4-24-13 Update

Hello All

We had a nice surprise this week.  My mom and step-dad came for a visit.  We went to Tahoe on Monday.  It was a gorgeous day.  Every time we go, I find new wonders.  I love Emerald Bay and Fannette Island.

Emerald Bay is a state park and it features a 38 room mansion named Vikingsholm.  It is a one mile hike down to the Castle.  They give tours from mid-June through the end of September.  All Tours are guided and take approximately 30 minutes.  I definitely want to do the tour when we are in the area again.


The drive around the lake offers some turnouts for viewing.  This shot was taken from the Eastern Side of the Lake.

Yesterday morning Larry played a round of golf, and Jon, my mom and myself hiked up the hill behind our 5th wheel.  We saw a black bear - Yikes!  (Jon didn't have the camera with him)

We came back got the camera and went out again......  Of coarse the bear was long gone (yeah!)  But Jon was disappointed he didn't get a picture.

The sky is so blue, the air so clean, you can see for miles.  This really is a very picturesque place.  We are still really enjoying the experience.

Virginia City is always fun.  Yesterday afternoon we took a drive out so my mom and Larry could see it again.  They haven't been in 42 years.   It hasn't changed much.

We had a drink in the World Famous Saloon "Bucket of Blood" - I asked the owner how his establishment came by its name.  He said that back in the day after a particularly violet bar fight - the barkeep mopped up the mess and said "I have a bucket of blood here" .....................   Well, I had to ask.

Virginia City is full of history.  Mark Twain started his writing career here.  As an adult he traveled, lived and worked out West, but he is probably most famous for his writings of life on the Mississippi River.

I have never really given much thought to rivers.  The Mississippi is probably the most famous river, in part thanks to Mark Twain.  The Colorado River flows through and has formed the Grand Canyon.  But other than those two rivers, I can't say that I have given much thought to rivers until now.

The Truckee River is beautiful.  We are staying minutes from the River and have followed the river for miles.  From my perspective, the prettiest part of the river is from the town of Truckee to Lake Tahoe.

Well, that is all I have for now.  I will pick up next time with tales from Truckee.

Update - 04-15-2013

I like the unapologetic attitude of the residents of Nevada.   They are not concerned with what people think.  I can identify with that sentiment.   I guess you can say that I am a proud (temporary) resident. :)

Jon and I have been very busy seeing the sites.  We both love Lake Tahoe. We did a motorcycle ride around the lake last Friday.  It was a beautiful day, a bit cooler than we would have liked, but that didn't keep us from enjoying the day.   

On Saturday we went to Virginia City. It is like stepping back in time. 

The only thing that has changed are cars and paved roads.  The town is full of characters. An old miner comes to town with his donkey.  And the sheriff wears the clothes, badge and gun straight out of the early 1900's.

There are numerous ghost towns in Nevada.  Virginia City could have been another one, but for some reason it has survived and is thriving.  It is possible that its close proximity to both Carson City and Reno helped keep Virginia City from dying like so many other mining towns.

Speaking of ghost towns, on Sunday Jon and I drove 160 miles into Central Nevada to see what is left of the mining town of Berlin.  This was a small town that existed for about 15 years in the late 1800's to the early 1900's.  The mine in Berlin was approximately 60% silver and 40% gold.

The mine did not produce a significant amount of ore.  But what is so interesting about this particular ghost town, is that its close proximity to a very interesting archeological find.

Two miles away from the Berlin ghost town, are six ichthyosaurs that were uncovered in the early 1950's.  I have never been to an actual dig site.  I have to admit I was fascinated by the information that the scientists are able to obtain from digging out these fossils.

The drive to the Berlin-Ichthyosaurs State Park is in a remote area, it isn't close to anything, but I would definitely recommend seeing this if you find yourself in Nevada.

Jon and I are enjoying our time exploring Nevada.  But we are starting to plan our next destination.  We are leaving the Reno area on May 3rd to start our month long journey to Yellowstone.  I am looking forward to the trip as much as the destination.

I will keep you all posted!

It has been a long time coming but we are finally on the road.  Jon and I are staying in a nice RV Park outside of Reno Nevada.  We are staying here for three more weeks before we move East.

It has been an adjustment, but we are definitely enjoying the slower pace of life.

This is our backyard and front yard.

Jon has been researching day trips that we would like to do while we are in this area. 
We are going to Lake Tahoe, Virginia City, Pyramid Lake and Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park (This is  to re-historic lake that have fossils of six ichthyosaurs that lived in Western Nevada 70 to 180 Million Years ago)

The weather has been a bit cool, but we are going to bundle up and start enjoying the sites.

I will keep you all posted.