the
Chronicles of Del Albright
Ambassador: Blue Ribbon Coalition
By Del & Stacie Albright
The “Gem of Nevada” Trail System Opens
Elko, Nevada Launches New Off-Highway Trails
The sweet smell of high desert sage drifted in the air as
Stacie and I wheeled our Jeep along the flower-dotted
dirt road headed towards the top of Merritt Mountain
in northern Nevada. Yellow sunflowers poked up to add
color to a very green desert during this major event near
Elko, Nevada, for the grand opening of the Gem of Nevada
Trail System.
You need to Explore Elko and see this trail system. For
years the folks in Elko and Elko County have been working
hard to make Elko the motorized recreation capital of the
West. On June 2nd, 2007, the ribbon was cut and the Gem
of Nevada Trail System opened officially. We were there
on a media FAM tour and we can’t wait to go back and see
more.
Elko County is amazing in the first place. With three huge
gold mines in full swing, Elko is the fourth largest gold
producing area in the world. Elko County is the fourth
largest (by area) county in the United States with over
17,000 square miles of fun, adventure, cattle grazing and high desert scenery.
Hundreds of miles of dirt roads and trails offer the recreationist unlimited
opportunity for exploring.
The Elko Convention and Visitors Authority (ECVA) orchestrated this media
FAM (familiarization) tour to show off their motto of “Explore Elko.” Members of the press, including Stacie and I were treated to a stay in local hotels,
Basque dinner at the fabulous Star Restaurant,
and tours of the Gem of Nevada Trail System.
Elko is a famous Spanish Basque area where you
can see the culture of an honorable and fun-loving people. The Gem trails take you through
some Basque country as well. Sheep herding and
cattle grazing co-existed in this area, while gold
mining put Elko on the map in the late 1800’s, as
well as today.
The ribbon cutting ceremony was held about an
hour north of town, near Wildhorse Reservoir, at
Point of Rocks, near the base of Merritt Mountain. Don Newman, Executive Director for the
ECVA cut the ribbon. “Elko County has a heritage
of patriotism, family, hard work and recreation,”
said Don, “and we’re proud to open the Gem of
Nevada Trail system to encourage folks to continue to explore Elko.”
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June 2014