Slog Alpinismo: Virginia City, Nevada -- Then West Across the Sierra Crest

Monday, February 20, 2017

Virginia City, Nevada -- Then West Across the Sierra Crest

I traveled east on highway 36 from Eureka to Red Bluff, CA on Saturday February 18th; and then farther east to Susanville, where I jumped on highway 395 and headed south to Reno, NV. Just north of Reno, near the California/Nevada border (actually near Hallelujah Junction), I passed a tree that was full of shoes hanging from every branch. Apparently this is a celebrated monument, that many travelers, both local and from afar, stop to admire. I shot a few pictures of the tree and then continued south. I passed through Reno an hour later, and settled in for the night in Carson City, the capital of Nevada. I ate dinner at the St. Charles Hotel, which was built in 1862, and is the longest operating hotel in Nevada. After dinner I hiked past the state capital, and then called it a night.

Day number two, Sunday February 19th, I drove a short distance east down the loneliest highway in America, Route 50, and then turned north toward Virginia City. I had a fantastic view of the eastern wall of the Sierra Nevada Mountains as I entered Virginia City. This town, Virginia City, is an old gold and silver mining town perched 6000 feet above sea level. It epitomizes the American wild west, and was the home of a cast of characters ranging from Samuel Clemens, aka Mark Twain, to people by the name of Mackay and Hearst. In fact, Ulysses S. Grant gave a speech from the second story of a mansion in this town in 1879. I spent two hours during that Sunday morning walking through the town, photographing old buildings, desert vistas, and an occasional resident. One of my favorite pictures was of a young woman sweeping in front of her store, which she just opened for the day, I'm assuming, in anticipation of an spendy tourists.

By late morning, I was ready for food, so I headed west through Carson City, then north and west again, exiting the desert, and entering the high mountainous terrain of the Sierra Nevadas'. I quickly reached Lake Tahoe, and headed south to South Lake Tahoe. I ate lunch in a steak house that sat across the street from towering casinos (I'm assuming they all sat on the Nevada side of town). I don't know much about South Lake Tahoe, but I'd guess it is a playground for the rich and famous residents of the Bay Area, which is only a few hours west on I-80. Speaking of I-80, I jumped on the interstate near Donners Summit, and a snow squall immediately developed. Traffic stopped to a crawl as thousands of weekend skiers descended toward the Central Valley, on their way back to the 9 to 5 awaiting them on Monday. I eventually reached I-5 in Sacramento, and headed north through the Valley back toward Red Bluff. I admired how similar the Central Valley is to the Texas Panhandle between Amarillo and Lubbock.