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Published: November 26th 2007
Thanksgiving vacation found us in Western Nevada. Why? There was nowhere else we could go. We'd pretty much covered every place we knew. But like anything unexpected, it turned out to be a great trip.😊
So, here goes the details.
22nd - 24th November 2007 Having ditched off all rental car plans, we had to run our
speed machine 😊 for a quick service.
Thursday, Nov 22nd 2007 Plans to start at 6:00am got delayed by an hour. Finally, we called it "ALL PACKED" & headed N. 7 mi on hwy 237, 3 mi on hwy 880 & a lot more on I 680 later, we stopped for our breakfast in a rest area on I80 near Truckee.
A bowl of soup & some stretching later, we were off towards Reno.
It was hard not to notice the desert feel after we crossed the Tahoe area. Fortunately, Reno was not too far from CA border. Absolutely no snow on the Sierra Nevada Mountains. It made me feel sad & worried. I don't think CA is ready for the drought.
Anyways, once in Reno, Ganesh got all excited. He made plans to visit practically every casino. But
first things first: LUNCH!
Lemon Rice, aloo, curd rice & Sundal with chips made us call it lunch.
We had stopped by the river area. It was sunny & cold. It was hard to believe that the trickle Truckee river is so wide here. Lots of water. Wonder from where😞
Reno is at an elevation of 4500 odd ft. It certainly has the desert feel to it. The downtown is only a couple of blocks & can be easily covered on foot.
Wikipedia on Reno We geared up for the cold walk along the river area. A couple blocks further, we came to an ice rink. It was interesting to see people skate on ice in that cold weather. Kids getting up as soon as they fell, people criss-crossing others, it was total fun!
Before we realized the Sun was going down & had to come back only to get going onto the casinos.
Circus Circus gives you free parking & that was where we headed. Even better, it is connected internally to Silver Legacy & El Dorado. No need to walk in the cold outside. After watching a show there, we had to get out for some night photography.
Pyramid Lake
Warrior point beachIt was
freezing!
But a man got to do what a man got to do! So, braving the cold, we did end up taking some shots. We were happy.
Ganesh wanted to gamble in Hilton-supposed to be the largest casino in the area, but we could not find it. Rather, we had a different address to it. So, Peppermill casino was Ganesh's gambling spot. Me, not much of a gambler, so preferred to stay out. The smoke was proving too much for me.
It is not apt to compare Reno to Vegas. But I liked Reno. This biggest little city has some character on the outside.
The major casinos are: Circus Circus, Silver Legacy, El Dorado, Peppermill, Atlantis, Hilton, Harrah's & Sienna.
We are not mainstream gamblers & so preferred to stay out of the downtown for the night. Picked Extended America a couple miles S on 395. After getting some life(read DINNER) Ganesh turned on the TV. A comfortable stay. Peaceful sleep.
Friday, 23rd November Sudden plans to head N to
Pyramid Lake Complete desert drive & it was total fun - the desert cold. Pyramid Lake is at an elevation of 4000 odd ft &
it showed. The moonstone guide calls it "largest freshwater lake in the nation" while it is actually a saline lake. hmm...
Truckee River feeds the lake from the south & there is no outlet, other than evaporation. There is a $7 fee to park anywhere in the line of beaches. Pyramid Lake is on native Indian land & there is no public service except one small general store that allows you into their restroom only if you are a customer.
After a quick brunch, we had to head back S to
Virginia City. Getting to Virginia city was a feet unto itself. Climbing some 3000 ft in just a couple of miles. You just drive & drive & then all of a sudden around that last hairpin bend you see the whole city in a flash. All of the city is pretty much on the main C street.
It was once the largest town between Denver & San Francisco.
At the first sight, we did think we did not have enough time to see this place. But, in a 10 minute walk, you cover most of the downtown. There is a visitor center that is informative.
The main attractions are:
The
Virginia City & Truckee railroad (currently a narrated 35 minute ride that goes up to Gold Hill- displaying all the old gold & silver mines on the way).
Ponderosa Pines underground mine tour(a 25 minute guided tour that takes you into an un-operated underground mine). At one point they turn off the lights & you get to see how those people worked in the dark under those conditions. If I have not mentioned earlier, Nevada is a mini Yellowstone. They have major geothermal activity underneath. All the mines were filled with unfriendly gases & in most cases, they were pumped out in olden days. You will have to take the tour to know about the Comstock days. Absolutely crazy & scary.
A review Virginia city claims of more prevalent gold in the area & the tour guide seconded the fact that he finds gold every time he goes panning. Prospectors listening? ahem.
It is pretty hard to believe how a 1 street town could host 30,000 people 150 years ago.
There is also an Opera House that is currently closed.
All the old mansions are privately owned, so touring one of those is out of question too. But you can smell the
old air in the downtown. The old buildings, the beer saloons, etc. And yeah, if you plan to go there, most places do not accept credit cards. You are better off with cash/checks.
It got below freezing after sunset & it took a while to thaw my extremities indoors.
A quick 30 minute drive takes you down the mountains to the state capital, Carson City. I remember Carson city as being vibrant. It remains so till date. I could not help wonder, "what the hell is wrong with the weather?" 28F!!!
Saturday, 24th November Wonder continues. Weather outside at 9:00am read 10F😱. "I so wanna go home" raged the mind. Any tiny amt of water freezes in the car. I could not help notice the windshield liquid in a shell gas station freeze. People had to scrape off the ice before they could use it. ugh!
We took a different route into CA; NV88 via Carson Pass. As we neared CA, I could see the temperature rise to 50F even in the hills(8000 ft). What a relief!
It was an interesting drive. All the streams in NV stayed frozen. Our next destination was Lodi, CA.
Target:
Sandhill Cranes.
Pretty impressive information, I would say.
Avid birdwatchers would know this buy now. So, for the novice, check the
annual sandhill crane festival.
We stopped by the downtown to pick up any available info. Alas, being a weekend, the chamber of commerce was closed.
But the downtown is such a beauty. We ended up buying some chocolates in Rocky Mountain Chocolate factory.None so good, though!
But Ganesh had the Woodbridge Road location stored in a GPS. So, we were heading into Isenberg Crane Reserve. But we did spot a lot of cranes even before we entered the Reserve. Apparently, they are very sensitive birds & you will have to shoot(photographic terms) them from a distance or try to hide your presence successfully. Else, they fly away. We spent more than an hour photographing & the sunset was pretty amazing. With a fulfilled heart, we were ready for the 100 odd miles drive home.
Home seemed colder too😞 A good nights' sleep later, we still felt the cold.
If we don't see some rain soon, I'm sure the cold is here to stay.
The end of one is the start of another.
-travelbuffs
The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.
~St. Augustine
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Thilak
non-member comment
Covered places u knew? Heehee.. thats why you should come down to places you *dont* know! :-)