On the way, from Vegas towards Reno area, we saw lots of dessert.
Dirt devils.
Mountains. And even snow!
We stayed in Carson City just south of Reno. It’s a small, older city. Quiet. People also smile at you, I kept feeling like there was something wrong with my hair!, but I had forgotten that there are places where people are just friendlier. The town has a small cute historical main street area with the typical shops, restaurants, brewery and coffee shop. Old World Coffee roasters were pretty good. They have some neat specialty drinks and a variety of house made syrups.
Carson City is only a half hr drive to Lake Tahoe. As you drive up the mountain you leave the dessert behind and enter the forest, surrounding Lake Tahoe. It’s wonderful. We thoroughly enjoyed the greenery after being in the dessert over the winter months.
The temperature drops significantly at the higher elevation and the water in the lake is cold but, on a hot dessert day it’s a perfect escape. Lake Tahoe is as deep as the Empire State Building is high, making it the second deepest lake in North America after Crater Lake in Oregon.
The south of the lake has more amenities and is busier. Note, the town, south and north, and lake are on the state line with California. The north side is much smaller, has that small mountain town feel and slower pace. People really talk with you if you have questions and get on to sharing about their life’s experiences. I love that. We enjoyed a coffee shop there called, Drink Coffee Do Stuff and an ice cream shop with neat flavors like toffee coffee called, Susie Scoops. There were also a good handful of decent restaurants there too.
We really enjoyed Sandy Point Park which is worth a $15 parking fee. They recommend making a reservation during morning hrs. There is a great boardwalk and various little bays for swimming. One day there was enough wind on the lake the waves came in like at the ocean.
Just east of Carson City, in the dessert, is Virginia City, and as you drive in you’ll feel as though you’ve stepped into the wild west. It feels very isolated and remote and has a real western town, about four blocks, that still has businesses, mostly for tourism; gift shops, casino saloons, a few little museums, and people living in the old houses there. It was worth a look at but feels like a very old tourist spot. There are also other features like a train ride and a tour of an old coal mine. I think I remember seeing something about a ghost tour too? Anyways, you could spend a full afternoon there. Go to the visitor center for discounts.
It’s really pretty driving from Carson City to Reno because it goes along a valley that has farms and a wetland area. The city of Reno sits on the rolling hills, off the western mountains. There are lots of trees and as we head north, we’re back into the dessert again.
Nevada is also known for turquoise. We actually saw white turquoise at a jeweler shop in Virginia City. You can dig for turquoise in the northern part of the state at a couple mines but it’s not cheap. For serious diggers looking to sell their treasures. Rrrr matey.
Leave a Reply