Thursday 21 November 2019
After a great time with Dave & Janet, and not before we have taken a few pictures, we leave Grass Valley at about 11am.
 |
| Dave & Janet's house |
We take the Donner Pass and stop at Truckee for a cup of coffee at Coffee And, and visit the information centre which has some interesting information about the area.
 |
| The Donner Pass |
 |
| Truckee |
 |
| Freeway to Reno |
From there it's roughly an hour to Reno where we visit the National Automobile Museum. Not as interesting as the railway museums, but still very impressive.
 |
| Reno by night |
Towards the end of the afternoon we get hungry and visit the nearby Mexican restaurant Bertha Miranda's, after which it's a short drive to Wakefield, our next B&B, hosted by Don & Martha. They are a very pleasant couple as well and we spend the evening learning a new card game, which we promptly forgot (including the name). Unfortunate, because it was a good game. The photo was taken outside in the yard, and although the sun was shining it was pretty cold!
 |
| Don & Martha |
The photos were actually taken the following morning, on Friday, but fit better here:
Friday 22 November 2019
We leave at about 10am after a hearty breakfast and decide to visit Virginia City, which is not too far out of the way. We stop at the Geiger Lookout to stretch our legs and for some photos. As we are climbing higher and higher we are starting to see snow and more snow until we arrive and the whole town is white. Such a beautiful sight.
 |
| Geiger Lookout Wayside Park |
 |
| The first snow |
 |
| Geiger Summit at 6789 feet |
First we stop for a cuppa at the Canvas Cafe where we are entertained with live music.
After that we visit the local museum The Way It Was.
Afterwards we enjoy the sites and the shops in the main street of town. We return to the Canvas Cafe for a hearty lunch.
 |
| Lunch at the Canvas Cafe |
After having taken in all the sites we make the trip to our next B&B at Incline Village, at the northern end of Lake Tahoe. We encounter more snow...
The house is beautiful and situated in an equally beautiful area close to Lake Tahoe. The houses here are not cheap. This one is designed by its owner (whose hobby it is to design houses) and is on the market for US$1.2 million. Following are pictures from the 'for sale' brochure:
The owner and hostess, Carol, is not home to receive us, but tells us to enter ("the front door is unlocked") and make ourselves at home. We can choose one of the two guest rooms on the second floor and find our way in the kitchen to get whatever we want...
We are in awe.... A house like this, unlocked! Anybody can just walk in.... Well, when we get over that bit we do actually make ourselves at home, and it is quite pleasant. Carol arrives home much later and we have a meal together after which we 'retire' to a very ornate 'library' with comfortable seats and a table to sit around and we chat away until bedtime.
Carol, a busy lady, will not be home in the morning when we get up, so "please have breakfast at your leisure and leave whenever you're ready. Just pull the front door shut, and that's it"
Saturday 23 November 2019
After a good night's sleep in a very comfy bed we have breakfast and look at our surroundings a bit more. We spot a chipmunk in the backyard and I try to film it. It's not moving around a lot, but I am able to get it on film. We have already taken a picture with Carol the night before and take a few more from the downstairs area before we leave and make the trip back to Gardnerville.
 |
| Picture with our lovely hostess Carol |
 |
| Hallway with the location coordinates depicted in the tiled floor |
 |
| Bathroom (and Kevin) ;-) |
 |
| View from the kitchen towards the lounge |
 |
| Kitchen |
 |
| Kitchen again |
 |
| Lounge |
 |
| Hallway |
 |
| The cute little chipmunk |
 |
| A last look at the frontdoor with autumn decorations |
The trip back to Gardnerville is uneventful and at 11:30am we stop at DST for a cup of coffee before we meet Bobbie and George at home.
Sunday 24 November 2019
The last few days we are winding down to get ready for the last leg of our trip, which will be busy again.
A few more photos of the lake behind the house and of the Sierra Mountains. Kevin had hoped to see snow on the mountains before we left. We can see only a light dusting, but pictures with a good snowcover will arrive later when we are home, as George didn't want to disappoint Kevin. ;-)
Monday 25 November 2019
Our last day at Gardnerville has arrived! That 'last day' always arrives to soon! Bobbie and George drive us to Reno-Tahoe international airport after we drop off our hire car and we say our goodbyes. We will really miss them as we had such a great time with them.
 |
| Reno airport |
 |
| Pokie machines everywhere, even at the airport! |
We leave at noon and after a flight of one hour and twenty minutes we arrive in San Francisco.
The next post will be dedicated to our last leg of the trip.
See you then...
