Highway 4 to Yosemite

This portion of the road actually had a centerline!

I guess our first clue should have been the sign that stated " Not recommended for vehicles over 24 feet"  The 5th wheel alone is 30 feet long. Our second clue should have been the sign that stated "Steep,curves,narrow road".    Highway 4, (and I use the term "highway" loosely) over Ebbetts Pass..elevation 8700 plus feet...is a narrow,twisty,steep road. In most portions there is no centerline and several hairpin turns. Jack compared it to driving on a golf cart path. We did ask a construction worker at the beginning of the road whether or not it was okay for RV's...his response "Sure we take semi's over it all the time."  While Jack drove I scanned the road  ahead  for oncoming traffic so we could edge over to the right as far as possible. It was very scenic with waterfalls and beautiful vistas but there was really no place to ever pull over to enjoy the views.

We made it to the Yosemite Lakes RV park in the afternoon and this place is very very remote! It is 4 miles from the entrance to the park...but there is no cell phone service and wifi only at the lodge.  The nearest town is 18 miles away.The packet we got upon check in was down right scary....several pages warning of bears,cougars,snakes and one warning" do not tease the snakes"  uh okay!!! Not a problem.

Today we'll go into the park. A chilly night...30 degrees but the sun is out now and it looks like it will be a nice day.

Leaving Reno

We checked out of our wonderful suite in Reno this morning and we're back at the RV in Minden for another night ...then off to Yosemite. I'm not sure we'll have cell service or wifi at the park in Yosemite.

We woke up to clouds and partial sun coming in the huge windows on our 17th floor suite. It is much cooler today.... 65 and very windy. Doing the usual chores such as laundry,flushing the tanks and packing up today.

El Dorado...El Diablo...What's the Diff??? Nada

Huge Jacuzzi Tub

El Dorado Reno NV We are in the tower on the 17th floor

We started out in a Deluxe room which was beautiful in itself and then I swiped my players card in one of their promo kiosks and we got upgraded to a suite like we had last year. You are allowed to swipe your card every two hours. On my second swipe I got a free banana creme pie (gave it to Jack)...third swipe got me 20% of at the gift store. So I guess we DID win something. We have a beautiful view over the hills of Reno. I'm filling up the jacuzzi tub getting ready for a soak. Tomorrow back to Minden and the 5th wheel..

El Dorado Tomorrow!

Madison's First Day of Kindergarten

Going to spend a couple nights at the El Dorado tomorrow..woo hoo!! Bathtub...King size bed....!!!!

Museums and Graveyards

Very old cemetery with wooden headstone in Dayton NV

Old Jail circa mid 1800's in Genoa NV (No that's not Jack in the bed)

Visited Genoa (pronounced Juh no uh) and Dayton today. Both claim to be the first and oldest settlement in Nevada. Genoa was originally called Mormon Station and after the Mormons moved on an Italian immigrant settled there and renamed it Genoa. Genoa has a great museum with a jail cell,courtroom,blacksmith, and several displays of mid 1800 type kitchens and parlors. It was a very well done museum and one of the most interesting I have seen.

On to Dayton where the states oldest cemetery stands on a hill outside of town  in the sagebrush. The picture of the grave above shows an old wooden headstone surrounded by a rickety wooden fence. There were many young people buried here....some just babies and teens. Some of the plots date back to  the1850's and 1860's.

I have always been interested in the pioneer movement westward  in the 1800's.  I've read a fair number of books describing the migration. Between 1841 and 1869 over 250,000 emigrants headed west from Missouri to California. The main route was through Nevada on the California Trail. Interstate 80 runs over a good portion of the original trail but in some spots you can still see the ruts from the "prairie schooners" (covered wagons). The trail was rough and the wagons had wooden wheels...no shock absorbers.. Sometimes the emigrants ran out of food and water, got sick, left valuables behind on the trail to lighten the loads etc. It must have been a gruelling trip and I'm surprised anyone survived it. Someday I would like to retrace one of the Overland trails....either the California or Oregon Trail from Independence Missouri to the Pacific in the comfort of an airconditioned vehicle of course!

Virginia City NV

Silver Queen Casino and dress made out of  3,261 silver dollars

A mansion in Virginia City. Not much else outside of town.

I hate to think how this saloon got it's name

Jack catching  a peep show in Virginia City NV

Driove up to Virginia City today. Virginia City is one of the oldest established communities in Nevada. Like many cities and towns in the state, Virginia City was a mining boomtown; in fact it is one of the most famous boomtowns in the Old West, as it virtually appeared overnight as a result of the Comstock Lode silver strike of 1859.
During its peak, Virginia City had a population of over 10,000 residents and was called the richest city in America. During the 20 years following the Comstock success "about $400 million was taken out of the ground".

When the Comstock Lode ended in 1898, the city's population declined sharply.

The mining operations were hindered due to the extreme temperatures in the mines caused by natural hot springs. The miners would snowshoe to work and then descend into the high temperatures. This contributed to the low life expectency. We wondered how they even decided to mine here as it is so high up in the mountains and remote. Life must have been hell for those that didnt strike it rich.


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Minden Nevada

We left Red Bluff around 6:30 AM this morning to beat the heat and made it to Minden (about 35 miles from Reno) around 10:30. Got a great spot in the RV park with a shade tree overhead....very welcome in the 85 degree heat today. The RV park is neat and clean and about 150 yards from the Carson Valley Inn and Casino  http://www.carsonvalleyinn.com/

Lunch at the casino...free..because it took forever and Jack told the waitress his fries were cold. We started out pretty cold on the slots until we found our "lucky" seats and by 6PM tonight we were winning some cash.

Tomorrow we may head to Virginia City and do some sightseeing.

Madison started her first day of Kindergarten today. I can't believe how fast time flies. She called me after school and said it was lots of fun and she had two recesses and lunch in the cafeteria!

Katie said the homework packet states" kids learn by scribbling". Her response was scribbling my a** Madison can already write and do math. They'll give it a couple months and if she is not challenged enough consider bumping her to first grade. Madison obviously gets her brains from G-Ma Kathy..haha