Lake Topaz Nevada

Our 5W is still in Virginia City and we just had a great time visiting Ray & Ruth in Penn Valley California so we decided to make another visit to a friend in Chico California.

5 years ago I have bought my F-350 through the internet from Wayne that lives in Chico, the transaction  went so well that we stayed in touch through the years and made a promise to have a beer one day,this day had come and we finally met with Wayne and Gwen in Chico.

Wayne and Gwen made everything to let us feel at home and we all enjoyed this short visit.

We picked our 5W from Virginia City and made our way to Lake Topaz where our friends Rod & Ruth were already waiting for us to continue our RV trip East of the Sierra Nevada.

  

This Casino RV resort is on the Lake Topaz on one side and the mountains on the other ,has full hook-ups,Wi-Fi,CTV , pool and nice specious sites.

On the next day we took a side trip on a scenic Hwy 89 to Markleeville a very small beautiful town high in the mountains and although it has only one main street it has a nostalgic atmosphere and great small corners everywhere you look.

   

This small town is a gate to Grover’s Hot Springs S.P just a few miles down the road,after paying the 7$ fee entrance (per car,that is also good for the usage of hot pools for one person) we hiked 4 miles round trip to Soda Springs and although the falls where no way in full capacity we enjoyed the small pools and the great views all along this hike.

 

As the name of the State Park hints there is a hot pool in it ,for another 7$ we soaked in this natural hot water for enough time to give our mussels a full relaxation…

Evening at the Casino bar with great company and some drinks made a perfect  ending to a perfect day…Life is good

Carson Valley & Dayton NV

Virginia City proved to be a good central location for our side trips,besides having full hook-ups,WiFi,cable TV and clean bathrooms,we also enjoyed the daily visits of the wild horses and I found myself waiting every morning to meet them and see how close they will come to me.

Two bars in Virginia City have live music every evening just 3 minutes from the C.G ,our frequent visits especially to Red Dog  to listen to cowboy music and have a drink gave us a chance to meet the  “regulars” and soon we felt like the locals.

But before our daily visit to Red Dog we took a drive to Carson Valley and took a guided tour in Dangberg Mansion,

The house that stands here was built by a family that played an important role in the growth and shaping of Carson Valley, Nevada. Heinrich Friedrich Dangberg was only eighteen when he came to America in 1848. He came west in 1856, where he built a log cabin, cleared and irrigated his land claim, and married Margaret Ferris, the daughter of a noted American family. A self-made man, his hard work, foresight and leadership lead to prosperity and influence. The cabin grew into a house as he and Maggie raised five children, who inherited one of the largest ranches in western Nevada. In 1902, the family formed the Dangberg Land and Livestock Co. and over the next few decades the second generation expanded the family’s holdings to almost 50,000 acres supporting cattle and sheep production, along with vegetable crops and other products. In 1905, the family founded the town of Minden and there, in partnership with other ranchers, established several businesses focused on agriculture, banking and a hotel. Today, the Danglers Home Ranch Historic Park preserves this essential chapter in Nevada’s history

        

After the tour guide overloaded us with with the family history which I will never be able to repeat be moved on to Dayton a small “ghost” town once called China Town when Chinese lived and worked in the railroads, to day many houses are closed and a lot of “junk” is lying around but the place his own charm.

     

But even in this town we were surprised to find a bar/restaurant named Gold Canyon Restaurant & Coffee run by Martinez, a great guy that served us a huge Ice Cream with liquor that tasted fantastic,we have to come back for his specials –Hawaii  home made dish.

At 7:30 PM with a Tahoe Mule (Vodka/Ginger Beer/Lime and Ice)in our hands the cow girls entertained us in Red Dog with great cowboy music till 10PM.

It was another great day ,looking forward for tomorrow to meet the horses and kick off to new adventures.

Genoa Nevada

With my glass of coffee at 7AM the wild horses came to say “good morning “ and drink some water from the bucket that was waiting for them,it is a magical sight and became a routine,they even let me get closer and I liked it.

We packed a picnic basket and drove just an hour South to a small attractive Genoa town .

Historic Genoa, Nevada, is nestled at the base of the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada Range, just 25 minutes east of beautiful Lake Tahoe, and one hour south of Reno.

It is home to Mormon Station Memorial State Park which commemorates the settlement of Nevada in 1851, when the first permanent trading post was established by a group of Mormon traders from Salt Lake City.

Genoa’s natural beauty and historic charm still beckon travelers and local wildlife. It is not unusual to spot mule deer as they come down from the forested area on the west side of Genoa and cross local roads to graze on vegetation or fields along the Carson River Valley to the east of Genoa.

The small town of approximately 250 residents and many local amenities and shops, welcomes visitors for a day trip or longer restful stay.

The town being the first Nevada settlement has a museum with  2 floors proudly reviles some of the local history .

   

There are many hiking trails with different levels but most are winding up towards mountain peaks and better taken in cooler weather as there is no shade on the trails.

A French restaurant is run by a Belgium chef serving only from 5PM and it is quit a success what shows that maintaining good standards pays back.    

We spent the evening in Carson City attending Hot August Jazz Week and making the best of it, first we listened to Red Tango music by very talented musicians in down town that went on from 5:30PM for an hour.

and from 7PM till 10PM we had fun listening to Open Jazz Jam in Sassafras Eclectic Food Joint,it was a great performance , we danced and had a great time.

 

My Tahoe Blue that I had for the first time was exactly what I needed (Rod did the driving home) to complete this another fantastic day

 

There is no dole minute and we try to use the time we have in the best way possible,till now it works just fine.

Lake Tahoe

Usually I walk the campground early in the morning with my morning coffee,it is very quite ,clear air and I enjoy this peaceful time before people get up and start their day.

This morning I was surprised by a herd of mustangs (wild horses) that roamed the campground eating the grass and drinking water from the bucket placed under the tab,they seemed to be familiar with this routine and were not alarmed by my presents.

There was one stud and the rest were mares with 2 young horses,what a beautiful site it was,but only showing that they do not have enough to eat and drink out there.

After breakfast we all drove to Lake Tahoe and circled it completely making some stops along the way.

 

The place is a  natural gem ,with sun tanned people holding a dog or two and when meeting they introduce the dogs to each other or through tennis balls to the water for the dogs to bring back to shore only to through it again..it is a place where more boats are at docs than in the water and with many small sport cars than the place can take,it is also a place where just for parking a car at a view point to take a picture you have to pay 10$ and 45$-50$ for camping because it is a State Park, it is also a place where one gallon of diesel coasts 1$ MORE than in Nevada…but still a beautiful place,I have no complains ,no one pointed a gun to my head and forced me to go there….

          

Reno Nevada

A very beautiful windy road with sometimes steep grades down hill led us from Virginia City to Reno Nevada (I am happy I was doing it only with my truck leaving the 5W in the C.G in Virginia City).

The views along the road were just fantastic and we made an effort to stop and take some shots .

Most of the view points were on the left side of the road and it was not easy to get to the parking area with all the traffic on Sunday.

It is difficult to plan a long trip like ours (5 months) to hit every event along our path, we try but sometimes events happen before or after we left the place, so we take them as they come,Powwow,Car race,rodeo ,festival are always welcome,today it was an Old Car rally in down town Reno,after finding a parking place that was a task by itself we headed to the main street to see the cars going down the road.

This guy had a way to light fire at the back of his truck and look at his passenger, he does not look happy….

There is a new (for me) dress code in Reno , looks good and sure added to the colourful event.

It was a great event ,we saw more old cars than ever but  I was impressed with the work that the owners put into this toys and how proud they were showing it to the public,it only shows that if you do what you like than you are a happy person.

A jazz event was taking place in the city park in the Capitol Carson City ,the time and the events made us change our eventing plans and we got there on time to relax,have a beer and listen to great music,as I said we take it as it comes.

Great end to a great day ,good food ,good drinks,good music with good friends,what else a person needs ?? another good day to follow.