September 25, 2006
Following in the Footsteps of Mark Twain
C Street in Virginia City
St. Mary's in the Mountains Church
One of Virginia City's fudge shops
The recent Virginia City Camel Races got us thinking about taking a drive to the historic mining town that is about a half-hour south of Reno to just wander the wooden sidewalks and steep side streets.
We head up Geiger Grade to Virginia City, which, according to legend was named when one of its founders stumbled, broke a bottle of whiskey he was carrying, and christened the town in honor of his home state of Virginia.
Virginia City, in fact, is all about its past. Over the years, the mines of Virginia City produced more than a billion dollars in gold and silver and created more millionaires than television evangelism.
By the early 1860s, Virginia City had grown into one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the West. In addition to having 20,000 residents, the town had an opera house, elegant hotels, banks, businesses, restaurants and churches.
Despite a disastrous fire in 1875, which destroyed more than 33 blocks, Virginia City has survived into the 20th century with most of its 19th century charm and appearance intact.
Walking its uneven wooden sidewalks under drooping awnings, you can imagine you're retracing the footsteps of young Sam Clemens, when he was writing for a local newspaper under the pen name, "Mark Twain."
Several of the mansions of Virginia City's mining magnates remain standing and a few are open for visits. For instance you can tour the red brick Mackay Mansion, originally the headquarters of the Gould & Curry Mine, then the residence of John Mackay, one of Virginia City's fabulously wealthy silver kings.
The Presbyterian Church on C Street, built in 1867, was one of the few structures on that block that didn't succumb to flames during the fire of 1875. Down the hill is the magnificent St. Mary's in the Mountains Catholic Church and the St. Paul's Episcopalian Church, both rebuilt to their previous splendor in the years immediately after the fire.
No visit to Virginia City should overlook Piper's Opera House, located on B Street. Built in 1885, the present wooden building, which is being restored, hasn't changed much since the days when its stage hosted touring performers, including such 19th century luminaries as Lillie Langtry and John Philip Sousa.
Virginia City's C Street is lined with small shops offering souvenirs, antiques, homemade candy and fudge, t-shirts, restaurants, small museums and a handful of saloons.
But in the end, the real treat about visiting Virginia City isn't the fudge and t-shirt shops, although they are fun. It is being able to explore a place that has hung onto history and maintained its unique, frontier character.----Richard Moreno
Posted by Rich Moreno at 09:02 AM | Comments (0)
September 22, 2006
Balloon Races on You Tube!
This is so cool!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyyCcjbrWOM
Posted by tele girl at 08:20 AM | Comments (0)
September 20, 2006
UNR Campus is an unexpected surprise in downtown Reno
Statue of Comstock Mining Millionaire John Mackay stands guard over the University of Nevada, Reno campus
On a recent weekend, I found myself wandering around the campus of the University of Nevada, Reno, located directly north of downtown Reno's casino core.
At this time of year, the setting is picturesque with the sun high overhead, the air carrying a hint of fall and some of the trees were starting to lose their leaves.
n other words, a great place to take a break from the bright casino lights.
UNR looks like a college campus should with its lush lawn and ivy-covered brick buildings. Much of the credit for UNR's classic look goes to the heirs of Comstock silver baron John Mackay. In the early part of the 20th century, the Mackay family donated more than $1.5 million to establish the Mackay School of Mining and develop a campus plan.
Noted 19th century New York architect Stanford White's firm was hired to create the Quad (short for quadrangle, which is the large rectangular open area in the center of the campus) and the mining school. White also designed the original Madison Square Garden in New York.
The firm based look of the elm-lined Quad on Thomas Jefferson's design of the University of Virginia Lawn, which is also an open expanse of grass lined with trees that serves as the heart of that university.
Most of UNR's most historic and picturesque buildings surround the Quad. In fact, that part of the campus has been designated as a National Historic District.
At the north end of the Quad is one of the campus' most impressive structures, the Mackay School of Mines Building, erected in 1908, and commissioned by Clarence Mackay, John's son.
The mining school is an attractive, two-story, brick and stone structure that houses the DeLaMare Library, one of the world's largest collections of mining books, and the W.M. Keck Museum, which has more than 6,000 mineral samples and fossils.
Additionally, there is a display of the Mackay Silver Collection, designed in 1876 by the famed Tiffany's jewelers of New York. The full collection includes 1,350 pieces crafted by 200 silversmiths over a two-year period, using 14,718 ounces of Comstock silver.
In front of the school is a bronze statue of John Mackay that is noteworthy because it was created by sculptor Gutzon Borglum, who later carved Mount Rushmore.
At the opposite end of the Quad is Morrill Hall, the first building erected on the Reno campus after the state relocated the university to Reno from Elko. Constructed in 1885, the four-story brick structure originally housed the entire university offices and classrooms.
Of course, the best thing about the campus is just sitting on the lawn, soaking in all the history and ambience. And if you bring along a picnic lunch, life doesn't get much better than this.-----Richard Moreno
Posted by Rich Moreno at 08:14 AM | Comments (0)
September 11, 2006
Nature's Sand Box is Fun to Play In
Sand Mountain
Ripping across Sand Mountain on an ATV
Perhaps the best way to look at Sand Mountain is as a giant sand box--and you get to play there.
Located about 90 miles east of Reno via U.S. 50, Sand Mountain is a massive sand dune that rises about 600 feet above the surrounding desert floor.
The dune was formed from sand from the surrounding flats, which were once part of an ancient inland sea called Lake Lahontan. About 4,000 years ago, the lake dried up, leaving behind the sandy lake bottom.
Over centuries, the dried sand was blown against nearby Stillwater Range, accumulating into a huge mound.
In other words, Sand Mountain is a great, big beach without an ocean.
Not surprisingly, the mountain and surrounding area has become a recreational playland, which is why we decided to head out to the big dune last weekend.
After heading east of Fallon for about 30 miles, we spotted the big beige mound. We could see that the mountain was dotted with off-roaders on sand bikes, dune buggies and ATVs. They raced up the steep slopes of the mountain, sometimes appearing to be nearly vertical as they rapidly climb above the valley floor.
As they neared the crest of the mountain, a few proved to be not quite powerful enough. They lost momentum and began to slide backward. Others, however, flew over the narrow ridge at the top of the mountain and descended down the backside.
We also spotted a few folks who were sandboarding. This is a sport that involves riding down the dune's slopes on a smooth-bottomed sandboard at very high speeds--kind of like snowboarding on sand.
Since we didn't have a sandboard, we had fun climbing to the top to enjoy the view. Sand Mountain has a unique physical property. It produces a booming sound when you walk on it (the sound is said to be a result of air being pushed through the sand by your weight) and at night when the wind blows across the sand the mountain is said to be singing.
The Sand Mountain Recreation Area encompasses 4,795 acres and is managed by the U.S. Department of Interior, Bureau of Land Management, which charges use fees.
Camping, including in RVs, is allowed in a designated area near the base of the mountain. Services are quite limited although there is a vault toilet and a solar-powered pay telephone near the highway (it's known as "the Loneliest Phone on the Loneliest Road").
Visitors should bring their own water for washing and drinking. While fires are allowed, no wood is available.
For more information about Sand Mountain contact the Bureau of Land Management, Carson City District Office, 1535 Hot Springs Road, Suite 300, Carson City, NV 89706-0638, 775-885-6000.----Richard Moreno
Posted by Rich Moreno at 07:12 PM | Comments (0)
September 06, 2006
Beautiful Beaches, Great Views and A Great Big Balancing Rock
Balancing Rock Nature Trail
Balancing Rock
Winter is just around the corner, so we decided to head to Lake Tahoe last weekend to take advantage of the still-warm temperatures. We'd never visited D.L. Bliss State Park on the California side of the lake, so we journeyed there.
Bliss State Park is named for Duane LeRoy Bliss, one of the 19th century lumber barons that nearly chopped down every tree at Lake Tahoe. Fortunately, they grew back.
At one time, Bliss owned nearly 75 percent of Tahoe's shoreline as well as the local steamboat line, the train system, and a variety of other businesses. In the 1930s, his family donated about 800 acres of lakefront property to the state of California for a park.
The result is a fine park that boasts several miles of pristine lakeside property including two white-sand beaches. At the north end of the park is Rubicon Point, which is adjacent to one of the deepest parts of Lake Tahoe.
We paid our $6 fee to spend the day at the park, then drove down to one of the beaches. The water was surprisingly warm (Tahoe is usually one of the coldest lakes around), so my daughter got in some splashing around time.
Part of the reason we wanted to visit Bliss was that we had heard about some giant rock that sat atop another rock, which was known as Balancing Rock. We asked the park ranger where it was located and she guided us to the Balancing Rock Nature Trail.
A brochure at the trailhead noted that the walk was a little under a half-mile. Markers that corresponded to numbers in the brochure indicated the flora, fauna and geology of the area.
Reading the brochure, we discovered that we were walking in a shallow granitic soil and that the vegetation along the way includes Huckleberry oak shrubs as well as white, red and yellow fir trees.
We meandered on the dirt trail for less than a quarter mile before finally seeing Balancing Rock. It was impressive. A massive, nose-shaped rock weighing some 130 tons was perched or balanced above a second boulder. A thin membrane of stone connects the two giant rocks.
The brochure pointed out that, "the precarious remnant will certainly fall when enough material has eroded away to break the equilibrium between the two pedestals." We hoped it wouldn't be while we were walking around it.
For more information about D.L. Bliss State Park, contact the California State Parks, 530-525-7277.---Richard Moreno
Posted by Rich Moreno at 09:12 AM | Comments (0)
September 05, 2006
Disappointment on the Ottawa
The Reno-Tahoe Blog will occasionally feature entries from athletes sponsored by Reno-Tahoe, America's Adventure Place. Jay Kincaid, professional kayaker, has been paddling over half of his lifetime, and is back to blog about his life as a professional kayaker living in Reno, NV. As 2003 Freestyle Kayaking World Champion, 2001 U.S. National Champion and three-time U.S. Point Series Champion, Jay is the most proud of the many first descents he's done on rivers and waterfalls in his native Oregon and in California.
Well the first World Cup event on the Ottawa is finally over. The river dropped down to a perfect flow and we couldn't have asked for a better wave.
I trained my butt off everyday since the U.S Team Trials and was very confident and happy about the way that I was paddling, as well as feeling a bit burnt out and ready for a change of scenery. I kind of had some mixed emotions as I don't like to train at the same feature for such a long period of time, but had to because the U.S. Team Trials and World Cup where back to back.
I didn't paddle very well the first day for the prelims but was still able to make the cut to finals. Sunday morning, finals morning, I actually went out to the wave by myself and paddled for almost two hours, which is normally not something that I do before competing. I came up with a a whole new plan for my ride and was hitting it more often then not in practice.
So, finals stated and I was again competing. My first ride started off well, but I flushed for the first time all morning on my left Air Screw. My second ride started off really well. I stuck a perfect entry Helix, was getting huge air on all of my moves, and then landed weird on my left edge and carved off the wave with 15 seconds left. My last 15 seconds was reserved for my left Air Screw and my right Pan Am.
I missed the cut to the top 5 by 10 points, which is half of the score of an Air Screw. In the end I ended up 9th which was very disappointing. I trained very hard for that event and finishing 9th place is very hard for me to swallow. Like usual after a disappointing lose I have physically felt ill all day long. Not fun but something that has happened to me a few time before.
Now it is all about the comeback for me. With two events left I really need to finish well to make up for the slip up yesterday. I took today off resting and hanging out with Lisa and her Mom in Gananoque, which is only about 45 minutes from the 2nd event site in Watertown.
So, starting tomorrow it is back to training.
Posted by Nadia at 08:25 AM | Comments (0)