The Source Reveals “The 7 Wonders of Welcome”
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You are now located at a remarkable place….an oasis in the high desert of Northeast Nevada. But why is it here? What kinds of things need to happen in order for this exciting and beautiful piece of heaven to exist? I’ll let you think about that for a moment.
Let’s take a little walk now and learn about some of the plants and animals that live here. We will call them “The 7 Wonders of Welcome”. While we are exploring and learning you’ll have a chance to put together a bracelet to remember what you learned. Afterwards you can head to the store and purchase The 7 Wonders of Welcome Collection as a memento of your time with us. These are made right here on our own 3D printer by Mr. Jake.
Make sure to look at the map on your pamphlet as we walk to stops. As well there are other activities including a “Can you find” puzzle, a Word Search, a Crossword puzzle, the map Coloring page and the Welcome Match game that you can enjoy later. But right now, let’s get started! Head East across the big lawn area and you will find a stump right by the small spring-fed creek.
The source of our place is the mountain you see south of us. This mountain is the face of the East Humboldt Range of the Ruby Mountains. It has no known name so we call it “My” mountain and that way it can be yours, too! Come with us as we explore Welcome.
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My Mountain is over 8000 feet tall. The winter snow packs against the hillside layer by layer. This snow pack makes its way into fissures and crevices to eventually fill deep springs. Then the runoff comes down the mountain in what is called a drainage. We, at Welcome, are in that drainage. The melted snow is actually under your feet! That’s pretty cool. This melted snow makes up Trout Creek and the spring fed water on the East side of the park, which is controlled for irrigation. The water you drink here is filtered by rocks and sand as it bubbles underground into our Artesian well. Water is the source of all we have at Welcome. “How does this work?”, you might ask…
The water feeds the big trees underground. There are some years the water level is at the top of the ground. Many times we can dig down in spring and summer and the water level is just a couple of feet below the surface. We pump the water from the streams to irrigate our lawn and gardens. The Artesian well also helps us irrigate and gives us safe drinking water as well as usable water for the whole property. Every single living thing here depends on that water!
Every plant, tree and blade of grass depends on its water source from the streams and underground water supply coming down from My Mountain. (Take ONE snack bag per participant from the plastic jar. You will gather beads for a bracelet as we continue our journey, ONE from each jar.)
The first Wonder of Welcome: Trees and Plants
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Walk across the bridge, turn left, and enjoy the flowers on the bank of the stream. Stop when you get to the big tree. You can even have a seat on one of the stumps we cut out for you. Look at this big tree. It is well over 100 years old and is either a black willow or a narrow-leaf cottonwood.
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The tree's survival has been dependent on the underground water. The big tree can then become a shelter and home for many birds, insects, and mammals. Take a close look at the bark. There are hidden homes here. Make a note of what you see and find as we head to another stop. Look at the big garden across the way. All of what you see comes from the water from My Mountain. It is the source of all trees and plants here. (Take ONE bead from the 1st container and put it in your snack bag.)
Head out now across another bridge towards the grass opposite the garden. Make sure to slow down and look in the water. You might see insects called water skeeters on the surface. Or if you are lucky you might see a baby trout! Head past the cargo trailers that are parked and look slightly left for another container next to a large tree. Here you find the….
The second Wonder of Welcome: Birds of Prey
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Use your ears and your eyes. Make sure to look up…you might see our resident red-tailed hawks, Rosie and Randy. They have a nest in that big tree. Can you hear them? These hawks are birds of prey.
Birds of prey eat other birds and small animals such as mice and lizards. Be watchful at dusk and early morning for owls and kestrels which are other birds of prey. (Don’t forget to take your ONE bead and put it in your snack bag.)
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The third Wonder of Welcome: Fish
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The journey of Welcome continues….head toward the driveway and turn right. Follow it around and walk to the pond which is in the northwest corner of the property. Ah…one must have great eyes and patience to find the living creatures in the pond. What do you think might live here? Yep, you guessed it…fish! Fish have gills that help them breathe air from the water. Their fins and tails help them swim. Our specific kind of fish is called a brook trout. They can actually go up stream and come down stream. Often they lay their eggs here in the stream and we see baby trout. Check out this video (link here on these words) Check out the video of our brook trout in the pond. They do make good eating but we don’t fish for them. They are here for you to enjoy!
(Don’t forget to take your ONE bead and put it in the snack bag.)
Head around the pond and across the bridge and walk along the stream using your observation skills and stop at the first bridge.
The fourth Wonder of Welcome: Reptiles
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We do have some snakes on the property here. In 8 years we have only had one rattlesnake. They like hotter and sunnier places. Garter snakes are what is most often seen here. They are pencil sized and sometimes larger and green or greenish brown with a yellow stripe. Take a few minutes and walk across the bridge looking in the cracks as you cross and peek into the garden area and down in the stream. You may find one of our little friends as you look around. Occasionally we see some gopher snakes, so watch for them as you go around the property. Let us know if you see one. (Don’t forget to take your ONE bead and put it in the snack bag.) And on to….
The fifth Wonder of Welcome: Birds
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Be observant as you walk along Trout Creek to the far south end. (remember that is where My Mountain is located.) We have many birds here. Do you see any as you are walking? The robins love to pull worms out of the grass to eat. You might see blackbirds and flickers, and yellow warblers, just to name a few. Your job is to be watchful and use all your senses as you meander the grounds. Did you know birds have hollow leg bones and feathers and that they fly? They also build nests where they care and raise their young.
Here's one of our robins enjoying a bath in Trout Creek
(Don’t forget to take your ONE bead and put it in the snack bag.)
Our adventure continues! On to our next stop….
The 6th Wonder of Welcome: Insects
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Of all the plants and animals we have at Welcome, we have the MOST insects. There are so many kinds. You may see swarms of gnats, wonderfully beautiful yellow swallow-tail butterflies and golden and blue dragonflies, just to name a few. What is an insect? It has 6 legs and a 3 part body which includes the head, abdomen and thorax. We also have plenty of spiders, but they are not insects but arachnids as they have 8 legs.
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Here are some cool facts about dragonflies! The dragonfly life cycle actually is aquatic, which means part of it is in or near the water. They begin as eggs and then hatch into nymphs in the water. At the right time, they exit the water and molt into dragonflies. Sometimes we have hundreds in the air at the same time. It is a sight to see!
Stop a moment and look up into the tree canopy and the area just behind the RVs where you are standing. Often the butterflies flutter and float here in a majestic dance. They have a lifecycle as well.
Let’s not forget our ladybug! They are most famous here at Welcome, although some years we don’t see many of them. The ladybug and their life cycle begins as eggs as well and then hatch into larvae, then a pupa forms and then finally a ladybug emerges. You may be lucky enough to see some pupa attached to the laundry room wall.
We could continue our talk of insects for a long time! There are so many here because of the water and the vegetation of trees and bushes and plants. But we must be off to our last stop. (Don’t forget to pick a bead from the container and put it in your snack bag). Head back to where we began our journey at the front of the museum next to the light pole in front of the sign is our final stop…
The 7th Wonder of Welcome: Mammals
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You may be asking….why in the world are we here at this place? We don’t see anything like a wonder. But, let us tell you a little secret and if you are outside at the right time in the evening, just as dark fills the sky you may see many crevice bats coming out from under the sign that says STATION. Ha! that’s right…this is where our summer bat colony lives. In addition some may also live in the cracks and crevices of the big trees. Bats, why would we consider them a Wonder? They are marvelous flyers, bug eaters and guess what else? They are mammals! What is a mammal? They are animals that are warm-blooded, give live birth and feed their young milk from their bodies. And bats are all of those. We hope you return right at dark to watch them come out if you are here visiting from the end of May to the end of August. (Don’t forget to get a bead from the container and put it in the snack bag. AND………now you can make your bracelet and spend time enjoying the pamphlet and all there is to do on it.)
We hope you have enjoyed the Wonders of Welcome and we invite you to head to the store to see what we have especially created for you! Mr. Jake and his skills have made for you your own collection of the Wonders of Welcome in 3D. They are truly awesome! So, head over now to see them in person and maybe take a collection home to remember your amazing journey of the Source and the “7 Wonders of Welcome.”
