We had a few days of lovely, sunny, warm weather. And then....
UGH. STOP IT ALREADY!
The snow didn't last long. It melts quickly in the spring when the sun comes out (a small miracle that I am extremely grateful for). Despite the quick melt, the temps stayed cool. As I write this, there is more snow in the forecast for the upcoming week. At this rate, we will definitely have snow on the mountains through the summer.
Anyway, with stormy weather comes WIND. The windstorms out here can be pretty intense and they are notorious for kicking up decomposed granite and blasting your car. A few summers ago my windshield was SO bad. It was nearly impossible to see through if you were facing into the sun. So, I got a new windshield and it happened AGAIN after just a few weeks. Long story short, I drove it like that for a long time and finally decided enough was enough... so last week I got my third windshield in 5 years.
Well, wouldn't you know it, the wind kicked up the very next day. So, to avoid the potential ruining of my brand new windshield, I took the long way home. Luckily it's scenic and flows right by the Carson river so I took a few little detours.. made some stops.. and snapped some pictures.
CUTE LITTLE BRIDGE OVER THE CREEK. SIGN SAYS "TRAIL TO TOWN."
THE CREEK LOOKS LIKE A RIVER.
THE CARSON RIVER.
NATURE.
RAGING RIVER.
A LITTLE FURTHER UPSTREAM. IT'S SO CALM AND PEACEFUL. I WILL TAKE A SMALL HOME RIGHT OVER THERE IN THAT MEADOW. PLEASE AND THANK YOU.
HOPE VALLEY.
It was a beautiful drive that I have wanted to do for several weeks now (mainly to see the river so full). And I saved my brand new windshield.
Later that night we went to a new local brewery to listen to a friend's band play. We like it because a) they have good beer; b) they're local; and c) because they allow dogs inside!!!
ZEPHYR 4.5 MONTHS OLD SUMMIT 2.5 YEARS OLD SAME SIZE
Saturday Mike and I decided to drive to Virginia City.
Zephyr got to go to! He's really figuring out that he likes car rides.
RANDOM PICTURE BUT THEY WERE SHOOTING A PORSCHE COMMERCIAL ON KINGSBURY GRADE....
SO APPARENTLY THE ROAD I DRIVE EVERY DAY TO WORK IS COOL ENOUGH FOR A PORSCHE COMMERCIAL.
2 BOYS READY FOR ADVENTURE.
It was an excellent day to walk around Virginia City. It was cool but not cold. It was nice and sunny. Perfect weather. And surprisingly, Virginia City is really awesome!
PAINTED BUILDING IN VIRGINIA CITY
First of all... the architecture! WOW! It was impressive and intricate. There was a lot of stained glass and decorative moldings. It felt like stepping back in time.
LOVE THESE WINDOWS!
In the fall, they have camel races. Yeah, we are gonna need to come back and witness that. But, until then... we'll just have this picture:
ZEPHYR! OPEN YOUR EYES! YOU'RE DRIVING THE CAMEL!
COMPLETE STRANGER WHO WANTED A PIC WITH OUR DOG.
FIREMAN'S MUSEUM
ARE YOU NOTICING THE DATES ON THESE BUILDINGS??? 1800's!!!!
THIS AREA IS KNOWN FOR THE COMSTOCK LODE. TONS OF MINES. THEY STRUCK GOLD AND SILVER IN THE 1800's AND THAT PUT VIRGINIA CITY ON THE MAP!
Random fact: Did you know that San Francisco was built with money from silver mining in Virginia City?
And at one point, Virginia City was the biggest city between Denver and San Francisco!
Y'all, I'm not lying when I say that Virginia City feels like it's in the middle of NOWHERE! Can you imagine traveling between cities at that time?
FOURTH WARD SCHOOL
There is so much history here. It's really neat. I can't imagine what a bustling town this once was.
THIS WAS A PRIVATE RESIDENCE! SO BEAUTIFUL!
MACKAY MANSION (WHICH IS HAUNTED ACCORDING TO JOHNNY DEPP WHO STAYED THERE WHILE FILMING A MOVIE).
MR. MACKAY WAS ONE OF THE "SILVER KINGS" WHO MADE MILLIONS ON THE COMSTOCK LODE. TONS OF STUFF AROUND RENO IS NAMED AFTER MACKAY.
AND A MINE IN THE FAR RIGHT OF THE PICTURE.
ZEPHYR WITH "ZEPHA'S COVE" SIGN.
WE HAD TO STOP A LOT SO PEOPLE COULD PET HIS ADORABLE LITTLE SELF.
THE VIRGINIA TRUCKEE RAILROAD CARRIED TONS OF SILVER
BUCKET OF BLOOD SALOON
LOTS OF BONANZA STUFF 'ROUND THESE PARTS. THIS IS THE PONDEROSA AFTER ALL.
SOME INFO ABOUT THE COMSTOCK LODE.
MINING HISTORY EVERYWHERE!
"THAR'S GOLD IN THEM THAR HILLS."
After we had our fill of mining, saloons, "red-lights" and western wear, we made a quick stop at the hardware store to pick up a few sheets of plywood for a project in the basement... then we headed for home (via the scenic route).
MT. ROSE HIGHWAY STILL HAS VERY LARGE SNOWBANKS.... CONSIDERING IT'S MID MAY!
THERE IS A VISITOR'S AREA AND RESTROOMS UNDER ALL THAT SNOW.
I didn't get up to Mt. Rose this winter to take pictures of the snow banks but I heard they were MASSIVE walls of snow on either side of the road. Considering how much snow is left in May, I believe it. It was an epic winter for sure.
Puppy on the ride home:
SO SLEEPY.
HE WOKE UP TO THE SOUND OF THE CAMERA ON MY PHONE. THIS IS THE FACE I GOT. HE PROMPTLY WENT RIGHT BACK TO SLEEP.
And that brings us to today: Mother's Day! Since I'm a mom to a fur-baby, Mike let me sleep in this morning. He's the best. And then we went for a quick mountain bike ride before the next round of snow comes in (which is starting to fall as I type this).
To both of our mother's: we love you both so much. We can't thank you enough for your unconditional love and support. Enjoy your day! You deserve it!
