I was coming back to the rig from walking the dogs Friday evening (4/11) and saw law enforcement vehicle lights at what appeared to be the entrance to the park. So, being the nosy person I am, I walked on to where I could see two Mono County sheriff's deputies yelling at a combative man, "Relax! Relax!" They handcuffed him and tucked him into their vehicle, frisked another guy, and then turned the drug dog loose on the car. He was so excited he jumped into the trunk, into the passenger compartment, ran around the car dancing. And he got his reward, his favorite toy. It was almost dark and I was getting cold so we went inside. Some local drug mule is in jail today. One would think he would have a nicer car than a low-end Toyota.
Mike spent all day Monday smoking a tri-tip, a better cut than brisket but similar. It was amazing. He hasn't had the smoker out since we left NM so we were ready for 'cue.
We drove up to Virginia City NV today. It's only 60 miles or so. As usual, I am astounded by the number of casinos, starting right at the state line. We were stopped on the north side of Carson City for a red light. On one corner was the Jackpot Casino and the SlotWorld. On the other was SuperPawn.
I continue to ponder why Nevada seems has so many self-storage units. What are these people stashing? There are dozens of units, maybe hundreds, visible from Hwy 395 in Carson City. This burg is only 50,000 people.
And speaking of population, in 1860, Virginia City had 30,000 people. As we were walking around today, I lost count of the number of casinos and bars and counted only three churches. Well, the town burned in 1870-something. Maybe the churches burned and the saloons survived.
I was surprised to find Virginia City is still an active town. The Comstock Mining Company has a big open pit mine so there are people living here who work at the mines. There's a very nice school with solar panels.
Most of the old buildings are on what must have been the main drag, C Street. See photos below. And people who live here must have a sense of humor.
There was a woman handling out two-for-one coupons for drinks of any kind (beer, wine, coffee, etc.) and she encouraged us to take the dogs into the casino. The bar is behind Mike, and at the bar was a very large lady seated on a stool with a small dog at her feet. We went to the back and sat at a table. Mike got up with the dogs to find the lady with the dog biscuits. Suddenly, the little dog at the bar took off after them and pulled the lady off her bar stool all the way to the floor. She landed on her butt with a large thud. Who would have thought the little dog was so strong?
Walking the wooden sidewalks of Virginia City feels authentic. They slope down to the street from the edge of the buildings and they "ripple" with the contour of the ground. Disorienting dead sober and REALLY difficult of you had a few (at 6100 feet alcohol hits you a lot faster).
Barbecue
We have found that the number of barbecue joints diminishes as you move west and the ones you can find are generally not all that good (as compared to the dozens in KC). The park owner recommended a place in the tiny town south of here so we tried it Friday afternoon. We were the only customers but it was 3:30, between the lunch crowd and the dinner crowd. The owner spent the whole time we were there talking barbecue with us. He's a transplanted Houston, Texas guy who smoked as a hobby. Twenty years ago his mother-in-law died and his wife wanted to be closer to her father who owned a little tourist cabin operation in Walker. So he opened a little barbecue and he's still at it. Good 'cue. Mountainview Barbeque, Walker CA.
Virginia City is shabby and dilapidated compared with Deadwood and Tombstone. The bbq guy said that lots of the VC locals resent the tourism business (although glad for the money) and owners of the buildings may or may not put much effort into them.
We are starting to pack up to move to Grass Valley on the western slope of the Sierras. To summarize the eastern side: all the lakes we have seen are 15-20 feet below their normal height. If anyone has doubts to how severe the drought is here in CA, just look at the lakes. Forecast for this area next week is rain for a week. Here's hoping they get it.
This sign was in Walker, just down from Mountainview Barbeque.
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