Virginia City sits right in the heart of the old Comstock Silver Rush and prospered in the 1860s. It is considered to be one of the oldest established communities in the state of Nevada. The town is now a National Historic Landmark and is a lot of fun to visit, but one of the most interesting things in the town is actually the cemetery. The cemetery is walking distance from the down town and has grave sites of many old settlers, minors and inhabitance of Virginia City. This headstone is one of the many interesting and beautiful that can be found here.
On my exploring trip up into the hills to the northeast of Sparks Nevada on Sunday I came across this field. It is just so strange how all these rocks are just sitting on top of the ground, how evenly they are distributed and how similar size they are. Many of the hills in the area, such as the one in the background, seem to be almost entirely made up of these rocks. No Mystery why his is not farm land.
The Black Rock Desert in Northern Nevada is one of the most desolate places I have ever been – Miles of flat cracked playa in the summer and almost a shallow lake of wet mud in the winter. But, once a year an entire city is built there for a week.
The East Shore of Lake Tahoe has a very dramatic look with its rocky shore line. Much of the East Shore is contained in the Nevada State Park and as a result as easy access to many of the beautiful parts. This photo was taken from a trail that follows the East Shore north of Sand Harbor.
This is taken from the Holiday Inn on 6th Street. The photograph was actually taken before the sun rose. When I went to take the photo I was expecting the casino lights to be on, but I did not realize the turn them off sometime during the night. The resulting picture was probably better without them.
This winter image of Lake Tahoe was taken from the East Shore, between Sand Harbor and Incline Village. It was one of those spectacular mornings where the lake was like glass, yet a storm was heading onto the lake from the west shore. This panoramic was created by taking eight individual shots and stitching them together.
I was fortunate enough to get access to the Fly Geysers in the Black Rock Desert in 2009. Despite their image being an iconic image for Nevada, they are actually on private land. These geysers are actually man made, but after flowing for decades, they formed this Yellowstone like formation. The beauty of these geysers is then accented by the surrounding beauty of the northern Black Rock Desert.
This photography was actually taken by the first light to fall on Mt. Whitney in 2010 – taken January 1st 2010 at about 8am. The foreground is Alabama Hills (just outside the town of Lone Pine) used as a site for many old westerns and some new ones – have you seen Iron Man? Mt. Whitney (the tallest peak in the contiguous United States) is actually the peak to the right in the clouds. Lone Pine Peak (the peak on the left) appears taller, even though it is shorter by over 1,000’, because it is closer.
This is taken from the Holiday Inn on 6th Street. The photograph was actually taken before the sun rose. When I went to take the photo I was expecting the casino lights to be on, but I did not realize the turn them off sometime during the night. The resulting picture was probably better without them.
Virginia City sits right in the heart of the old Comstock Silver Rush and prospered in the 1860s. It is considered to be one of the oldest established communities in the state of Nevada. The town is now a National Historic Landmark and is a lot of fun to visit, but one of the most interesting things in the town is actually the cemetery. The cemetery is walking distance from the down town and has grave sites of many old settlers, minors and inhabitance of Virginia City. This headstone is one of the many interesting and beautiful that can be found here.
This water fall is about 1 ½ hours into one of the best hikes that is accessible in Reno. It is the Hunter Creek trail that starts from the upper part of Caughlin Ranch in Reno. The trail starts just on the northwest side of Caughlin Ranch and within minutes you are in the Mt. Rose Wilderness Area. You hike from the Reno high desert, into cottonwood, then aspen, through a scattering of lower elevation pines and on to a full on Tahoe forest. The trail is moderate in difficulty but does require good hiking boots. What makes this trail stand out is the beauty and diversity. The High point, although not the end, is this wonderful waterfall.
