Bob and Pam Nodine: Lake Tahoe and Virginia City

We took I-580 out of Reno to Carson City, the capital of Nevada, and drove up Highway 50 to Lake Tahoe. Between Reno and Carson City we crossed an interesting bridge on I-580.

Bridge on I-580

The road climbed steeply as we made our way up to Spooner Summit and reached the altitude of 7146 feet at the top. Some of the mountains surrounding the Tahoe Basin are over 10,000 feet and the lake level itself is 6225 feet. Lake Tahoe is the second deepest lake in the US at 1645 feet. Crater Lake in Oregon is the deepest at 1945 feet. We will be there in June. They say a picture is worth a 1000 words but neither words nor pictures can convey the astonishing vistas around Lake Tahoe. The following photo is what we saw as we descended the other side of Spooner Summit.

View of the lake just over Spooner Summit

A little further down the road we came to Logan Shoals and captured the following panoramic view.

Lake Tahoe is in the Sierra Nevada Mountains straddling the state line between Nevada and California. Approximately two thirds of the lake is in California and we soon were in California as we drove around the lake. Neither the topography or the road surface gives a clue when you cross the state line but the surrounding buildings certainly do. Gambling is legal in Nevada and on the Nevada side of the line are tall casino buildings but as you cross the line the buildings become more subdued. Puts you in mind of crossing from a wet county to a dry county or from a location were fireworks are legal to one where they are not.

After visiting the Lake Tahoe area we drove back down to Carson City and made our way up to Virginia City. Virginia City is an old mining town at an elevation of 6150 feet. The town was created as a result of the discovery of the Comstock Lode in 1859 and most of the buildings are from that era. Many of you may remember that Virginia City was often visited by the Cartwrights in the fictional television series Bonanza that aired between 1959 and 1973. We checked all the saloons but did not find Ben or his boys (smile). We were disappointed by the lack of maintenance to the old buildings and many of them are in dire need of attention. It is unfortunate that more effort has not been made to preserve such a historic icon from the old west.

Virginia City is also were Samuel Clemens got his start and first used the pen name Mark Twain. Here is a quote from Wikipedia.

"Virginia City could be considered the "birthplace" of Mark Twain, as it was here in February 1863^[24]that writer Samuel Clemens, then a reporter on the local Territorial Enterprise newspaper, first used his famous pen name.^[25] Clemens lived in Virginia City and wrote for the Enterprise from late fall 1862 until May 1864, when he escaped from a potential duel instigated by a local newspaper editor upset at Clemens' reporting."

Example of old buildings in Virginia City

Below is a photo of the Old Washoe Club that is supposedly haunted. Look how badly the railing above the street canopy needs attention. Granted it is non-functional and only ornamental in purpose, but looks like it could fall at any time. If you look close you can see Christmas lights still would around the railing.