brown wildflowers foreshadoming autumn, and a freezing
cold, crystal stream at the top of Thomas Canyon.
It was hard for Val to walk, but even she went wading!
In short, they were excited and enthusiastic about it all.

Val sat in the front passenger seat, and she and the others
peppered John with questions about the Great Basin,
birds, geology, ghost mining towns, the California trail,
and wild mustang horses, wild goats, and sheep.

After a famous mushroom burger at O'Carrolls in Lamoille
below the Ruby Mountains, the group tried to get a
handle on some of what they had seen: Nevada's
natural beauty, the open vistas, the quiet, the clear
blue sky. After a drive around town to watch local
deer and shop at the antique store they headed back
to Elko.

Val brought Celeste on the second Elko tour, later that year.
The weather was chancy that trip, though, with clouds and
snow, so when it cleared a bit, John went right downtown
and searched for them in the casino.

"We need to go today! Tomorrow won’t be good."

It turned into a perfect day as the sun parted clouds
to turn canyon walls golden. Val wanted one of her special
friends, Celeste, to see what the group before had seen.

Val had had a minor stroke just before they’d come, but
she never let health stop her from exploring. She not only
looked for the next adventure trip, but loved sharing
excitement and beauty she found.

According to Sue, "Val loved her western adventure and
was still trying to find a way to get to the Cowboy Poetry
Gathering. She didn’t make it this year because apparently
there was something else planned, the biggest adventure
of her life. The group made a pact, though, to come next
year in her memory."


Catherine, Sue, Patti, Betty, Val, and Ane






We remember you, Val, and love you for your great spirit
of Adventure!

See "the girls" in Thomas Canyon, Ruby Mtns.
From left to right: Sue, Patti, Catherine, Val, Ane, Betty: