Skip to main content

Eastern Sierra Mountains

We’re on Hwy 15 heading home after a week in the Eastern Sierras, including Reno, Carson City, Virginia City, and Sparks.

The temp is 96 degrees and our temperatures inside the air conditioned minivan are heated at times, and relaxed at others. We made two stops since leaving Sparks at 6:30am today, in Bishop, we stopped for sandwiches at the famous Sheepherder’s restaurant and then we stopped in Ridgecrest for gas.

The highlights of the trip were of course seeing our relatives and enjoying each other’s company, a birthday party of 34 people from 10 regions of the US.

The tourist activities were in Virginia City, where we visited the old schoolhouse, and walked the sidewalks where authentic saloons and antique stores abound. We took a tour on a railroad that gave color to the many mining stories of yesteryear, and the tour guide described what life was like in the 1850’s through 1890’s, when this was one of the largest silver mines in the world.

The Comstock Lode was the biggest find, making multiple millionaires of the prospectors lucky enough to stumble on this.
Now, the lucky ones are the shopkeepers who sell their wares and are able to make a few dollars profit from the tourists.

This small town has tourism as its only visible source of revenue.

Carson City, on the other hand, is the state capital of Nevada, and also has lots of museums, but industry and politics seem to spread the economy.

Both of these cities are close to Reno, just fifteen minutes by car, and very accessible to the independent traveler with children.

Stay in the Reno hotels and venture out for the day with your children and coolers. Nothing is very expensive here, except the gold and silver that you may want to take with you!

Winters are different, with skiing in the nearby mountains and you’ll need to bring chains. We passed by some beautiful scenery on our way to and from Sans Diego. Those include, June Lake, Yosemite, and Mono Lake.

If your family is looking for a Western vacation, away from the fires of Big Sur, and close to inexpensive family travel destinations, Reno and the Eastern Sierras may be your best bet.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Sun Moon Lake, Taiwan

Episode: Sun Moon Lake, Taiwan FAQ Should I use public transportation abroad?   Episode: Sun Moon Lake, Taiwan    Lesson Learned: Don’t schedule everything Day 1   Travel Tip: Trust your gut instincts, if unsure, pivot fast.   FAQ Response:  Should I use public transportation abroad?   Yes, you should try it at the least, but not in rush hour with all of your luggage. One way to test it out is to try it early in the morning, before rush-hour workers arrive, but while it’s still light outside.  Most of the time, you only need a card to swipe, and you can add money to the card when you need to. Your first care purchase is often at a self-service kiosk, and usually there is English translations here. Go for it and try.   Episode: Sun Moon Lake, Taiwan This scenic region reminded me of Lake Tahoe, California.  If you are coming you will Arrive in Taoyuan airport and take the train to the Taipei Main Station and take the HSR t...

Train Travel: SLO to San Diego and Gluten Free Travel

  Episode title: SLO to San Diego by Train, GF Diets, and a Confidence Challenge Hi there. I’m Dr. Mary Travelbest, a world traveler who has traveled solo for over 50 years. I'm coming to you after a recent trip to Asia. I visited Taiwan and South Korea for 10 days. I’m here to share my best travel ideas and work on solo travel. I’m about to launch on a 90-day trip around the world solo again. The aim is world peace through cultural exchange. I’m about to travel the world for 90 days.   Listener Story Spotlight I want to tell you about a listener who recently retired as a dental hygienist. Her name is Cathy A. She’s been a big supporter of this podcast. She is traveling to Wisconsin to see her family and attend reunions. She’s enjoying her retirement by playing Marjan and. She recently sold her house and moved back into a condo she had bought decades before marriage. Her contractor husband fixed it up to her specs before they moved in, and she’s so happy. She’ll be trav...

2025 Eurail Travel Planning Guide and sinus relief

Where in the world am I? Eurail Travel planning   Hi there, I’m Dr. Mary Travelbest. I’m in San Diego now, sharing my best travel ideas and working on another book for you to enjoy: 5 Steps to Solo Travel, Part C. I’m about to launch on a 90-day trip around the world.   Listener Story Spotlight I want to tell you about a listener named Kristen. Kristen loves to travel. She recently received a Fullbright Scholarship and took a trip with her husband and sons to a foreign country, Portugal, for several months. She’s full of great travel ideas and will be helpful as I continue to travel and make my adventures more mobile. She’s encouraging me to keep going in my travels and is a professor in Southern California. Quick fire FAQ: The FAQ for today is:  Do you find that air travel dries your sinuses? Do you get dry and scratchy throats afterward? Yes, it happens. Let’s talk about how to rid yourself of this in advance.    How to avoid the dryness of airlin...