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Published: June 24th 2014
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California
Eldorado National Forest FIRST PAGE
California and Nevada
Thursday 19th June 2014 We left home at 7am and arrived in San Francisco via Heathrow at 5pm local time after a ten and a half hour flight. Even though we had the luxury of seats with extra leg-room it was still about 3hours too long but this could have been due to us both suffering from bad colds. We took the shuttle bus to our airport hotel for the night and managed to get some sleep although the 8 hour time difference does take a little bit of getting used to.
Friday 20th June The last day of spring! We take the shuttle bus back to the airport to pick up our Chevrolet Impala, George's car of choice when we are here, then we are on our way across the Oakland Bridge and out of San Francisco heading for South Lake Tahoe. We drive past acres of peach trees and grape vines it is a very hot day and the temperature reaches 95f but as we climb to 8000 feet the temperature drops sharply to around 68f.
It is a picturesque drive
through the Eldorado National Forest the scenery is stunning and we stop to take some pictures at a place called Peddlers Overlook. It is very hot again when we finally arrive at our motel The Big Pines Mountain House. South Lake Tahoe is right on the state line and we know when we are out of California and into Nevada as this is where the casinos begin. We have a walk around to find somewhere to eat and pop into one or two casinos, The Yardbirds are on in one of them and tomorrow Three Dog Night are playing in another. There is a lot happening in both states; we decide to eat at Applebees which is just near our hotel and I have my first Margarita of the trip.
Saturday 21st June The first day of summer! It is quite big thing here.
Today we have decided to visit the State Historic Park of Bodie. Now a ghost town but in the 1880s the population rose to around 10,000 when a huge gold strike was discovered at Virginia City. What remains of Bodie stands just as time, fire and the elements have left it,
The State Historic Park of Bodie
A genuine California gold-mining ghost town a genuine California gold mining ghost town maintained in a state of arrested decay. It was designated a State Historic Park in 1962 and very interesting it is too. Well worth the journey although driving through the Sierra Nevada, the elevation of around 8000 feet takes its toll on us both and we keep finding it difficult to breathe. We enjoy a picnic lunch and although today is not as hot as yesterday it is very pleasant. Everyone from the guy at the gas station to the Guatemalan waiter keeps asking George if he knows England is out of the World Cup - he keeps feigning ignorance!
Tonight we eat at one of the casinos, an all you can eat buffet for $12.95. and it was very good.
Sunday 22nd June We leave The Big Pines Mountain House and drive around Lake Tahoe which is one of the prettiest lakes in North America, the water is very clear and very blue, we spend some time watching a woodpecker and her chick high up in a tree. Onwards to Carson City which is the State Capital of Nevada, we walk around the historic quarter of the
Lake Tahoe Nevada
The state line between California and Nevada runs through the middle of the lake. city it is very quiet with hardly anyone around, everyone must be either in church or in the casino. Back on the road towards Virginia City we stop at a 'scenic overlook' to have a picnic lunch with the temperature hitting 90f. We climb up to a viewing point with a 360 degree panorama, we were just enjoying the peace and tranquility along with our modest lunch of fruit when a coachload of tourists arrived to join us, more people than we had seen in the whole of Carson City.
Next stop is Virginia City, home of Bonanza for those of us with long memories, a designated National Historic Landmark. It is similar to Deadwood in South Dakota and Tombstone in Arizona, (both of which we have visited). Lots of cowboys walking around carrying guns and we feel as if we are in a western movie. We have a drink in one of the towns many saloons; in its heyday during the Gold Rush this was one of the wealthiest Wild West towns there ever was. A gold mine tour was on offer but we declined.
We reach Reno this afternoon and check into our hotel,
George watches the last half of the World Cup game between Portugal and USA while I have a swim. We go downtown to eat and we have a delicious meal in one of the many casinos. It is very warm walking around and as we are walking up the main street to take a look at Circus Circus we see a man abseiling down the front of a tall building, there does seem to be a lot of strange people about. Reno has a nickname "The Biggest Little City in the World" but whatever they call this city it is not Las Vegas, where we have been twice.
Tomorrow we are heading north to Oregon.
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Bruce
non-member comment
Bonanza
Rosemary, I have had the Bonanza theme going through my head all day-your fault! Looks like you are having a good time. Enjoy. Bruce and Penny