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Monday, May 9, 2022
This morning we headed over to a local tire store. A tire store? Yesterday the tire pressure light once again appeared on the dashboard. Yeah, we were pretty ticked off but since it appeared on Sunday there was little we could do about it. Our hope was that the light came on because the temperature had dropped from the high 70s to the mid 40s. The thought of having to replace a third tire was maddening. A mechanic checked the pressure and added air to all four tires. The indicator turned off. He said that if the light came back on we should return and he’d look more deeply into the matter.
When Deborah worked at Weare Middle School she was friends with a woman who’s sister was an artist. Deborah had spoken to Phylis the previous night and arranged a tour of her studio in Lake Tahoe. The problem was that Lake Tahoe was due for some weather and our little Corolla was not suitable for ice and snow. After leaving the tire store Deborah phoned Phylis to get an update on the weather. It was not good news.
Plan B was to drive about 30 miles North to Pyramid Lake. The Lake has a very interesting backstory. The 112,000 acre lake is the largest remnant of an ancient inland sea that had once covered most of Nevada. Evidence suggests that the area was inhabited as long ago as 9,500 BCE. It is also the site of some of the Earth’s most spectacular tufa (calcium carbonate) deposits. Today the area is part of a Paiute Reservation. Swimming, fishing, and hiking are permitted with permits that are available from the tribe.
We had intended to hike some of area’s trails but had difficulty finding any specific information. Based on our experience we would find better information near the water. As we approached the lake we found a parking lot with a bunch of signs. We pulled off the road and found information about both the lake and the Paiutes, but nothing about hiking.
We had approached the lake from the South and decided to try our luck going East. The tribe has established a number of beaches wherever there was a large, sandy outcropping. Each beach has parking, bathrooms, and a few picnic tables. Large Tufa can usually be found nearby. Continuing on we noticed some large, white birds flying overhead. These were white pelicans. The island in the middle of the lake is home to a very large colony of these birds.
As we traveled on we came to another beach where we saw dozens of white pelicans, along with geese, and some unidentifiable ducks. We stopped there and took a bunch of pictures. Out of the corner of our eyes we were delighted to see some geese escorting their goslings across the water. The babies couldn’t have been more than a few weeks old.
We imagined that the area would be very busy in the summer but when we were there the place was virtually deserted. The temperate was in the low 40s with some occasional light snow flurries. We never did find the Paiute museum and figured it was a seasonal building. Eventually we turned around and found the town of Sutcliffe. There was a visitor’s center, a number of administrative buildings, several dozen homes, and an RV park. Everything was closed. We looked around for a bit and decided it was time for lunch. We never did find any hiking trails.
In Sparks, basically a suburb of Reno, we lighted upon a place called The Coney Island Bar. The place had great reviews and people raved about the deli sandwiches. I was a little reluctant to have lunch in a bar because they are often smokey. Fortunately this wasn’t the case. It’s not clear how the place got its name but neither the menu nor the decor had anything to do with it’s namesake town in Brooklyn.
I ordered a roast beef sandwich and Deborah ordered a Turkey sandwich. Aside from the meat there was a little mayo on the bread and nothing else. I asked for some raw onion and was also supplied with a side of horseradish sauce. We were surprised at how good they were. This was not meat from some commercial supplier. According to the waitress they roast all of their meats in house every day – and it showed. Half sandwiches could be had for $8 and full sandwiches for $12. We thought that was pretty reasonable.
We hit a grocery store and a gas station before heading back to our hotel.
Tuesday, May 10, 2022
We decided to visit the WM Keck Museum located on the University of Nevada – Reno campus. We started the car and stared at the dashboard. No idiot lights. It was a relief. Our GPS directed us to a parking lot where we were not allowed to park. We drove around the campus for a while looking for a parking area that didn’t require a special sticker and found none. We finally settled for lot with meters and pre-paid for two hours.
We walked the entire perimeter of the building that the car’s GPS had indicated. None of the doors were open. There was no sign of the museum. Before giving up we consulted Google. It showed us that the museum was actually on the other side of the campus – a part of the school that was only accessible by foot. The sky was overcast, the temperature was in the high 30s, the wind was blowing, and a light snow was falling. It was a lovely morning for a walk.
It turns out the campus was a lot larger than we thought. We walked briskly for about 15 minutes before finally finding the museum. Located in the Mackay School of Mines the WM Keck Museum is home to a collection of ores, minerals, and fossils. Entry has been free since its opening in 1908.
The first floor is home to a large collection of rocks, ores, minerals, and crystals. The second floor has a nice collection of fossils found in Nevada. We also found information on the history of mining in the state. The lowest level contains a 1,250 piece collection of Tiffany Silver service that was commissioned by John W. Mackay for his wife Marie-Louise. Mackay made his fortune by developing the fabled Comstock Lode in Virginia City.
We learned some interesting information…
- The myth of Jason and the Argonauts quest for the Golden Fleece probably had its origins in the ancient use of sheepskins to trap gold particles. When the skins were hung out to dry they probably looked like a Golden Fleece.
- Opals have been mined in Nevada.
- Tungsten is a naturally occurring mineral. I always thought it was an alloy.
- Silver is the most electrically conductive metal followed by copper and then gold. I always thought that gold was the best.
- During the Pliocene Epoch (1.6 – 5.3 million years ago) Mastodons, smaller cousins of Wholly Mammoths, roamed Nevada.
- When Nevada became a state in 1864 its constitution contained a clause that mandated a mining engineering school be part of the University of Nevada. The first one was established in 1882.
By the time we got back to the car it was past 1:00 pm. It was time for lunch. Deborah really wanted to go back to Joself’s Vienna Cafe and try some of the lunch items on the menu. She ordered a goulash soup and spinach and mushroom quiche combination. I ordered the bratwurst which included mustard, sauerkraut, and pickled red cabbage. This time we managed to get water after only the second request. As before the food was very good. We had another place in mind for dessert but, considering how full we were, we decided to go for a walk around nearby Idlewild Park first.
Idlewild Park sprawls along the Truckee River. It has some ball fields, a swimming pool, two duck ponds, and a small scale train. We parked near the pool and found our way to the pond. It was laden with geese, mallard ducks, and a single wood duck (was he lost or confused?). On the other side of the pond we found a paved walking path that followed the river. The path is part of a very long trail that terminates at Lake Tahoe.
On the way back we circled around by the second pond. We found several families of geese with their goslings. We saw a dog, who’d been left off-leash, running towards the pond. He was chasing a squirrel. The female geese and their babies all headed into the water. The male geese formed a perimeter around their families. They started honking and flapping their wings, trying to frighten the dog away. It was quite a sight to see. Fortunately the dog only had eyes for the squirrels. After a few minutes he gave up and trotted off.
Finally it was time for dessert. We headed over to Rita’s Italian Ice & Frozen Custard. It’s a chain that can be found in over 30 states. We’d never been to one before. The local store had great ratings and wonderful reviews.
The store sells Italian style ices, soft serve custard and scooped custard. We really weren’t interested in the ices. I ordered a twist soft serve custard with rainbow sprinkles. Deborah had vanilla custard topped with carmel sauce. Our high hopes were dashed. The custard was slightly sweet, rather dense, had little flavor, and an artificial after taste. In fact it was hard to tell the difference between the vanilla and chocolate flavors. The carmel sauce was little more than flavored corn syrup. Maybe we should have tried the ices.
Wednesday, May 11, 2022
We have no idea of what we’ll be doing today. Will we be staying in Reno another day or be driving through the night to get back to Las Vegas so I can serve jury duty? We planned our day as if it would be our last full day here in Reno.
First thing in the morning we drove over to a laundromat. Afterwards we hit a camera repair store. When you look closely there have been spots on some of the photos. The spots appear regardless of which lens I’m using, which means the camera’s sensors need to be cleaned. I called the store yesterday and they said they could do it in 15 minutes as long as they weren’t busy. Today I got there shortly after they opened and was informed that I’d have to leave the camera. They told me it shouldn’t be more than an hour. Five hours later I called. Didn’t someone call you? Your camera is ready. Expletive deleted!
Shortly after 6:00 pm I called the jury duty hotline. I need to report tomorrow at 10:00 am. It’s going to be a long drive tonight.