Tuesday, July 1. Dick reminded me that this was our anniversary of sorts. It was 2 years ago this day that we set out on our maiden voyage with our 5th wheel in tow, as we headed to Grand Portage, MN for the summer. Congratulations to us! We've made it 2 years!
Tuesday was also a day spent relaxing around home at the RV Park, “recuperating” from our weekend in San Jose, California with our son and his family and the drive back on California freeways. Whew! We experienced a real thunder storm in the afternoon, that was the first since we left Texas, with the exception of 10-minutes of rain we had a couple of weeks ago. Thankfully, the cold front dropped the temperatures from the mid-90s to the low 70s, although that didn’t last long. As soon as the storm passed the temps went up again about 12 degrees—but hey, we’ll take anything we can get…rain and cooler temps.
Tuesday was also a day spent relaxing around home at the RV Park, “recuperating” from our weekend in San Jose, California with our son and his family and the drive back on California freeways. Whew! We experienced a real thunder storm in the afternoon, that was the first since we left Texas, with the exception of 10-minutes of rain we had a couple of weeks ago. Thankfully, the cold front dropped the temperatures from the mid-90s to the low 70s, although that didn’t last long. As soon as the storm passed the temps went up again about 12 degrees—but hey, we’ll take anything we can get…rain and cooler temps.
Wednesday brought more sunshine and temps in the mid-80s.
Certainly makes a difference when the humidity is low. We were outdoors for a
while, and rode our bicycles around the park for about 15 minutes.
Genoa, Nevada (just a few miles south of where we are camped)
beckoned us on Thursday. Unlike the town in Italy, this Genoa is pronounced
jun-OH-ah, with the accent on the second syllable.
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| 3-D diorama of the Washo during a pine nut harvest |
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| Washo beading, above and below |
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| Washo basketry. Although there are beautiful designs in the baskets, this is not considered an art to the Washoe, but rather just a part of their lives. |
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| Day-So-La-Lee, one of the Washo ladies, known for her beautiful baskets |
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| Washo handgames |
In June 1850, two members of the Mormon Battalion established a temporary trading post in the Carson Valley, just about a mile north of the current town of Genoa. In the spring of 1851 a permanent trading post was built in Genoa, originally called Mormon Station. It wasn’t long before Mormon Station had a blacksmith shop, livery stable, and nearby flour and saw mills. The discovery of gold at Sutter’s Mill (California) started the frantic migration west to California. Not the least of the challenges facing the pioneer heading west was the last obstacle: crossing the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Travelers on the California Trail, weary and thirsty from their long trek west, often rested and purchased supplies before once again heading west.
In 1857 the original Mormon settlers withdrew to other
settlements when they were recalled by Brigham Young due to the Utah War. The
Utah War was an armed confrontation between Mormon settlers’ territorial
self-determination and the U.S. Government. While the confrontation between the
Mormon militia and the U.S. Army involved some destruction of property and a
few brief skirmishes, no actual battles occurred between the military forces.
Genoa was home to Nevada’s first hotel, newspaper (The Territorial
Enterprise, 1858) and court. Another first for Nevada, The Genoa Bar,
billed “Nevada’s oldest thirst parlor”, was patronized by Mark Twain, Teddy
Roosevelt, and Johnny Cash, and it was used in John Wayne and Clint Eastwood
movies. Scenes from the 1973 movie Charley
Varrick were filmed in Genoa, and the village was the set for the 1990
movie Misery, starring Kathy
Bates when the village doubled in size with buildings added and then removed after
the filming. A whole series of cookbook reviews for The New Yorker were written by M.F.K. Fisher from her
sister’s home in Genoa during the 1960s.
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| Genoa Antiques |
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| Genoa Hotel |
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| Genoa Bar, Nevada's oldest "thirst parlor" |
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| Genoa Town Hall |
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| Genoa's Trimmer Outpost |
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| Genoa's historic Pink House, dating to 1885 |
Sadly, much of Genoa, including the original fort, station,
and hotel were destroyed in a fire in 1910, but a replica of the fort was built
in 1947. Money to support the town government is raised by the annual “Candy
Dance,” held during the final weekend of September; this dance has been held
every year since 1919.
We visited the Genoa Court House Museum during our visit.
The museum’s 2 floors are filled with historical memorabilia, artifacts, and
documents, most dating back to the 1800s. Very interesting.
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| Genoa Court House Museum |
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| The court room, now displaying wedding attire from the late 1800s |
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| The county recorder's office |
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| Above and below: wedding attire up close |
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| A piano that made the trip intact from the east |
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| The original Genoa jail |
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| The lower display is of escape keys made by prisoners from various metal objects |
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| 5 1/2 octave spinet |
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| Old pipes from the 1800s |
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| Prelude to the vacuum cleaner, or to the Roomba! |
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| Example of a kitchen from this era |
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| Washing machine |
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| Tributes to the Pony Express |
One of the most legendary individuals who made their mark in Genoa was John A. “Snowshoe” Thompson, the “mailman of the Sierra.” John carried mail from Placerville, California to Genoa for 20 years, twice a month during the winter. He was disillusioned with gold prospecting, so he responded to an article in the Sacramento Union, asking for a mail carrier since “people living east of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and west of Salt Lake lose contact with the outside world as winter snows cut off all communications.” While “Snowshoe” contemplated this challenge he carved 10’ long wooden skis and practiced with a long balance pole. When he felt competent he decided to respond to the ad and offer his services as a mail carrier, in spite of warnings about men before him who had tried and not made it. When he left Placerville on his first trip in January 1856, someone yelled, “Good luck, Snowshoe Thompson;” hence, the name stuck. Born Jon Torsteinson-Rue in Norway in 1827, Snowshoe was the 14th and youngest child born to his parents.
Despite his nickname, he didn’t use the snowshoes that were
used by the indigenous people of the area, but rather would travel with the 10’
skis and pole, generally held with both hands at once. (He knew this form of
cross-country skiing from his native Norway.) Thompson typically made the
eastward trip in 3 days, and the return trip in 2. He carried no blanket and no
gun; he claimed he was never lost even in blizzards. Although Snowshoe
delivered mail for 20 years, he was never paid for his service. Snowshoe
Thompson died of appendicitis which developed into pneumonia in May 1876 at the
age of 49, leaving a wife and son.
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| Bronze statue of Snowshoe Thompson |
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| Tributes to Snowshoe Thompson |
A replica of the original court house and trading post,
built in 1851, houses a museum with pioneer-era artifacts.
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| Replica of original court house in Genoa |
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| Cures for what ails ya' |
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| Washo baskets and grinding tools |
Although Friday was Independence Day with the annual 4th of July celebrations, we chose to stay home, and not face crowds and traffic. (We did catch fireworks on national TV…) We planned to spend Saturday with Hollee, David and baby Anastasia, to celebrate Anastasia’s 8-month birthday, and we were bringing dinner. Dick requested Pavlova for dessert and that had to be made Friday, so that was an added excuse to not venture out. (Pavlova is a baked meringue on which unsweetened whipped cream is spread, along with fresh fruit of choice, in this case strawberries and blueberries. It’s baked for 1½ hours, and left in the oven overnight to cool completely. YUM! The recipe follows at the end of the blog.)
We did, however, ride our bikes around the park for a bit.
The high temperature that day was 85 degrees. Oh, and we found the beginning of
a house finch’s nest in the pin box at the nose of our 5th wheel. Dick
removed it before it could be finished and eggs laid.
Temperatures here dip to the low 50s at night—perfect for
sleeping—but generally soar to the mid-90s and above during the day. Saturday
met us with another sunny and cloudless sky, with temperatures here in the
Carson Valley due to reach the high 90s that day. Glad we were heading to
Incline Village, where temps are about 15-20 degrees cooler.
That morning the RV Park hosted a breakfast for all campers
in the park: strawberries, scrambled eggs, sausage, hash browns, donuts, juice
and coffee. We headed up to the community room around 9:15 to partake. While
there we met Ray and Elizabeth from Perth, Australia. They’re here in the
States for 3 months before heading back across the water for 3 months, after
which they do the same for another 3 months. What a delightful couple. We meet
the neatest folks…
Taco pie and ambrosia was on the menu for dinner that evening at Hollee and David's, along with
the Pavlova, so after breakfast I put together the casserole and made the salad
and we off to Incline Village arriving by noon. After being entertained by
8-month old Anastasia, who opened our gifts to her, we went to the Burning Tree Beach at
Incline Village, one of the 3 private beaches in the town. What a beautiful
day! And man, was it crowded! People were in the water, on the beach,
picnicking, and just enjoying the afternoon. And, it was the first time
Anastasia had dipped her feet in the water. She liked it until a wave came in
and got more than just her feet wet.
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| Scenes from Burning Tree Beach, Incline Village on July 5 |
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| David with Anastasia, sportin' her shades |
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| Gettin' her feet wet |
Home to dinner! Notice the Pavlova in the foreground.
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| "Grandpa RV" with Anastasia |
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| "Grandma RV" with Anastasia -- she likes to squeeze cheeks... |
By 7:00 we were ready to head back over the mountain and home. For some reason we were all exhausted. Probably too much sun and heat, but it was still a great day.
Sunday, the day the Lord made; we rejoiced and were glad! The day was a bit overcast, with a 20% chance of rain. Temperatures reached the mid-90s; humidity was just 10%. We rode our bikes around the park, stopped and chatted with Ray and Elizabeth for a bit, and relaxed the rest of the day. Perfect!
Hope this finds you well. We send you hugs and love as we
head into a new week.
RJ and Gail
--
Pavlova
6 egg
whites
1 1/2 cups fine granulated sugar
1 tsp. cornstarch
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. vinegar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup heavy (whipping) cream
Fruit
of choice: strawberries, kiwi, raspberries, blueberries, passion fruit,
bananas, etc.
1 Whip
egg whites until stiff peaks form.
2 Add
sugar and beat until glossy.
3 Add
cornstarch and baking powder with last of sugar.
4 Add
vanilla and vinegar.
5 Draw
7" circle on parchment paper; place on pizza pan. Spread meringue over
circle.
6 Bake
at 225° for 1 hour; then 200° for 1/2 hour.
7 Let
cool completely in oven before opening the door. DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR TO EVEN
PEEK!
8 To
serve: whip cream (do not sweeten); spread over top of meringue.
9 Garnish
with fruit.
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