Our route to the first destination in Carson City, Nevada took us through Bend, where we stopped to spend a couple of days visiting Mom and the family.
Our next stop was Lakeview, Oregon at Base Camp RV Park for the night. The following day we arrived in Carson City and checked in at Gold Dust West Casino and RV Park to join the other 19 coaches signed up for this adventure. Located along the Eastern Sierras, Carson City (el 4,802 ft), is named after the mountain man, Kit Carson, and is the state's capital.
Both host couples, the Polks and Pichas, did an outstanding job planning excursions, and on arrival presented us with a welcome packet laden with information brochures on each location.
Here, in Carson City, the focus for the next three days would be on gold, silver, railroads, and the Pony Express. We knew we were going to be busy!
It was a muggy afternoon as we set up and organized ourselves, with a few cooling raindrops timed right around Happy Hour. We gathered under the canopy area between our hosts' coaches, reconnected with old friends and met newer ones, after which most of us continued our socializing at one of the casino restaurants. Falling asleep that first night, I heard cicadas chirping loudly, cows lowing in the adjacent field, and somewhere in the distance, coyotes howling. We were in the wild west mountains of Nevada.
The following morning, Friday, we boarded the V&T steam train to Virginia City, the site of the 1860s Comstock Lode silver bonanza.  |
| All Aboard! |
Locomotive #29, also known as the Queen of the Shortlines, chugged along the 12-mile line through the rugged gold and silver hills of the Nevada countryside, while our conductor and guide did an excellent job narrating the history about the Comstock Lode discovery, pointed out various mining operations, and gave us the history of banking in the area and the building of the Shortline.  |
| wild mustang sightings along the way, a few on the tracks on our way back that would not move so that we had to come to a complete stop |
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| ghost mining towns nestled in the hills |
Between restaurants, seventeen museums(!), gift shops, and
various other tourist lures, we got a good feel for the old town, learned a lot about its history, and the time passed pleasantly on a warm and sunny day.
In 1859 miners discovered the Comstock Lode, a massive silver ore body beneath Virginia City. Word spread and people traveled here from California and the eastern US in search of riches. Virginia City prospered and the Comstock Lode rose to national significance. The largest boom, the Big Bonanza, occurred in 1873-1880. Soon after, mining operations exhausted the highest grade ores and the region’s economy declined.
In the 1910s and 20s, mining engineers Roy Hardy and Alex Wise sought to take advantage of a new technology that used cyanide to extract gold and silver from ore. They believed that this Merrill-Crowe process would allow them to mine and mill low grade ores and tailings at a profit and established the Mill Site that we saw along our train ride. It closed in 1926, and was finally demolished in 2014 when over the years the ruins became a public hazard.
At The Way it Was Museum, a depository of any and every item relating to Virginia City's short but glorious history, we watched three short documentaries about the history of the Comstock Lode, Piper’s Opera House, and Mark Twain.
After that we spent some time browsing through the collection of Comstock artifacts, original early maps, a mineral collection, photos, working models of an early water powered stamp mill with mine works and Cornish pump, Sutro Tunnel mine train cars, a stamp mill, a collection of period costumed dolls, a scale model of the hundreds of miles of underground mine workings that lie beneath Virginia City, old slot machines etc. Anything and everything that had to do with mining in Virginia City was collected and stored here and linked to the Comstock days.
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| mining equipment of the day |
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| beautifully attired dolls in period costume, wearing replicas of outfits worn by the more affluent ladies |
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| a glimpse into the available pharmaceuticals of the era |
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This is an exact scale model of the northern end of the famous Comstock Lode directly beneath Virginia City. It shows all the principal mine shafts, crosscuts, drifts, winzes and inclines. The Big Bonanza was the greatest body of precious metal ever found. The numerous tunnels were an underground maze and I could only imagine what it must have been like for the miners. Starting near the 1200 foot level, it extended down to the 1850 foot level, was 1100 feet long, and in places was nearly 200 feet wide. About one and a half million tons of ore were removed, yielding nearly one hundred ten million dollars after milling. In later years smaller Bonanzas were found at greater depths.
A few more items caught my eye:
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| of course, no up and coming town would be complete without a sewing machine |
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| I never knew there is such a thing as a mustache cup |
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| counter top slot machines, popular during the Prohibition Era of the 1920s, were popular because they could easily be moved and hidden as required |
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| Virginia City in 1875. By 1876 Virginia city's population was about 28,000, which was larger than Los Angeles |
Next we strolled along D street to take a look at the fancy court house and Piper’s Opera House. Both highlight that money was no object when it came to the architecture and construction of these grand buildings in a remote area in the hills. Built in the 1880s, Piper's Opera House is considered one of the most noteworthy vintage theaters on the West Coast that saw performers from the US and Europe, including Mark Twain, President Grant, and Buffalo Bill.
Banks played an integral role as an agent for mining operations. A plaque among the buildings lining the main road marks one such historic bank site. In September 1864, The Virginia City Agency of the Bank of California was established. This is where miners obtained the capital that financed the most spectacular boom in mining history. Nearly one billion dollars in gold and silver was mined from the neighboring hills and much of it passed through these doors to be stored in the vault that remains on display inside. The Virginia City Agency, the last of the Nevada offices, was finally discontinued by the Bank of California in July 1917.
One notable celebrity Virginia City is most proud of is Mark Twain, the famous author who started out his career right here at the Territorial Enterprise, Nevada's first newspaper.
The next morning, Saturday, there were two planned tours in Carson City, the first to the Nevada State Capitol and the second to the Nevada State Museum. Construction of the Capitol began in 1870 and was completed in 1871. It was built in the Neoclassical Italianate style out of sandstone from the quarry of the town's founder, Abe Curry. Notable features are its Alaskan marble walls, French crystal windows and elegant interior. It has been remodeled and restored, and most recently rebuilt to make it structurally sound. The work, completed in 1981, cost nearly six million dollars. Nevada, being the sixteenth richest state in the US can well afford such opulent buildings and remodels! Minerals and money appear to be in no short supply. In fact Nevada is the largest gold-producing state in the US and the second in the world behind South Africa. It is also the gambling and entertainment capital of the US.
A guide took us through the many rooms inside, past the 29 portraits of previous governors, and a mural representing the industries of early Nevada (agriculture, ranching and mining). The second floor houses the Assembly and Senate chambers and various meeting rooms.
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| the original state supreme court |
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| the original staircase handrail, made of black walnut |
Nevada was already a territory and part of the Union at the time so plans were made to propel the territory into statehood and aid Lincoln. Certified copies of the Nevada Constitution sent earlier by overland mail and by sea had failed to arrived in Washington DC by October 24, so Governor Nye of the Nevada Territory ordered the State Constitution to be sent by wire. However, because there was no direct link from Carson City to Washington DC, it was first sent to Salt Lake City, resent to Chicago, then Philadelphia, and finally to the War Department's telegraph office in Washington DC two days later where a 175-page transcription was made. It took the telegrapher, James H Guild, seven hours to transmit the message from Carson City. The total word count of the Constitution was 16,543 words and cost almost $60,000 in today's dollars.
Nevada became the 36th state on on October 31, 1864, the second of two states added to the Union during the Civil War (the first being West Virginia).
Nevada was the first state to ratify the 15th Amendment to the US Constitution, which gave African-Americans the right to vote.
Prominently located in the foyer of the Capitol, is a statue of Sarah Winnemucca (1844-1891), a Northern Paiute writer and activist. She wrote the first English book authored by an American Indian woman and traveled across the country to promote the rights and culture of her people.
Another notable Indian figure was Washoe basketmaker, Dat So La Lee, also known as Louisa Keyser. She achieved international fame for her noteworthy baskets. From 1895 until her death in 1925, she sold her baskets through the Carson City emporium. |
| the original mint with the state museum adjoining behind it |
Outside the museum, we stopped to look at several plaques and trail markers along the the main road. We discovered that this section of the road once was part of both the historic Pony Express Route, and later the old Lincoln Highway that currently parallels Highway 50. The route also parallels what was known as the Overland Mail and Stage Line, in operation from about 1861 to 1869. More information can be found here, including a reference to Mark Twain who journeyed to Nevada on this Stage Line: Forgotten Overland Stage line once ran through Silver State
On Sunday, our final day in the Silver State, the group carpooled first to Fort Churchill State Historic Park for a guided tour of the fort. This state park preserves the remains of a US army fort and way station on the Pony Express and Central Overland routes dating back to the 1860's.
The reason it was built in the first place stems from an incident between the Paiute Indians and settlers in the area. The story goes that two brothers at Williams station kidnapped two Paiute girls and because they refused to release the girls, they were killed and their station was was burned in reprisal. The white settlers in the area wanted to avenge the death of the brothers and burning of their station and in May 1860, 105 volunteers gathered to attack the Paiutes but were out-numbered and suffered a major defeat. Urgent calls were sent out to California for regular army troops. The troops, bolstered by additional volunteers, moved against the Indian forces in early June, resulting in 160 Indians being killed. Captain Joseph Stewart and his Carson River Expedition were then ordered to establish a post on the Carson River. Construction of Fort Churchill began in July 1860. 
Adobe buildings were erected on stone foundations in the form of a square facing a central parade ground. The Civil War made the fort an important supply depot for the Nevada Military District and as a base for troops patrolling the overland routes. In addition, Fort Churchill guarded the Pony Express run and other mail routes. Today we see the preserved remains of buildings. A guide took us around, explained what the various buildings were, and described what life was like for the soldiers and civilians in this harsh and remote area while the fort was in operation.
The guide handed out hardtack for us to sample. This cracker is made from flour, water and salt. It is inexpensive and long-lasting, commonly used by the military as sustenance. The idea is to let it dissolve in your mouth. It was rock hard, tasted salty and eventually mushy. None of us asked for the recipe! I think I will stick with today's granola bars.
The fort is home to two cannons and we witnessed an actual firing of one of them. Eventually.
Although the first attempt did not work, it did highlight how dangerous and also precise the steps required are to fire one of these successfully.
When the three cannons initially arrived, they turned out not to be the mountain howitzers that Lt Cl McDermit had ordered. Instead, he was sent 3-inch Army ordnance rifles, the most widely used rifled gun during the Civil War era. Although they were supposedly more accurate with a more effective firing range, they were considered useless for desert warfare because of their large size and unwieldiness. Never used at the fort, the guns were distributed to military units along the Comstock and in 1977 the state park acquired two of them.
Our guide's first attempts to fire the cannon did not materialize but with the help of Steve, our rally host who has experience in firing these cannons, the second attempt did work. We waited in anticipation, with bated breath and plugged ears. The final bang was a long time in coming and not very loud, followed by a plume of fire and puff of smoke. I could not imagine what it must have been like for soldiers to wheel this contraption across a battle field, let alone load it in preparation for firing, with the enemy charging towards them, knowing that the cannon will only fire one shot, maybe, and if it doesn't stop the enemy, they may die!
As we strolled around the grounds among the sage and various cacti, we came across this plaque explaining the geology of this area. Once, this was a prehistoric lake that covered much of western Nevada. Today, two lakes are remnants from that time. Of interest is that the clay used to construct the adobe walls of the fort buildings are deposits of this ancient lake.
From Fort Churchill, we continued the short distance to our next stop at Buckland Station. Here, in the old original overgrown orchard across the street, we gathered first for a lunch break, enjoying sandwiches, chips and cookies provided by our hosts.
Then we wandered across the street to tour the Buckland Station building, now also part of the Fort Churchill State Historic Site.
Samuel Buckland came to the area in 1859 to begin ranching. His ranch served as an important station along the Central Overland Route. The Pony Express also used the ranch as a stop to change mounts. When Fort Churchill was abandoned and being dismantled, Buckland salvaged materials to build the current two-storey building seen today.
We watched a movie about the history of the family and ranching, and toured the lower floor decorated in period furniture.
No home would be complete without a sewing machine and a quilt or two!
I was amused by the Courting Candles featured in the parlor. Obviously all fathers throughout history have been protective of their daughters, and in the 1600s someone came up with an ingenious idea to limit the visits of gentlemen callers. When the candle that a father lit ran out, it was a signal to the beau that it was time to leave. Of course Dear Dad had control over the length of the candle coil depending on how well he liked the suitor. 
An historic reference to the Paiutes caught my eye. In 1861 Winnemucca's brother, Wa-He, attempted unsuccessfully to rally his group of people into waging war against the settlers and the troops at Fort Churchill. Life for the Indians in the area could not have been easy or comfortable as white settlement of their land increased and inevitable conflict ensued. How different history would have been had Wa-He prevailed. The Pyramid War is connected to the incident relating to the two brothers at Williams station: Pyramid Lake WarI enjoyed learning about "Pony Bob," one of the best remembered Pony Express riders.
The story goes that "In the spring of 1860, in the midst of the Pyramid Lake War, Robert "Pony Bob" Haslam left Friday's Station (Lake Tahoe) with the eastbound mail and made his way toward Buckland Station. When Pony Bob reached the Carson River, 60 miles into his trip, he found that all the horses in the area had been seized for use in the war. He rode 15 miles further to Buckland Station on the nearly exhausted horse. Pony Bob's relief rider refused to ride, fearful of possible attack from Paiutes. This was the only time a Pony Express rider refused to ride and was rightfully branded as a coward. Within ten minutes, Pony Bob was again back in the saddle. After passing through Carson Sink, Sand Springs, and Cold Springs, he covered 190 miles and turned the mochila over to J.G.Kelly at Smith's Creek. After a nine hour rest, Pony Bob received the westbound mail and began the return trip. The Cold Springs station had been raided, leaving a dead shopkeeper and no horses. He rode an additional 37 miles in the dark before he received a fresh horse at Sand Springs. It has been said that Pony Bob even rode right through the middle of a group of Paiutes heading in the same direction. He finally reached Buckland Station without a mishap and within three and one half hours of the scheduled time. Pony Bob then continued to ride his route back to Friday's Station. The 380- mile round trip accomplished in just 36 hours would become the longest on record for the Pony Express.
Now that was one brave and dependable rider, despite the dangers, setbacks and other unforeseen events!
Continuing with the theme of the Pony Express, several of the group joined the excursion led by Steve Picha to what remains of an original Pony Express outpost. From Buckland Station, we drove off-road and into the wilderness area beyond Silver Springs to Desert Station. Here is a description: Hooten Wells Desert Station
This is one more link to interesting facts about the Pony Express: 10 Things you may not know about the Pony Express
That evening, we gathered at Red's Old 395 Grill in Carson City for a catered meal. The restaurant itself was yet another interesting conglomeration of various antiques including a steam roller and a fire truck.
Monday was travel day to the next destination in Mammoth Lakes, California. The 3-hour drive wound its way through beautiful scenery into and through the Sierra Mountains. We arrived at Mammoth Mountain RV Park after 2 PM and set up. We were now at elevation 7,798 ft.
Happy Hour was followed by a linen napkin catered meal outside at the Polks' site (Caesar salad, pork loin, rice, scalloped potato, beans, carrots, brownies and ice-cream). Eating in style in the wilderness reminded me how the Brits in foreign lands, like Africa, would go on a picnic in the bush, accompanied by Sepoys who set up carpets and all the fine china they expected to use even in the wilderness.Mammoth Lakes, gateway to some of the most majestic and varied landforms, is located in the heart of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. It sits on the edge of the Long Valley Caldera, a 20-mile wide extinct supervolcano that erupted 750,000 years ago.
Around 100,000 years ago, a series of volcanic eruptions thrust the peak of Mammoth Mountain into the sky. Much later, degassing explosions and smaller eruptions formed the Inyo and Mono craters, leaving a sea of light pumice. The name, Mammoth, has little to do with extinct creatures but more with the name of a mining company that was established near Mineral and prompted the gold rush in this area.
We would spend the next couple of days exploring the fascinating geology of this region.
Tuesday morning, after breakfast goodies at the Polks (eggs, croissants, fruit, yogurt, sausage), our first day of exploring took us to Devils Postpile National Monument. We timed it just right to catch a ranger walk and talk. Devils Postpile Monument rests along the Middle Fork of the San Joaquin River on the Sierra’s western slope, (el 7,560 ft). The 800-acre monument preserves the columnar formation, Devils Postpile, and the 101-foot Rainbow Falls.
The John Muir Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail also traverse the park.
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| moving ice carved away one side of the postpile, exposing a sheer wall of columns 60 feet high |
The basalt columns of Devils Postpile rise from the headwaters of the San Joaquin River. They formed nearly 100,000 years ago when lava rich in iron and magnesium poured out of a fissure in the earth’s crust, cooled and cracked into the columns we see exposed today. Erosion and earthquakes later felled the columns that we see lying fragmented on the talus slopes below the postpile.A short hike to the top of the postpile reveals a cross section of glacially polished columns that look like floor tiles with parallel grooves cut in them by rock-studded glacial ice. The hexagons reminded me of quilt blocks.
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| if you look carefully you can see a rainbow in the lower left hand corner |
We also stopped at a feature called Earthquake Fault, which is really a fissure. This deep crack opened as magma pushed its way toward the surface. The sides of the rock, now 6 to 10 feet apart, fit together perfectly. The fissure opened around 550 to 650 years ago, during a time of intense volcanic activity when the Inyo Craters and Inyo Domes erupted. This is what Michael saw on top of Mammoth Mountain:
Mammoth Mtn Gondola, where he also saw a movie on the life story of Dave McCoy, the founder of Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, who still lives in Bishop at age 104. He was still skiing into his early 90s!
That evening we gathered for Happy Hour and a Pot Luck dinner.
Temperatures danced around the 32F mark overnight.
Thursday was a free day to explore on our own. We headed across the street to the Visitor Center to get maps and ideas to plan our day.
We started out along the Mammoth Lakes loop road and were rewarded with stunning vistas.
There are 5 renowned lakes in the Mammoth Basin, just minutes from town, offering opportunities for camping, hiking, biking, water sports, and fishing during the warmer months, and of course skiing in the winter. The scenery all around us was riveting.
From Mammoth Lakes we continued further north towards Mono Lake and a very different landscape. Driving along the road we were able to identify a series of craters, remnants of volcanic eruptions as recently as 600 years ago.
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| Panum and Mono craters |
The closer we got to Mono Lake, the more arid and scrubby the landscape became. In the distance there was a patch of blue in the midst of an arid and brown desert-like terrain. As we approached the lake with its strange formations, it began to feel almost eerie and other-worldly. I noticed too that it seemed particularly quiet.
Mono Lake is one of the oldest lakes in the western hemisphere, at least 760,000 years old, and has had many fluctuations in size. Mono Lake has no outlet. For thousands of years, streams carried minerals into the lake and evaporation has removed fresh water from it. The two key ingredients are sodium chloride (table salt) and sodium bicarbonate (baking soda). These and other minerals make Mono Lake two and a half times saltier than the ocean and 100 times as alkaline. Because of these high salt concentrations, the lake water is much denser than fresh water or even the ocean, so objects float higher than normal. Swimmers find it hard to sink. Fully loaded canoes float as if empty. Even gulls seem to have a difficult time keeping their feet in the water when they paddle. Although Mono Lake is far too alkaline for fish, its waters are full of other creatures.
The lake’s most distinctive feature is its eerie tufa towers – mineral structures created when fresh-water springs bubble up through the lake’s alkaline waters, forming calcium carbonate, a whitish limestone deposit that forms the basis of tufa formations. Tufa is found in alkaline lakes all over the world. This ancient inland sea plays host to millions of migrating birds that come to feed on its teeming populations of alkali flies and tiny brine shrimp. A paradise for bird watchers and photographers, Mono Lake also offers interpretive hiking trails and is a peaceful haven for enjoying nature in all its grandeur. We walked the trail along the shoreline and through the scrubby vegetation. It was a hot afternoon in the blazing sunshine.
We moved on to the Mono Basin Visitor Center next where we watched a movie. Here we learned the correct pronunciation and the reason for the name.
The Native Americans who lived in the Mono Basin, the Kutzadika, collected alkali fly pupae as one of their main food sources. The Yokuts who traded with them, called the Kutzadika the Monache, meaning “fly-eaters”. Monache was shortened to Mono (pronounced Moh-noh) and applied to the region and the people living there by early explorers in the 1850’s.
Along the route back to Mammoth Lakes, we turned on to the June Lake Loop road, a scenic 16-mile loop along Hwy 158. Here the scenery changed again as we entered a more forested area, with four lakes surrounded by mountain tops. Grant Lake Reservoir, Silver Lake, Gull Lake and June Lake are populated with with cabins, campgrounds and vacation homes. It too looks like a popular place for skiing, hiking, biking, and fishing.
Eventually we connected back to Rt 395 to head home just in time for 4PM tea, followed by Happy Hour and dinner on our own again.
Friday was rolling day, a short 40-mile drive further south to the final destination in Bishop, el 4,100 ft, located on the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada along the banks of the creek after which it is named. Originally, the city was named Bishop Creek. Besides all the wonderful outdoor opportunites available here, Bishop's claim to fame is its annual Memorial Day Mule Days festival.
Once we were all parked and set up at Highlands RV Park, we gathered for
Happy Hour at 4:30 followed by yet another wonderful dinner catered by the same folks as at Mammoth: tri-tip, zucchini, melon salad, green salad, corn bread pudding and three pies for dessert: coconut cream, lemon meringue, banana cream. Saturday after our scones and fruit breakfast, we set out south on 395 and turned on the Ancient Bristlecone Pine National Forest Scenic Byway along highway 168 east.
We started out at the 4,000 foot elevation climbing up to over 9,800 feet at the Schulman Grove Visitor Center. Today's excursion was a visual lesson through different life zones, across geological formations, eventually coming nose to nose with the oldest growing trees in the world.
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| the often dry Deep Springs Lake |
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| twisted and weathered bark of the Limber pine |
Standing as ancient sentinels high atop the White Mountains of the Inyo National Forest, the Great Basin bristlcone pines (Pinus longaeva) rank as the oldest trees in the world, having achieved scientific, scenic, and cultural importance.
At the Visitor Center we learned about these ancient marvels that have been growing for almost 5 millennia. They are nature's true survivors against all odds, thrive in harsh conditions, grow in very alkaline, low-nutrient soil, and are preserved for centuries even after they die. The harshest growing conditions produce trees that live the longest. They put on tiny amounts of resinous, hard wood and are tough enough to survive the drought conditions that would fatally weaken most trees. Better soil conditions and water availability may produce taller and stronger trees but they will not live long enough to become one of the ancients. I learned a new term today: dendrochronology. It is the science of observing tree-ring patterns and using the patterns to study climate, archeology and geology. Every year the trees produce a new layer of wood just under their protective bark. Trees without regular access to ground water are greatly affected by precipitation. The growth ring can be wider in years of more precipitation or narrower in years with low precipitation. Since the wood in the cold, dry environment of the White Mountains decomposes very slowly, tree-ring patterns remain intact for thousands of years. Scientists can use these growth patterns to study past climatic trends.
By matching the overlapping patterns of live trees and dead wood, the tree-ring pattern can extend back continuously for 11,500 years! Using 11,500 years of tree rings, scientists can look back in time and see the precipitation records for this area all the way back to the Ice Age!
The ranger passed out two pieces of wood for us to hold and feel. One was 650 years old, the other over 7,000 years old, a concept that was difficult to fathom.
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| piece of wood that is over 7,000 years old |
The ranger explained how they bore and pull out a cross section of the core to count the rings, then how they use the pattern to figure out the age of older and also dead trees by matching the sections of similar patterns of rings. Because these trees have been “archives” of historical time, the ancient bristlecones have played a role in modern interpretation of western European history. For many years scientists and historians relied on radio-carbon dating to age ancient artifacts. In the 1960s it was discovered that the radio-carbon dating process was flawed and needed to be calibrated. The wood from Bristlecone pines provided precisely dated samples that were used to correct the process. This in turn caused a re-evaluation of some of the dates assigned to pre-historic sites and caused a new interpretation of cultural history throughout the European continent. For example, Stonehenge is actually 1,000 years older than previously believed. |
| my "ancient" enjoying his lunch beneath another ancient |
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| tightly spaced rings of one trunk |
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| bristle pine cones |
As we headed back down the hill for the return journey, we were rewarded with more jaw-dropping views across to the valley and beyond. It was like looking at a gigantic but also real relief map.
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| descending back into the valley |
Sunday was a free day on our own after breakfast goodies of catered burritos. We considered a drive somewhere to explore more but it was noon before we finished dealing with rally matters. The Pismo rally we are hosting is two months away and there were bookkeeping and other items that we needed to take care of. Dinner that night was potluck, and once again the variety and quantity left us all very well satisfied.
On Monday we were all out the door early for a scheduled tour in Lone Pine. We first met at the Lone Pine Film History Museum where we watched a movie about Lone Pine and the hundreds of movies that were made here in the Alabama Hills. Most of the movies were western movies though a few more current ones were also filmed here.  |
| friend Scott, who used to operate these projectors in his father's movie theatre in Florence, Oregon |
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| on our way to the Alabama Hills we had a glorious view of the Sierras |
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| the set for the Lone Ranger, 1938 |
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| the scene today |
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| the Lone Ranger |
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| Gary Cooper rock |
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| faux mountain tops of India in the movie Gunga Din |
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| Django Unchained location |
We ended the tour by driving past a house known as Hoppy’s house that belonged to Hopalong Cassidy. After that we gathered at a park nearby where we had a sandwich lunch. Although we had toured the Alabama Hills several years ago with our friends, the Fords, whom we met in Lone Pine, it was a different experience to have a guide give us a tour and show us the stills from the original movies.
We returned to the museum to look at some of the exhibits and while most of the group continued on to Manzanar, we drove up to Whitney Portal instead since we visited Manzanar a few years back. The winds whipped up by the time we were at the top. On our drive back to Bishop there were several phone alerts about the fire danger and electricity being scaled back. Past Independence there was a fire in the mountains and it looked like the winds were fanning it as it continued to spread.
We got back close to 4 PM in time for tea. It was really windy by that time. Happy Hour seemed to fizzle and some folks gathered closer to 6 PM. Dinner was on our own.
Tuesday, our final day, after a donut breakfast, we carpooled to the Law's Railroad Museum. But first we all gathered across the street to see an 1890’s structure owned by the Owens family – it was an assay house and a blacksmith previously. The outside appeared to be a depository of all sorts of old "junk" which many would view as antiques, from trunks to stoves to tools to you name it. I wondered why anyone would invest so much time, effort and money into refurbishing this building that was completely derelict. And on top of it all, the owner (also our caterer) was having issues with permitting and permissions from the city. But, I suppose that if this preserves some family and town history then perhaps it's worth fighting for. 
Then we crossed over to the railroad depot, Laws Railroad Museum and Historic Site which preserves the period in history when the town of Laws grew with the promise of a railroad being built. The depot, agent’s house, section boss’s house, outhouses, water tank and turntable were all ready when the first train arrived. It took three years for the rails to be laid from Mound House to Laws, with the first train arriving in April 1883. In addition to the railroad buildings other construction quickly followed which included many homes, barns, corrals, two general stores, a rooming house, eating house, hotel, boarding house, pool hall, dance hall, blacksmith shop, post office, barber shop, powder magazine, and warehouses. Many ranches surrounded Laws and used the railroad to ship their crops.
The decline and demise of Laws and the railroad were the result of the local mines closing, trucking becoming cheaper than rail freight and the City of LA buying most of the valley for the water rights. By 1959, when the railroad ceased operation, there was no trace of any of the buildings at Laws as they had all been torn down for salvage. Only the depot, agent’s houses, oil and water tanks, and the turntable survived. All the other buildings seen today were saved by being moved to the museum grounds.
April 1, 1966 the museum opened to the public 83 years from the day the first scheduled train arrived at Laws from the north complete with US Mail, Wells Fargo Express and baggage cars, offering both freight and passenger service.
It boasts 11 acres of indoor and outdoor exhibits, train rides, and an amazing collection of antique and period items that were a lot of fun to see displayed. It was a peek into the past and what life would have been like for the folks living back then.
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| dry goods store |
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| newspaper office |
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| more vintage sewing machines |
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| vintage sewing patterns and notions |
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| the original turntable |
Then we rode the train up and down the two different tracks, there and back and there again.We returned back to the RV Park for a final Happy Hour followed by a gourmet meal catered by the same folks who followed us down to Bishop: chicken and vegetables, salad, and ice-cream and cookies for dessert. It was a fitting ending to a wonderful 13 days of camaraderie, fun, and touring together.
Mike and Donna Kuper told us about a saying from Tennessee (we had been chatting with them about the differences in the English language and its regional variations in the US and other countries): Now I done see'd everythin'.
And indeed, now I've done see'd everythin' on this trip and was ready to move on. We said our goodbyes, packed up and prepared for an early morning departure. We made new friends, rekindled old ones, and look forward to seeing some of the folks again in Pismo in November.
Tomorrow we would head west towards Simi Valley where we arranged to leave Alpine with our friends, the Johnsons, while we head back north to our new home in Anacortes for a few weeks to finish moving in. In November we will head back south to pick up Alpine and prepare for the Pismo Rally, then winter in Arizona.