Fallon & Middlegate Station, NV (5/20/2020)

After a week in Carson City, I wanted to re-visit Mono Lake in CA, but there were no open RV parks in that area.  Instead, I headed for central NV to check out rock art sites, taking a longer route than required in order to stop at Grimes Point Archeological Site near Fallon.  At this place, boulders scattered over a hillside contain some very old petroglyphs, perhaps as much as 8000 years old.  My route started on U.S. 50, known as "the loneliest road in America".

The basalt boulders, covered with "desert varnish", made a decent surface for pecking or carving figures.  You'll notice that some figures are so old that they have been re-covered, making them difficult to see.  Overall, the figures here are unlike most rock art I've seen, having little of the more common animal and human drawings.  Here are a few examples:

Mother Nature had some impressive art on display, too, mostly in the form of colorful lichens, which can sometimes be as much as 2000 years old.

Nearby are some caves, including one with rock art called Hidden Cave.  Unfortunately, this cave can be visited only by guided tour, offered just two days each month.  This was not one of the designated tour days.

Many people think of Nevada as a large, flat desert with Las Vegas at one end and Reno at the other.  In reality, depending on how one defines "mountainous",  Nevada has a valid claim for the title of "most mountainous" state.  Alaska has the most mountains and the highest mountains, Colorado has the most "fourteeners" and the highest mean elevation, while West Virginia has the highest percentage of mountainous land.  However, Nevada has the highest number of mountain ranges with more than 320 named ranges.  Nevada also has the largest number of mountains at 10,000 feet elevation or above.

Driving the interior of Nevada, it's easy to see the large number of mountain ranges, many of then snow covered still on May 20th, due to their high elevation.

 I was a little surprised to see large sand dunes near Highway 50 at a place called Sand Mountain Recreation Area.  You may not be able to see them, but a large number of vehicles were parked at the foot of the dunes while the owners played with their dune buggies and other OHVs.  As many as 70,000 visitors each year come to play on these dunes, which are up to 600 feet high.  In addition to vehicles, sand sailing and sand boarding have become popular activities here.

Eventually, I turned off the "loneliest road" at a place called Middlegate Station.  In the 1860s, there was a Pony Express station here where riders changed horses.  The Pony Express only lasted a couple years, but the station continued activity as a stage and freight station.  When Highway 50, also known as the Lincoln Highway, became the first paved cross-country highway, the station was restored as a bar, cafe and motel.  More importantly, it had the only gas available for 50 miles or more in any direction.

I regret not knowing more of this history while I was there.  It would be nice to have my own photos of this historic place, but I've borrowed some from the Travel Nevada tourism web site, since they appear to be in the public domain. 

I don't think I would have tried the specialty of the cafe, a Middlegate Monsterburger.

Approaching the town of Tonopah, I passed over several recent roadway repairs of damage caused by the earthquake five days earlier.  The 6.5 magnitude quake occurred just 35 miles north of town and caused cracks and sinking in the highway.  We felt the quake in Carson City as my MH rocked from side to side over one to two minutes.  In Tonopah, light fixtures and such swung during the event but there was no significant damage.

Tired from my drive, I chose to stop in Tonopah and investigate this town in the middle of the Nevada wilderness.

Carson City & Lake Tahoe, NV (5/13 thru 5/18/2020)

Carson City has been the capital of Nevada since it gained statehood in 1864.  The first Europeans in this area were the John C. Fremont expedition in 1843, led by famed scout, mountain man and Indian fighter Kit Carson.  Fremont named a river after Carson and, some years later, a trading post there was purchased by a man named Curry who renamed it Carson City.  Gold and silver strikes brought more people to the area and Curry convinced the territorial governor to name it as the capital.

The capitol building, built in 1870-71, was later expanded to accommodate the legislature and Supreme Court, which now have their own buildings..  The Governor's office is still in the building, while a state museum occupies much of it.  It's a stately building, but trees in front have grown large enough to hide most of it.

 Another "historic" building has not fared so well, but its walls were definitely built to last.

 Carson City is pretty much surrounded by mountains, including the Sierra Nevada Range.  Views from the city can be incredible.

The city has developed numerous parks that I visited in search of birds or other wildlife.  One large park is home to wild horses, but I never saw them during my time there.  Here are a few of the birds I saw.

Gambel's Quail

Black-billed Magpie

Red-shafted Northern Flicker

American Robin

I drove some of the back roads into the mountains, but I never figured out how to get to this road that looked so intriguing.

Lake Tahoe is only 25 miles or so to the west, but requires driving through the mountains to get there.  I took an afternoon to drive over via US 50, which tops out just over 7000 feet.  Snow was all around and dripping from the trees like rain.  I noted that the temperature, a comfortable 65F in Carson City, fell to 36F at the top of the pass.

With all the state parks and federal properties closed, viewpoints to see the lake were extremely limited.  Still, as the largest alpine lake and second deepest lake in the U.S.  it is worth seeing anyway you can.  The clarity of Lake Tahoe results in beautiful shades of blue and green, reflections of the sky and forests.

After driving along the lake for a while, I left via a highway that goes by Mt. Rose Ski Resort and ends near Reno.  Since Mt. Rose is about 10,700 feet in elevation and the highway's summit is over 9000 feet high, there was even more snow alongside the road.  In fact, I met a snow plow coming down the mountain.  I also got more views of Lake Tahoe.

Genoa, NV (5/17/2020)

If you've never heard of Genoa, NV, don't feel bad.  I had never heard of it either, despite visiting this general area several times over the years.  Located about ten miles south of Carson City, where I'm staying, Genoa is a village of less than 3000 residents snugged up against the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada mountains.  It's about 25 miles from Lake Tahoe and 40 miles from Reno. At 4800 feet elevation, weather here is quite variable.  They experience cold, snowy Winters, mild but stormy Springs, Summers with daytime temps in the low 90s to mid-40s at night, and Falls that are dry and mild.

The town has two main claims to fame, one being the very first settlement in what is now Nevada.  It was founded in 1851 by a group of Mormons sent here by Brigham Young as part of his expansion plans for the Utah Territory.  Initially named Mormon Station, the Mormons were later recalled to Salt Lake City and the remaining residents renamed it.

Genoa maintains its historic charm in the form of it homes and businesses.  Here are some examples of its "old West" and Victorian style architecture.

Town Hall

Oldest Saloon

Main Street Businesses

Courthouse

Community Church

Pink House

White House

 At the same time, new homes and neighborhoods are being built just outside of town.  Most of these might be called "nicer" developments, such as country club and "gated" communities.

The second thing Genoa is known for is the annual "Candy Dance Arts and Crafts Faire" held in late September.  Started in 1919 as a way to earn money for the streetlights the town wanted, it has grown into an attraction that draws many thousands of visitors from far and wide.  Originally suggested by resident Lillian Virgin Finnegan, homemade candy contributed by the ladies of Genoa was, and still is, a major element of the affair.  This provides a significant source of revenue for town projects.

A bronze statue of Ms. Finnegan stands near the center of town, recognition of her brilliant idea and the twenty years she passionately supported the program until her death.

Leaving Genoa around dusk, I was pleased to find quite a few birds in the pastures and fields outside of town.

Mallard

Red-winged Blackbird

Red-tailed Hawk

Brown-headed Cowbird

Yellow-headed Blackbird

Brewers Blackbird