Thursday, May 28, 2015

A Good Week


Please excuse the layout of this post since I'm writing it directly to Blogger. Windows Live Writer is down and it seems impossible to get text and photos where I want them with Blogger.

In spite of six straight days of rain we really enjoyed our stay at Washoe Lake State Park. It was barely half full over the holiday weekend and blissfully quiet. We had great next door neighbors, Terry and LuAnn, who braved the dark clouds and threats of rain to join us on several walks in the park and up the surrounding hills, and drank our beer;-)



We got rained on every hike except one, the worst being one last hike after Terry and LuAnn left, where we were caught in the middle of a thunderstorm about a mile from home. Jim has threatened to never hike again when storms are predicted. We’ll see how that goes!





A few more photos from our treks around Washoe Lake.
LuAnn, Terry and Jim, checking out the lake. In spite of all the rain it was still mostly dry. We would love to return here one day when it’s full.













There are miles of trails and dirt roads to explore.




Not sure whose well-maintained grave this is along the Deadman’s Creek trail.



 There is a nearby hang glider launch and landing pad right in the park.


One day we did some shopping in Reno, where you will find just about every store known to man. Another day we visited Carson City to wander the streets of the historic downtown and check out the state capitol building. The second floor has a historical museum, and we were surprised to be able to walk right in the building without being checked by security or passing through a metal detector.




We really liked Carson City and the surrounding area and think this might be a nice place to live. One of these days we’d like to come back and spend more time. It’s small enough that it’s easy to get around, there isn’t much traffic, it has a Trader Joe’s and Costco and nearby Reno has everything else if you need it, and is close to the Sierra Nevada mountains and Lake Tahoe to escape the summer heat. Also Nevada has no state income tax. Lots of plusses, although the winters get pretty cold.

Since we reached our seven day limit at Washoe Lake SP, yesterday we moved east along Nevada Hwy 50 working our way to Great Basin National Park. Hector and Brenda posted a great write-up and photos from their drive a few weeks ago but if anyone has ideas of places to stay or things we shouldn’t miss along the Loneliest Road, please leave a comment.

14 comments:

  1. Oh, Great Basin… we rode our mtn bikes to the top from the lower camp ground. No pressure… :)
    Box Canyon Mark

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  2. We really like Carson City too, it is on our short list of places to live. There really are quite a lot of places to hike right in or near town.

    If you drive hwy 50 try to get a copy of the audio CD. It has excellent stories about the history and other sites to see along the road as you drive. The CD may be available at the local visitor center. It is really well done.

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    1. Unfortunately it rained so much while we were there we didn't get to do any trails other than around Washoe Lake but it looked like a great area for hiking.
      We will keep an eye out for the CD, thanks!

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  3. I think your photos are as beautiful as ever, despite your Googlie goblins. Fun to see the Stout Drinkers unite once again...

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  4. Your photo of the Evening Primrose is so pretty. We saw several nice ones in Colorado NM because a few times it was so grey and chilly, theu thought it was still night:)

    How sad to see the lake dry. It was so beautiful when full. It's great that you were able to enjoy time with Terry and LuAnn. Great photos of the area!

    I tried to find out whose grave that was. Seems the town there is also trying to find out and ask if anyone knew to let them know. Sure is a nice area with a bench.

    We had a wonderful time in Great Basin NP. The hiking is amazing and so difficult because all the hike begin at 9,000 ft and go up from there. But there is one hike you must do and it is to the Bristlecone trees. I've seen other bristlecones before but none like the tree here. They are the most gorgeous trees we've ever seen. Here is the link to our blog post:

    https://ohtheplacestheygo.wordpress.com/2014/10/08/bristlecone-glacier-hike/

    If you want a huge challenge, then read this post on Wheeler Peak hike:

    https://ohtheplacestheygo.wordpress.com/2014/10/07/hiking-in-great-basin-np/

    The Lexington Arch Trail was an awesome hike and the arch is beautiful. But when we were there we were able to get back only with four wheel drive. The trailhead and parking lot plus a lot of the road weree washed away. Maybe they have improved the road back. Here is our link to this neat hike:

    https://ohtheplacestheygo.wordpress.com/2014/10/08/the-lexington-arch-trail/

    Happy travels!

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    1. Thanks, Pam, I had reread your posts just a few days ago. I have a feeling we won't be going to Wheeler Peak! The road just opened to the Bristlecone trail, so maybe there won't be too much snow left. I have a feeling it would be better to go in the fall like you did. There is a full moon hike on Tuesday I'm hoping we can get tickets for. It's limited to 40 people and the woman I spoke with on the phone said it's very popular and we should be there at 8am to get tickets. Hope we can find a site in the park that we can fit into.

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    2. Hope you get tickets!! It sure is a dark place at night. Good luck with the campground! It isn't getting a spot that is as bad as finding one that is close to level. We stayed at a private park but we did go check out the campgrounds. The nicest campground in the park is one that is at the highest elevation and it probably isn't open yet. But the sites up there are newer and nicely paved. It is a great campground for shorter units. Can't wait to see how your visit goes. The Bristlecone Forest would be worth a little snow:)

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  5. That is such an eerily beautiful place. We're' going to Carson City next month and looking forward to seeing that area. There's something about that valley that keeps it on the list of places we could live as well.

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  6. You didn't do badly at all with your post.

    Love the cloud photos. We have never been to the Great Basin. Looking forward to your adventures.

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  7. All that rain sure brought gorgeous skies. Interesting how we look at different towns for the potential of settling down, at least for a little while.

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  8. Good thing you weren't hiking with metal hiking sticks. Re Mark's comment, how about biking from the top down?

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  9. If you get serious about living in CC, and care for any info, let me know. Lived in Reno for 8 years and CC for 16. While I am on the other side of the mts, still have ties to the area. It really is not that cold.

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  10. So glad to be able to spend more time with the two of you. And as for drinking your beer, as I recall you did not seem much interested in ours (lol)! Now that you have turned us on to Total Wine and given us recommendations, you might just like our choice of beer in the future. Looking forward to hearing more about Great Basin NP.

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