Spontaneity

Wow, I had so much fun today. I left Reno about 1:00 after a Trader Joe’s run on my way to spend the afternoon at the hot springs in Genoa…but I never made it. On my way out of town I noticed a sign to Virginia City, took a quick look at the map and decided I could divert through there without going too much out of my way. Whew, I had no idea what I was in for.

I’ve never been afraid of heights but I don’t think I can say that anymore. I don’t know if it’s age or just that road, but the 30 MPH speed limit seemed way too fast for me. Thankfully, there were many turnouts on the curvy road up the mountains because the views overlooking Reno were stupendous. I was afraid to take my eyes off the road, but I had to pull over and look a few times. I have really been wishing I had a camera on this trip.

Virginia City was really cool and I ended up staying over 3 hours—browsed some museums, did a little shopping, enjoyed some ice cream as it was quite warm today and spent quite a while in a wonderful old Mark Twain book store. I even stopped in at the Red Dog Saloon—haha, how could I pass that up?! No drinks for this girl on a driving day, though. It looks like it would be fun for an overnighter some time, with a tour of the gold mine the following day. The closest I got on a Sunday was to look at some old Morgan silver dollars and a few huge (5# plus) gold nuggets.

The trip down the other side was not quite as thrilling (almost!), but just as beautiful. It’s interesting to see some of the old remnants of gold mining and railroad equipment along the way. It’s high country but desolate. I would love to come back with Jayson but definitely not during the winter. Those roads are bad enough to drive when it’s dry; I’d never want to try it with chains.

I really enjoyed Reno, too. There’s a lot to do there. I walked 'til I blistered all day Saturday, a lovely walk up the Truckee River. Next time I want to try those one-person kayaks I saw floating down the river all day—looked very fun. As usual, I made friends with the dealers at the craps table and they told me about a bunch of great hiking trails just outside the city. I will look forward to that ‘next time.’

It’s also been nice not to touch the computer for a few days. I decided to pretend that my investments are throwing off enough passive income that I never need to work again and that definitely made me feel differently as I walked about town, lol. I think I’ll always enjoy working at something, but I discovered it sure feels good to remove the pressure. I will have to work on that some more! Haha

I haven’t been to Lake Tahoe for many years, decades perhaps, but my mom says it is the first place I hiked with my dad…when I was three years old. He definitely got me started off right and I have enjoyed walking and hiking my whole life. I didn’t have a picture of how big the lake is; it amazed me as I crested the mountain coming over Hwy 50 just before sunset. Another lost photo moment! At least I will always have the pictures in my memory (at least I hope so, if this Alzheimers doesn’t get any worse! haha)

Well, it’s time for this tired girl to turn in. I hope to take a little walk around the lake tomorrow and then head home with a one-night stopover somewhere along the way. Then I will try to integrate a little of the ‘road warrior mindset’ into my normal life…and see if I can make it a little less normal. Thanks for coming along in spirit.

Until next time…Teaser