Yeah! We made it to Nevada

Whewww! It's hot here! Should be no surprise, but when you've been up in the forested mountains it does come as a shock.

At the entrance to the interpretive center

We had originally planned to space out the distance over two different stops, on our way to Minden, but with the heat we decided to condense it to just one. 'Might as well spend the day in an air-conditioned truck! We did make time to stop along the way at the California Trail Interpretive Center, near Elko.

The temperature prevented us from exploring the trails around the center, but we did enjoy the inside. Life size dioramas and other historic displays, short videos, very knowledgeable docents, and a variety of beautiful artwork make this a stop worth devoting some time too.

Back side of the statue

Much of the information is presented in a hands-on format so it's great for kids too.  If you're really pressed for time a pull-off with several information kiosks is located just before the center, off to the side of the highway. 

The artwork, dioramas and murals depict the local tribal life as well as the pioneers. 

Our last night on the road, for awhile anyway, is the New Frontier RV Park, in Winnemucca, NV.  This was a rather unusual RV park in that at least half of the area was filled with brand new, very nice workforce housing units. It appeared some of the occupants are miners or other similar jobs, but many appeared to be otherwise employed. There's huge growth in the area in all kinds of services, so apparently the standard housing hasn't kept up with demand. The park is quite new, and very nice, with large spaces. 'Mostly graveled sites, with a little grass here and there, and a small fenced dog run, so the pups weren't thrilled. It had been a long day in the truck, but we made-do. We had dinner at the nearby Wingers and called it a day. 

Saturday, June 24 - We made it!  We pulled in to the Finch Estate in the early afternoon, and promptly settled in. Now it's time to start getting ready for the big Happy Birthday American party!!

Nevada welcomed us with one of her famous beautiful sunsets!