We'll be honest - this page has nothing to do with cave or karst management. Not a single thing. And except for one tiny ghost story way down at the bottom of the page, it really has nothing to do with caving either.
Yet, when you come to visit us in Ely, it's important to understand that Nevada's expansive Great Basin isn't just a geographic location - it's also a psychology.
The travel details on this site will get you here. But the material on this page will get you in the right frame of mind to really enjoy the wide open spaces and rugged landscape of White Pine County and Nevada's Pony Express Territory.
We look forward to welcoming you to the Great Basin!
Because, seriously, who wouldn't want the vintage wail of a century-old steam locomotive for a mobile ringtone? right?... Right?
These were recorded at the historic railyard in Ely, Nevada on one of our productions team's site visits. You can't get more real than this. The only thing missing is the smell of the industrial-era boiler fire. To experience that, you'll just have to come visit us in person.
All aboard!
There are 4 files here in two different formats. One works on Android & MS devices, the other on iPhones. Follow the directions for your phone to load these into your device. Click the "Play" button to listen to the file.
Be sure to join us at the 2025 NCKMS in Ely, Nevada. One of our social events includes a geology-themed ride on these historic trains up through the Robinson Nevada Mining District.
No matter where you travel in the American west's Great Basin, if your drive is more than 30 minutes, it's highly likely you'll find yourself out on a lone highway with nothing to do but look at some amazing scenery. That's nice during the day, but if you're travelling at night, the best option is to watch for hovering lights and UFOs. Alas, even that gets old after a while (unless you actually see one, of course). Hey, we don't judge.
Eventually, though, your radio station will turn to static and you'll be left with your thoughts and perhaps some old music you brought along for the ride. But never fear - we have you covered!
The material on this page may be freely downloaded, burned to a CD, or loaded into your mobile device. Some of this is pretty impressive, and some, well... it was free. So there.
And please don't stop to pick up hitchhiking extraterrestrials. That selfie just isn't worth it! None of us on the 2025 NCKMS production team are ever doing that... again.
The Story of the Pony Express offers an in depth account behind the need for a mail route to connect the eastern U.S. with the rapidly populating west coast following the gold rush of California, the springing up of lumber camps, and all incidental needs arising from the settling of the western frontier. Here we learn of the inception of the Pony Express, its formation, successes, failures, facts, statistics, combined with many anecdotes and names of the people who were an integral part of this incredible entity which lasted but less than two years, yet was instrumental in the successful settlement of two thirds of the land mass comprising the expanding country. (Introduction by Roger Melin)
Download All ChaptersHere are some other free audiobooks from LibriVox we think you might enjoy... Pro tip: The drive to Ely from either Salt Lake City or Las Vegas is about 4 1/2 hours.
The Great Basin National Heritage Area is the epitome of remote destinations with the Great Basin National Park, hundreds of miles of ATV trails, and numerous natural attractions. Explore the wide open spaces, travel uncrowded trails, and experience some of the darkest night skies in the country.
Monte Neva Hot Springs is one of the largest effluences in White Pine County. Heavily mineralized, this spring serves agricultural purposes in the valley. Located on private property, we hope to include this site on our hydrology field trip.
Troglodyte Playing Cards
We have no idea what these will look like yet, but we couldn't think of hosting NCKMS in Nevada without offering some themed-out playing cards. There's a good chance the card backs will feature a cave animal of the year, but we still have some time to figure it out.
Registration for the 2025 symposium has been briefly delayed as we try to interpret the impact global tariffs will have on our financial model. A lot of items we purchase for the conference are sourced from international markets (convention bags, merchandise, etc.) We should have this figured out in the next few days and will send an email to past attendees when that system comes online.
Feel free to join our mailing list if you would like to receive occasional updates on our plans.