2S2G - Carson City, Nevada - Day 4, Monday, June 16

* 2S2G = Two Susans to Go *

The day dawned clear and cool as we hit the road at 7:30 a.m., gassed up the car, and headed from Tonopah, NV (home of the Stealth jet) to Carson City, Nevada.

Moon over Ramada Tonopah Station: casino and motel

Lobby of Tonopah Station

Cool light in the lobby.

Along the way we passed Walker Lake, north of Hawthorne, Nevada. I loved the lenticular clouds over the lake!

Lenticular clouds over Walker Lake, Hawthorne, NV

A little over three hours later, we signed in for our Volksmarch, then had lunch at Heidi's.

Train mural on Heidi's Restaurant, Carson City, NV

The weather was cool enough for us to put on jackets; quite a difference from the 100+ degree temperatures of the past two days. We had a howling wind for most of the walk.

As we walked, we followed part of the Kit Carson Trail and part of a history tour of Carson City. The historical tour was marked by a blue line along the sidewalks.

Loads of railroad history in Carson City

The Paul Laxalt State Building/Nevada Commission on Tourism

The grounds at the Nevada State Capital invite you to walk around.

Nevada Capital grounds

 Nevada is celebrating its sesquicentennial this year (a state for 150 years).

Nevada state capital, Carson City.

I found The Great Seal of the State of Nevada on the side of the Nevada State Legislature Building.

Nevada State Legislature Building

A cute home

Nevada's Governor's Mansion

Orion Clemens home. Orion's brother, Samuel Clemens,
later became known as Mark Twain.

Because of the output of the Comstock Lode coupled with the high cost of transportation of bullion to San Francisco, a mint was necessary in Carson City. Over the course of its operation from opening day to closing of coinage operations in 1893, coinage amounted to $49,274,434.30! The old mint building is now the Nevada State Museum.

The United States Mint, Carson City, 1870-1893

In addition to the railroad history, Comstock Lode history, and government history, Carson City was also on the Pony Express route. A plaque tells the story of the greatest of all Pony Express riders, "Pony" Bob Haslam.

With the walk over and a tight schedule to keep, we hopped in the car and headed up over the Sierra Nevada Range on U.S. 50. Susan M. had never been to Lake Tahoe so we did a drive by and continued through South Lake Tahoe to Stockton, California.

We were warmly greeted by my Aunt Genie who served us Pinot Grigio, pickled mushrooms, hummus and breadsticks. Kristin, my cousin, joined us when she left work for the day. All of us then headed over to a Thai Restaurant for dinner. After our meal, Kristin drove us to see two marinas on the San Joaquin River Delta, then back to Aunt Genie's house where we spent the night.

Kristin, me, Aunt Genie

Another long but satisfying day.

Travel Bug out.