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Exploring Our New Surroundings

After moving, quite literally, across the country, you’d think that we’d be tired of traveling. It was quite the contrary though and we couldn’t wait to get out and explore this foreign (to us) and spectacular landscape. Heading 30min to the west, we stopped visited a little town that some consider the sole reason for Nevada even being on the map, Virginia City. When I say this small town put Nevada on the map, I’m not kidding. When a massive silver deposit known as the Comstock Lode was discovered here in 1859, this place literally blew up overnight and is credited with supporting the growth of not only Nevada, but San Francisco as well. If the silver discovery wasn’t enough for people to remember this small town, then the 1960’s classic tv show “Bonanza” definitely was. This tv show ran for 14 seasons and 431 episodes, from 1959 to 1973 bringing the 1860’s Nevada silver rush to the living room of every family in America.

My dad used to watch reruns of Bonanza when I was a child. Never did I think that this small town boy from Minnesota would ever end up on the streets that this tv show depicted for millions to see. Another thing I didn’t expect, as we explored the streets of this historic western town, was another small town name from a Midwest town, Samuel Clemens. I know, I know. You’re like, “Who the heck is Samuel Clemens?” Well, let me tell you a little story. Samuel Clemens, of Florida, Missouri, moved out west like most folks after the silver was discovered in Virginia City. He had hopes of striking it rich, but ultimately had to seek other employment to make ends meet. He began his writing career by writing for the local paper in 1862 under the alias “Mark Twain”. In 1864 he left Virginia City and made his way to California where he wrote the literature that he is most famous for now. We run into another place that Mr. Clemens was at before he ended up in Virginia City a couple of months later but we’ll save that story for another time.

After exploring the streets of Virginia City and having some very unhealthy food to eat, we decided to go explore another locality that was 45min to the southwest. We made our way west on historic US Route 50 into Carson City, the state capital, and up and over the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountains to a place that I’d personally dreamt of visiting all of my life. Up and over the mountain pass and making our way down the back ridge paradise started to come into focus. I say paradise, because if you’d ask me to describe what paradise looks like it wouldn’t be too far from what we were seeing. Majestic green pines, granite boulders and outcrops, snow capped mountains all around and of course the crystal clear blue waters of Lake Tahoe lying before us. Paradise people, paradise. Unfortunately, this day we were only able to catch a glimpse from the shores near Glenbrook, NV due to the late hour of the day and the impending blizzard that was moving in from the west. We thought it best to head back over the mountain pass and back home before the winter weather made us temporary residents of the area, not that we would’ve minded too much. Rest assured though, as we’ll make our way back to Lake Tahoe once again in the future.

Viva Las Vegas

Leaving Tucson early in the morning, we had every intention of making the push to our final destination of Reno, Nv that day. However, sometimes in life you need to roll with the changes. We could’ve driven the entire 13hrs it was gonna take due to the weather system moving through the area, or we could use this as a sign that maybe it was an omen of some sort to seek out another option. Who knew that option would be Sin City…

Halfway between Tucson and Las Vegas, Jennifer and I had made the decision that because of the winter weather moving in along our route and the fact that we’d never been to Vegas, now would be a good time to stop and break this last leg of the trip up a little bit more. The girls were already excited because they knew we had to drive through or slightly around Vegas on our way north and they were hoping to catch a glimpse of the strip with all of its lights. Quietly, Jennifer and I discussed the surprise and located a suitable hotel not far from the strip. This was going to be a fun little surprise for the girls.

Finally crossing the boarder into Nevada, we pulled off at an observation lot to checkout the massive Hoover Dam. My parents had been here years and years before and I remember seeing their photos and wishing that I could’ve gone too. Finally, even though we didn’t have time to do a tour, I was there. Taking in the moment with Jennifer and the girls I had that sense of “oh crap, this is for real. We really just drove across the United States and everything is changing” moment. Funny that this was where it finally hit me, but that’s where it chose to pop up. Looking at Jennifer and the girls pointing out a the dam and checking out the new suroundings, I knew everything was going to be ok. After all, it’s just another one of life’s adventures right?

Leaving Hoover Dam we made our way into Sin City and settled in at our hotel. Well, we tossed our bags in and settled the dog in at the hotel. The kids were chomping at the bit to head down to the strip and take in the sights. First on their list was the welcome sign to Las Vegas. Thankfully we had both vehicles with and we were able to find a parking garage close to the strip to park Jennifer’s car in. We made our way down one side of the strip and back up the other, stopping in stores and checking out some of the more famous casinos along the way. Later that evening we had a splendid Italian dinner right on the strip at Giordano’s before making our way back to the hotel for some rest before our final push in the morning.

Liberty To SoHo NYC

Braving the masses, we took in the sights at Liberty Island and then made our way over to Castle Garden in the Financial district of NYC. Making our way through Wall Street, we stopped and explored the history at Trinity Church. This is by far one of my favorite destinations in NYC. The history of these hallowed grounds is unbelievable. Taking a stroll through the grounds, you’ll quickly understand why. Leaving Trinity, we made our way to Chinatown in search of Hello Kitty memorabilia for Bailey. Dinner was had in a tiny little alleyway next to a row of small restaurants and it was absolutely amazing! After dinner we made our way toward Hook & Ladder #8 and stumbled upon The Bean, which Bailey was ecstatic about as she still hasn’t stopped talking about the Bean we visited in Chicago on a previous trip. With the sun setting, we finally made it to Hook & Ladder #8 to see the home of, you guessed it, The Ghostbusters. While we were there we did get to meet some of the awesome people of FDNY too. With the sun fully set we made one final stop for the evening at the 9/11 Memorial Pools. I have visited these both in the day and at night and it hits in a completely different way at night. It truly is a spectacle to behold and a fitting memorial to all of those who lost their lives that day and in the years to come….

New York City

After a quick reset at home, we were back on the road to our next destination. New York City! The girls have been excited about this trip for a long time and we were finally able to put some time aside to make it happen. In our normal fashion, we had to do things differently and we chose to camp at the Liberty Harbor Marina & Rv Park across the Hudson River in Jersey City. We were surrounded by the typical motorhomes that you’d expect in a campground, but there were also a Jeep and a beautiful Landy 110 rocking some rooftop tents. The word “Campground” should be used lightly here as it’s a paved parking lot with water and electrical hookups. There is 24/7 security, bathrooms with showers and a laundry facility on site as well. The best part about this “Campground” is the location. You’re blocks away from the Path train to go over to NYC and you can see Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty right from the campground. Our first day in NYC consisted of hitting the big items on the girl’s list, just to help calm them down a bit.😂 Times Square, Grand Central Station and all 10 floors of Macy’s. Not to mention experiencing the NYC subway system. Once the “big must see” items were checked off the list, we were able to move onto the more experience oriented locations. Be on the lookout for our next post where we delve a little deeper into those……