Wednesday, Sept 4
We flew from Newark to Las Vegas. Since we did not have a movie to watch we were
really tired when we arrived.
We rented a car from Hertz and drove north on Route 15 to route 93 and then east
on route 93 to Caliente. We stayed in Caliente for 2 nights.
On the way to Caliente, we passed a development called Coyote Springs which is a
master-planned community which was begun in 2006, but no homes have been built as of 2017. A
golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus was begun in 2005 and opened in 2008.
We passed colorful bills after Coyote Springs.
Later that first day, we drove to see Cathedral Gorge State Park which is a
public recreation and geologic preserve featuring a dramatic landscape of eroded soft bentonite clay. It is
called “the badlands” and bears a resemblance to the Badlands of South Dakota.
Coyote Springs and Cathedral Gorge State Park
Thursday, Sept 5
This day we drove to the nearby Kershaw-Ryan State Park. We enjoyed ourselves
here as there was a huge
created garden with many plants, including an eight foot “black eyed susan” type
plant.
We also visited Echo Canyon State Recreation Area. This was a simple damned up
water hole.
On the way back, we stopped at Pioche, a town in which silver ore was discovered
in 1864. Remnants of
past buildings were still standing.
Kershaw-Ryan State Park and Pioche
Friday, Sept 6
Driving to Ely, the beginning of the Highway 50 route across the state, we
passed lovely mountains and
grasses. We decided not to try and drive all the way across Nevada on one trip,
but to stop midway.
The garden's primary purpose is to demonstrate gardening in the high desert
environment. It includes the
following areas:
Burke Garden - modeled upon an English country garden, with elm trees and
perennials in bloom from
early May through September, including iris, bleeding heart, delphinium,
foxglove, lupine, and campanula.
Dixie's Plaza Garden - contains perennials and annuals.
Honey's Garden - contains yellow and white flowering shrubs and roses, with
waterfall and pools.
Songbird Garden - contains aromatic flowers, seeds, and fruits, attracting many
native birds.
Evans Creek flows through the middle of the site. It originates from snowmelt
and springs on Peavine
Mountain, and flows onward to the Truckee River and then to Pyramid Lake.
We bought some souvenirs in Carson City and then drove to the northeast side of
Lake Tahoe. We saw Cave
Rock. The lake was really huge!! Saw some kayakers. The Cave Rock Tunnel is a
dual bore highway tunnel
on U.S. Route 50 (US 50) along the eastern shore of Lake Tahoe approximately
seven miles (11.4 km) north
of Stateline, in Douglas County, Nevada, United States. It passes through Cave
Rock, a volcanic stone
formation. To the Washoe Indian Tribe, Cave Rock is considered a sacred place
and the tribe has placed
restrictions on recreational activities in the vicinity of the tunnel
The tunnels carry U.S. Route 50 through Cave Rock, a mountain along the eastern
shore of Lake Tahoe.
There are numerous small caves adjacent to the south portal of both tunnels
which give the rock its name.
The tunnel is located between the towns of Zephyr Cove and Glenbrook along the
US 50 corridor. This
portion of US 50 is a National Scenic Byway, part of the Lake Tahoe - Eastshore
Drive. The westbound bore
is 153 feet (47 m) long and features exposed rock; the eastbound bore features a
concrete liner and is 410
feet (120 m) long.
The tunnel dates back to the Lincoln Highway. Originally the Lincoln Highway was
routed along a single
lane hanging bridge and rock wall built in 1863. Recognizing the inadequacy of
the single lane road, efforts
began to improve capacity on the primary road to Lake Tahoe. The first bore was
constructed in 1931, as part
of a reconstruction of a 3-mile (4.8 km) section of the Lincoln Highway.
Concerned about damaging Cave
Rock, the project managers employed key people from the recently completed
Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel in
what is now Zion National Park in Utah. The first traffic began flowing through
the bore in mid-September
of that year. Construction on the second bore began in 1957, when US 50 was
widened to four lanes, at a
cost of just over $450,000 (equivalent to $4 million today). Coincidentally,
both bores were constructed by
Utah-based construction companies.
The Cave Rock area is considered sacred by the Washoe tribe. The Washoe tribal
leaders were not consulted
about the construction of either bore, and were upset about the perceived
desecration of their tribal lands.
Within the last decade, the Washoe Tribe has had a larger influence on Cave Rock
and its historic
preservation. In 2007, the Federal Government ruled on a precedent-setting case
that has restricted activities
around the tunnel, such as rock climbing.
We continued up to Virginia City up in the mountains. This location has been set
up for tourists. The way
back down was quite scenic
I mentioned to the staff at Best Western that today was our 52nd anniversary and
did they know of a place
nearby we could walk to. They paid their limo to drive us to a nice nearby
restaurant called BJS Restaurant.
What a nice surprise!
Lake Tahoe and Drive Back from Virginia City
Wednesday, Sept 11 thru Friday, Sept 13