Silver City RV Resort, Minden, NV – August 17-23, 2015

Our stay in the great “Silver State” of Nevada continues. The temperatures have stayed static during this last week—mid 90s during the day and dipping to the high 40s or low 50s at night. Smoke from Washington, Idaho and California fires settled in the Carson Valley, where we’re parked, obscurring the surrounding mountains and Lake Tahoe vistas. We continue to uphold the firefighters and families affected by the fires in prayer.

Monday was a quiet day for us, as we ran errands and stayed around the camper for the day.

Tuesday morning we rode our bikes around the park for about 20 minutes. The mornings are more clear of smoke and cooler than later in the day so that makes for better riding conditions. That evening we joined friends Ray and Libby for dinner at the Carson Valley Inn Casino. So yummy! Dinner started with warm sour dough bread and sweet butter, followed by salads tossed table-side. Dick dined on beef stroganoff, while Ray, Libby and I had salmon. The baked potato on Ray’s plate was large enough to feed a small family! Libby had twice baked, and I had the chef’s signature au gratin potatoes. Dessert was black cherry ice cream, crème brulee and chocolate mousse. A feast for royalty! Of course, sharing meals with special friends makes for special memories.

Dinner with Ray and Libby at Carson Valley Inn.

Virginia City, NV was our destination on Wednesday, as we joined Hollee, David and Anastasia for an afternoon in this historic town. Virginia City is about 40 minutes from our park, so it was an easy drive for us, through high desert and mountainous terrain. Even in the heat one can smell the sage that covers the surrounding areas. Along our drive we saw this crazy vehicle in Mound House, NV at an RV repair shop. Just had to stop to take a picture.

Volkswagon's answer to the Toyota MR2 Spider???

As we continued our drive to Virginia City we saw 3 wild horses off in the distance, and about a dozen wild horses trotting within 50 feet of the road. Because the road was so windy and narrow we didn’t stop for photos.

Arriving in Virginia City about 1:30, we parked on the north side of downtown, and walked through the old city while waiting for Hollee, David and Anastasia to arrive. We just had to take a snap of the old miner and his donkey, a standard fixture in the town. 

The rest of our party arrived at 2:00. They had never been to Virginia City, so it was a new experience for them, seeing the historic buildings rebuilt after the great fire of 1875 that destroyed the town, leaving over 2,000 homeless. The buildings now house shops, restaurants and saloons. Wood planks still line the streets rather than concrete sidewalks, and as you walk through the places of business you’ll notice the bricks and wood used to rebuild after the fire. Pretty cool! Hollee and David wanted to have an “old-time” photo taken with all of us, so we donned the old-time apparel, and staged this shot.

Just a few shots of mainstreet Virginia City. Anastasia wasn't too happy about wearing her
hat, though.

At 3:00 we decided to take in a western shootout. 3 local guys played the parts of sheriff, miner and outlaw. This 30-minute vignette took place in a closed set right on main street. Here are photos and a video link of the show.

We were treated to dinner at The Paradise, a restaurant on main street in Virginia City. A burger, grilled chicken sandwich, nachos, and a Caesar salad were the fare. Yum-yum!

A short walk later, after seeing the suicide table in the Delta Saloon, we decided to call it a day. It was a long day for little Anastasia, who insisted on walking all the time, dissing the stroller. As Dick and I pulled out of the parking lot we saw this wonderful site  across the road—right in town! Wild horses!

As we continued our drive south through town we saw 3 more wild horses in a driveway—these were right in downtown too! So cool!

Thursday afternoon was lunch from Subway at Hollee and David’s followed by a day at Incline Beach on Lake Tahoe’s north shore in Incline Village, NV. (David was on vacation this week so we were happy to be able to spend quite a bit of time with him.) Anastasia loves the water, but doesn’t go in much higher than her ankles. So cute.  Enjoy the photos and video.

Arriving back at our RV park we picked up our shipment from Amazon, that delivered our latest technology gear: a new ASUS computer for me (it’s little and light!) and a Fire HD 6 tablet for Dick. And…a Bluetooth wireless speaker cube. Sweet!

After riding our bikes around the park Friday morning, while Dick set up my computer I did laundry. It’s always so good to get that out of the way. That afternoon Hollee and Anastasia came for a visit. Anastasia certainly is a busy little girl, and she loves anything with buttons—like remotes. (David had taken the afternoon to do some target shooting, so he wasn’t with us.) We enjoyed an early dinner in Minden at the Pizza Factory (“We toss ‘em—they’re awesome!”) Really good pizza with homemade crust “thrown” to order. A cheese pizza for Anastasia; chicken with feta cheese and sun-dried tomatoes for Hollee; and the Minden Special with mozzarella, pepperoni, ham, mushrooms, green bell peppers, onion and bacon for us. YUM-YUM!

We had purchased tickets for the 5^th Annual Minden Aviation Roundup air show held on the 22^nd and 23^rd; we opted for Sunday the 23rd, as Saturday was so smoky it would’ve been difficult to see much. So, after riding our bikes around the park Saturday morning we chilled for a while then ran some errands (Walmart and Bed, Bath, and Beyond). Dinner was sloppy joes and potato salad. (Thank you Carol Eckel for the wonderful sloppy joe recipe; I’ve been using it for years and it’s always a big hit.)

Sunday morning: Minden Aviation Roundup. We headed to the Minden Airport at about 11:00, arriving at 11:30; the opening ceremonies began at noon, and the first performance was at 1:00. We had to bring our own chairs, and all bags were searched at the entrance to the field. The day was hot-Hot-HOT, with temps in the high 90s. No shade, but we brought plenty of water, snacks, and sunscreen. The wind gusted occasionally, stirring up dust which whirled around us making us look like Charles Shultz’s “Pigpen” in the Peanuts comic strip by the end of the day. (Dust clings to sunscreen!)

Here are some photos taken at the Minden Aviation Roundup. We don't know what most of them were, but they were fun to see nevertheless.

These shots are taken of the C130, both inside and out. And, we met the captain
(photo #3).

We were pretty impressed with this plane. It's a Cirrus, built in Duluth, MN!

Minden appears to be "glder capital of the world!" from the look of the glider hangars!

What a spectacular show! The show featured Team Rocket (Canada); Bill Stein; Kyle Franklin; Manfred Radius; Matt Younkin; Dan Buchanan; the US Air Force Thunderbirds; an F18 Super Hornet fighter jet; and the Misty Blues, an all-woman skydiving team that parachuted in with the Nevada, Canadian and US flags for the opening ceremonies. Here are some interesting facts about the performers and their aircraft.

Team Rocket is a 2-ship formation aerobatic performance featuring the F-1 Rocket and the Harmon Rocket II. The F-1 Rocket is a high-performance, kit-built airplane capable of climbing at 3,500 fpm. Wow! The Harmon Rocket II is a high-performing 1,146 lb. aircraft allowing it to provide excellent high-speed aerobatic performance and awesome vertical performance, outperforming all similar aircraft going vertical. They did some amazing stunts, flying so close together, then separating to a
 choreographed routine.

We were mightily impressed with Bill Stein, who has logged over 5,000 hours of aerobatic and formation flight. His passion for precision flying is evident in his crazy routine, training every day to keep his skills razor sharp. For years he flew on the world famous Red Baron Stearman Squadron.

Then there was Kyle Franklin. A member of the legendary Franklin Flying Circus, Kyle delivered a mix of flying and entertainment. Continuing in the family legacy (began in 1965); it’s obvious that Kyle continues to raise the bar for the rest of the air show industry. He brought his infamous “Ben Whabnoski” character to this show, who is a drunken pilot wannabe. Flying sideways, dipping his wings to the ground, dipping and soaring over the airstrip he had us all watching with open-mouth wonder. Pretty neat.

Perhaps the most awe-inspiring display was that of Manfred Radius, who performs in a fully aerobatic sailplane, or glider. Immigrating to Canada from Germany in 1967, he’s been a pilot for more than 20 years, he performs a graceful and elegant “air ballet” choreographed to classical music, beginning at over 34,000 feet. Manfred began his flying career in 1961 in Hamburg, Germany, at the age of 17. Since then he has been mesmerizing audiences all over the world with his skill and professionalism. The grand finale of his performance was to be the spectacular “inverted ribbon cut” where he flies his sailplane upside down over the airstrip, cutting a ribbon in half with his tail rudder. However, due to gusty winds he aborted this maneuver at the last minute. Manfred has logged in excess of 5,000 flights and accumulated over 2,000 hours in at least 60 types of sailplanes.

The inverted ribbon cut shown in the 2nd photo was aborted due to wind gusts. This photo was taken from his web site.

Another spectacular performance was that of Matt Younkin who wowed the spectators in his Beech 18 huge transport. Even though never designed for aerobatic flight, with Matt in the cockpit it is capable of doing just that. His flight began with a roll on takeoff followed by a series of what’s called Cuban eights, point-rolls, and a loop. The conclusion was a dirty pass dubbed the “Elephant Waltz” in which Matt rocks the overly obese transport’s wings more than 90 degrees with the landing gear and flaps extended!

One of the most inspiring performances was that of Dan Buchanan, a paraplegic who flew over the air field in a hang glider with special effects coming off the fabric wings. (He’s a Federally and State licensed pyrotechnician, so he installs all that himself.) Dan was a home builder in New York and Connecticut, and then moved to Lake Tahoe, CA where he continued his love of flying off mountain tops. Unfortunately, in 1981 when he was flying and landing a hang glider  in bad weather (pursuing his private pilot license), he suffered a spinal injury causing him to lose his ability to walk. That didn’t deter Dan from flying; 6 months after his accident he returned to the sky. Dan has completed his private and commercial pilot license as a wheelchair user; his “motorless” recreational flights are typically 3-6 hours long, soaring as high as 18,000 feet above the earth. (FYI, during the show, Team Rocket came within feet of the hang glider when they buzzed Dan’s tail feathers as he made his decent to the runway!).

The air show ceremonies began with the Misty Blues All Woman Skydiving Team, some of the most skilled skydivers in the world. There were 4 gals at the show, who dropped in with flags: their own banner of pink and blue, and flags from Nevada, Canada and the U.S. attached to their suits. (The 60’ American flag weighs in at 45 lbs!) As each of those flags were brought onto the field the Canadian and U.S. National Anthems were sung. Away from the field—and sky—these women are highly successful in their careers, from accounting consultants to a welding instructor.

The U.S. Navy F18 Super Hornet made an appearance, too, flown by the Flying Eagles VFA-122! (Remember “Top Gun”?) It’s a twin-engine, supersonic, all weather multirole fighter jet that’s capable of landing and taking off from an aircraft carrier. This special piece of equipment can carry air-to-air missiles, as well as air-to-surface weapons. Additional fuel can be carried in up to 5 external fuel tanks; it can also be configured as an airborne tanker by adding an external air refueling system. First ordered by the U.S. Navy in 1992, it was to replace the F-14 Tomcat. The Hornet and Super Hornet share many characteristics, including avionics, ejection seats, radar, armament, mission computer software, and maintenance/operating procedures. We were wowed by its ability to reach speeds up to 600 mph and as slow as 100 mph (looked like it was crawling!). The abrupt change in direction was amazing, as he flew a perfect square with 90 degree turns. The maneuvers were  awesome to see. What a thrill it must be to fly one of these things!

I’m thinking not much needs to be said about the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds. A bit of history might be interesting to you, though. In 1947, while the jet age was still in its infancy, military aviation was hurtled into the future with the creation of the US. Air Force as a separate service. Just 6 years later, the Air Force's official air demonstration team was activated at Luke Air Force Base, AZ. The unit adopted the name “Thunderbirds,” influenced in part by the strong Native American culture and folklore from the southwestern U.S. where Luke Air Force Base is located. The Thunderbirds proudly represent those who deserve the most credit: the everyday, hard-working Airmen who voluntarily serve America and defend our freedom. Here are a couple of videos of the Thunderbirds we thought you'd enjoy:

Minden Air Show 8/23/15

Refueling enroute to Minden

We lasted until about 3:00, when wilted and dusty we headed to our truck and a drive over the mountain to Incline Village for dinner with Hollee, David and Anastasia. Thankfully, there were buses that carted us to the show from the parking lot (about a mile away).

Temps in Incline Village were about 20 degrees cooler than in the Carson Valley at the airfield. Boy, did those temps feel good! Dinner was Asian chicken with fresh pineapple and cashews. YUMMY! Thanks, guys, for a wonderful dinner. We so enjoy our time with you! Of course, Anastasia was the performer there. I taught her a few little ditties from my childhood, and she says, “Please, creepy crawly,” or “Please, patty cake” for more, and more, and more… Ha!

By the time we had returned to the RV park at 7:30 the temps had dropped to a reasonable 78°. When the sun goes behind the mountains it cools off quite nicely—most of the time.

That’s it for this week. Now we begin our last week here before starting our meandering journey back to Texas for the winter. Until next week,

Hugs ‘n’ blessings,

RJ and Gail

Silver City RV Resort – Minden, NV – August 10-16, 2015

We decided to stay in San Jose, CA for one more day, so we drove about 80 miles down to Monterey, CA to see the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Arriving about noon we opted to have lunch. Our venue of choice was Austino’s Patisserie on Cannery Row, just across the street from the entrance to the Aquarium. Since we didn’t have breakfast before we left San Jose we selected the sausage sandwich and coffee. Yum-yum!

Then, on to the Aquarium. For those of you who have never visited this aquarium, it is quite the site. Located on the site of a former sardine cannery in Monterey, California, it was founded in 1984. It boasts that more than 2 million visitors stop in every year, with the number climbing. More than 600 species of plants and animals are housed there. One thing I thought was interesting: the aquarium continuously circulates 2,000 gallons of fresh ocean water from Monterey Bay through its pipes every minute, day and night. These circulate through the more than 100 exhibit tanks, bringing in food in the form of plankton at night in unfiltered sea water. (During the day the water is filtered for viewing clarity; waste water is returned to the bay.)

Among the sea life on exhibit are stingrays, jellyfish, sea otters (the only mammal exhibited at the aquarium), and numerous other native marine species. This aquarium is one of the very few in the world to exhibit both Bluefin and Yellowfin tuna. A specialized tank providing a circular flow of water is used to support and suspend the jellyfish.

Clockwise from top: 2 photos of Anemone and Sea Urchins;
Giant Clam, Bat Ray,  Clown Fish; California Moray Eel

Clockwise from top (all jellyfish): Crystal; Moon; Egg Yolk; Umbrella;
more Moon; and Purple-striped

Clockwise from top: 2 photos of Giant Octopus; Stingrays, Leopard Shark.
Scallops and Sea Urchins, and Lingcod

Clockwise from top: Pacific Mackerel; Sea Nettles; Sheep Crab; Spiny Lobster;
 Shrimp; and Pacific Sardines

Clockwise from top: Scallops; Anchovies; Sea Otter; various Rockfish; Green Sea Turtle;
and another Rockfish

The Open Sea exhibit

Penguins!

Sunfish with tuna in the background

The centerpiece of the Ocean’s Edge Wing is a 28’ high, 333,000 gallon tank for viewing California coastal marine life. It was the first in the world to grow live California giant kelp. The largest tank in the aquarium is the 1,200,000 gallon tank in the Open Sea galleries, featuring one of the world’s largest single-paned windows; it’s one of the few aquariums to hold the ocean sunfish in captivity. The acrylic plastic used in the various tank walls ranges from 3” to 13” in thickness, which enables them to resist the pressure and high total force of the water behind them. The window at the Open Sea gallery is actually 5 panes of acrylic windows seamlessly glued together through a proprietary process.

The Kelp Forest

In addition to the bay water provided to all tanks, a surge machine at the top of the kelp exhibit provides the constant water motion that kelp requires. The top of the tank is open, allowing maximum exposure to sunlight during the day. 80 species of seaweeds grow in this exhibit, some which have entered the tank through the water from bay rather than being deliberately planted. It’s interesting to note that the kelp in this exhibit grows about 4” per day, requiring a weekly trimming by divers.

To add to your adventure, here are some videos we shot at the aquarium. Enjoy!

Leopard Sharks swim at Monterey Bay Aquarium, 8/10/15

Wave exhibit at Monterey Bay Aquarium, 8/10/15

Pacific Mackerel swim in the round at Monterey Bay Aquarium, 8/10/15

Sharks and Barracuda swim at Monterey Bay Aquarium, 8/10/15

On the trip to and from Monterey we passed through the town of Castroville, which is touted as the “artichoke capital of the world!” Castroville, named after the founding father Juan Bautista Castro, has a long and colorful history beginning with the Mexicans and the land grants given to the Mexican people who originally settled this area dating back to the early to mid-1800s, moving on to the arrival of the Chinese in 1860 who made many contributions to the area in agriculture, railroads and fishing. It’s said that without the Chinese the agriculture industry would be in ruin. There were fields of artichokes, strawberries, cabbage, and others we couldn’t identify. In doing research on the town of Castroville, I found that Marilyn Monroe was given the honorary title of Artichoke Queen in 1947 during a visit to the Monterey Bay area. Numerous photos taken of her wearing the sash with the wording “California Artichoke Queen” were used in advertisements and passed throughout the produce industry. Who knew…?

That evening, upon returning to San Jose, we made a stop at the local grocery to pick up items for dinner. The request was Mulligatawny (a curried chicken stew), so that’s what it was, along with salad, crusty rolls and fruit for dessert. YUM-YUM!

The evening wouldn’t be complete without a few games of Pegs and Jokers. Gals: 5, guys: 2. Woot-woot!

We left San Jose Tuesday mid-morning hoping to miss the commuter traffic. Thankfully, we did. Highway 88 was the route of choice for our return trip over the Sierra Nevada mountains, the same road we took last week. There had been an accident last Thursday evening in the town of Buckhorn, CA causing a little detour through the town; the detour was still in place on Tuesday as we drove through. Apparently, a tractor trailer had overturned spilling hazardous material so a major cleanup was still in progress.

Cook's Station now, in 1953 and 1800s

A little quaint place was what we were looking for as a lunch stop. But nothing was open on Tuesday. So, Cook’s Station (at about 5,000 feet) was our choice for a late lunch on Hwy 88. Built in 1863 as part of the Volcano cutoff of the Carson Emigrant Trail, it’s one of 2 remaining “stations” on the highway among the many that sprang up after the road was completed over Carson Pass in the 1860s. (The other is Ham’s Station, located just over 3 miles east at about 6,000 feet). We arrived at 1:45—they close at 2:00, but agreed to serve us. What a funky place!

Originally opened in 1863 as a stage stop, with a dining area, rooms for rent, and a brothel. Stage coaches and cattle drives would stop there to spend the night. Cattle and horses would be watered and fed and corralled while the cowboys would get a home-cooked meal, their clothes washed, a hot bath and a clean bed for the night. The brothel was also available.

“Stations” as they were called, were located about 5 miles apart, which is about as far as a cattle drive could go in a day. Cook’s was even a Pony Express stop for the 2 years the Pony Express was running.

The original Cook’s Station burned down in the 1920s, burning down again in 1953. The current building was rebuilt in 1953 in the same spot as the first building. Over the years the building has been a restaurant, general store, gas station, bar, sportsman’s supply store, and a trailer park.

Many folks even say that Cook’s is haunted. Numerous ghost seekers have seen and even spoken to ghosts from the 1800s. People who have camped in the RV park below Cook’s have told of loud talking, saloon music, singing and laughing coming from Cook’s dining room during the middle of the night even though the dining room is closed and empty. The noise is so loud that it has awakened campers as far away as 100’! Ghost hunters have spent the night in the dining room and have recorded many ghost voices on tape, and have taken photos of auras in the room.

Many ghosts have been seen throughout the years, but there are 6 that are spoken of most often. One is of a transparent cowboy who has been seen and heard by many walking and talking across the front porch at night. There is also a group of 3 cowboys seen throughout Cook’s, who are friendly and who have spoken to the ghost hunters. Another is a large, friendly gray cat named Buddy that abandoned Cook’s over 15 years ago. For 8 years Buddy lived in Cook’s basement, happily taking handouts and affection from those patrons willing to share. Sadly, Buddy was hit by a car in front of Cook’s and passed away. Ghost hunters have made recordings of Buddy meowing loudly when no cat is around. The last of the 6 most spoken of is that of a 10-year old little blond girl named Sarah. She drowned in the 1800s in the well that is still out front of Cook’s in a small building near the mailboxes. While she usually shows herself to just children, some adults have seen her as well. She is most often seen in Cook’s downstairs in a white old-style dress, waving and smiling. When asked about her, the children who have seen her describe the same clothing, hair length and color. Sarah has also been seen outside on the patio in broad daylight listening to live music. She’ll poke her head up out of the spiral staircase leading to the downstairs, looking around the dining room and has been seen by employees after closing. Sarah is considered one of “Cook’s regulars,” and is considered one of the family.

The current owners of Cook’s, Jack and Connie Seccombe, have been a part of the Cook’s crowd for over 30 years, and continually strive to keep the character and history of Cook’s alive. (Jack also writes extensively about out-of-body experiences. Hmmm…)

Oh, and the food is really good! And the wait staff is friendly and helpful. Dick had a real turkey sandwich while I had a BLT with tons of bacon. Yum-yum! It’s definitely worth a stop if you’re crossing the Sierra Nevadas!

As we drove along, we crossed the Carson River a few times. I saw a large doe near the river at the last crossing. Here are a few photos of the vistas seen from Hwy 88.

As we returned to the RV park late Tuesday afternoon we came upon a new arrival. An RV that floats! We have always wondered how to take an RV to Hawaii. Perhaps this is a solution.

The perfect RV?

Wednesday morning we rolled out early so we could meet Hollee and Anastasia at home in Incline Village, NV to join them for their 9:00 a.m. session at “Tahoe’s Connection for Families” toddler school. What a hoot! Enjoy the photos of Anastasia and the kids at toddler school.

Dinner Wednesday evening was with dear friends from the RV park, Libby and Ray. We opted to eat at “Red’s Old 395 Grill” in Carson City. Established in 1999, the restaurant is a favorite of folks from all around. One of their claims to fame is their “Greatest Bar on Earth,” featuring 101 different beers from around the world, 67 of the finest premium Tequilas in the world and other premium liquors. They also have a bottle collection of over 1,000 different varieties of beer spanning the globe. They say that each and every bottle was consumed by one person! (Gary Ray, you should’ve started a collection of your own! Ha!) 

Membership in Red’s double-secret, unspoken, backwards-cap Fellowship of the 101 is another claim to fame. Those brave members who “dare take up thy mug and vanquish all 101 different frosty beers, shalt have thine name inscribed on thy sacred tablets and have bestowed upon them a mighty mantle of triumph…a Fellowship T-shirt!” And, you’ll receive free food, free beverages, free merchandise, and other items of mystery.

An Indian motorcycle

Thursday morning we put our behinds on our bikes and rode around the park for about 20 minutes. That’s about all I can do, as my butt and hands get numb. We’ve done all the adjusting to my bike that we can do so I guess I’ll have to get used to it. Ugh! We did see this magnificent piece of machinery that Dick was excited about.

When we returned and checked our texts and emails we received sad news that a dear friend from Rockport, Texas, Ida (who worked in the RV park office where we stay there), passed away from cancer. She had fought a hard battle, but unfortunately couldn’t beat it. We are sorry for the loss being felt not only by her family, but by all who knew her, and who came to love her at the park. Her favorite color was purple, so these are for her.

Purple Clematis

Friday afternoon we had a great time taking care of our granddaughter, Anastasia, while her mom and dad worked. What a happy and smart little girl she is!

Top row: Anastasia taking her first "selfie" and a photo of Grandpa.
Bottom row: GG (Grandma Gail) and Hollee with Anastasia

I made dinner there that evening, introducing Hollee and David to Mulligatawny. It was a hit (again!). We returned home to this sunset.

Saturday was a day spent around the camper, although we did ride our bikes in the morning. Dick adjusted my bike stand and changed out the outdoor, wireless, thermometer sending unit that was recording 70 degrees when it was actually nearly 100 degrees. The rest of the day was spent inside reading and planning our southern migration beginning in September, as the outside temperatures soared. And, it was really windy!

Sunday, while I stayed home and read, Dick rode took a 90 mile motorcycle ride to Silver Springs, NV and back. On the way he saw wild horses freely roaming around, in and out of Nevada route 50.

In the little town of Stagecoach, NV he saw a sign for a “Tiger Zoo”. Curiosity got the better of him and he had to visit and sure enough he found a federally licensed Tiger Zoo with 6 animals, 2 Siberian white tigers and 4 Bengal tigers. The zoo is operated by “Tiger Pete’s” S.A.B.R.E. (Siberians Are Becoming Rapidly Extinct) Foundation.

The S.A.B.R.E. Foundation was particularly intriguing. Peter Renzo, president of the foundation, has been working with exotic big cats for well over 30 years. He is federally licensed to own and operate this exotic “zoo,” and is one of the most experienced tiger behaviorists in the world.

All his tigers (2 Siberian white and 4 Bengals) are human imprinted, meaning that when he trains and cares for these big cats, they spend ALL their time with him. The animals tolerate him, accept discipline, and can be very affectionate, much like the common house cat. However, with all the imprinting and training these animals are still wild animals and extremely dangerous. Renzo believes that it is only through education and awareness that the tiger population can rebound.

We found this YouTube video of “Tiger Pete” hand feeding his tigers. YIKES!:

Here’s a link a  travel site to read more on Pete Renzo and the tigers. 

That’s it for this week. Hope you enjoyed this week’s communique! Until next time, we send our love and best wishes.

RJ and Gail

Silver City RV Resort, Minden, NV and San Jose, CA – August 3-9, 2015

It feels like summer is transitioning into fall already—at least in the mornings—when temps are in the low to mid-40s. Thankfully, it quickly warms to the 80s and more during the day. The morning’s cool temps are a welcome relief!

Monday was a catch-up day around our home on wheels, but we did ride our bikes around the park for a while in the morning before the sun started to heat up the day.

Dick continued his master bath project at Hollee’s on Tuesday, working on the towel bar and attempting to hang a 90 lb. mirror in the master bedroom. It was decided that different hardware was required so the mirror wasn’t hung. We provided lunch for all of us, thanks to our friend Bob from Washington State. (He had sent us some of his fresh caught, home-canned, tuna, and we shared our last jar. So sad it’s all gone… Bob, please send more…and I’ll send you more cookies!) We had tuna salad sandwiches, fruit, chips, etc. YUM!

Anastasia at 21 months

Wednesday we again spent the day at home relaxing. After riding our bikes around the park for a while, I did our laundry at the park’s very clean and nice laundry facility. Hollee and Anastasia came for a visit that afternoon, so we spent quite a bit of time being entertained by the little one. She spent a couple of hours playing with the Stereo remote and my Pampered Chef oven timer. Give her anything with buttons and she’s a happy little girl!

Hot August Nights has hit Reno/Sparks/Virginia City, NV! This is one of the highlights of our stay in Nevada, and of course, Dick wanted to take it all in. Here’s Dick’s report on the world’s largest classic car show.

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It is hard to imagine a nostalgic car event bigger than Hot August Nights in Reno/Sparks/Virginia City, Nevada.  Each year in late July and early August (this year’s schedule was July 31st through August 9th) 5,000 to 6,000 customs, hot rods, muscle and immaculately restored cars descend on the Reno area for nearly 2-weeks of “cool” activities; including Show-n-Shines, drag races, controlled cruises, concerts, a swap meet, sock hop, prom and classic car auction. It is a very cool event with lots of live music and other activities and contests.  A very fun time!

A section of downtown Reno and casino locations around the area were closed to regular traffic and dedicated to car show events and entertainment. I decided to take it all in on Thursday so Gail dropped me off at the Reno bus station nearest our RV park and I rode the bus to downtown Reno to the epicenter of the cars on display for a great day among these wonderful machines. I had a hard time choosing but chose the following cars as a few of my favorites.

'65 Ford Mustang

'70 Dodge Charger 500

'64 Chevy Malibu SS

'62 Chevy Corvette

'59 Buick Invicta

'58 Chevy Nomad

'57 Ford T-Bird

'56 Ford F100 Pickup

'55 Chevy Bel Air

'54 Chevy Corvette

'53 Chevy Sedan

'48 Ford Anglia

'41 Willy's Coupe

'41 Willy's Coupe

'41 Lincoln

'40 Ford Pickup

'40 Chevy Coupe

'37 Ford Coupe

'37 Dodge Sedan

'34 Hudson Terraplane

'34 Dodge Brothers

'32 Ford

'34 Ford 4-door

'34 Ford Roadster

Downtown Reno was full of cars, car owners, and visitors taking it all in. Here are some shots of downtown Reno to give you a sense of the activities.

Throughout the day contestants cruise their cars around the downtown area and in designated areas in large casino parking lots.  Enjoy a video of cars cruisin’ at the Peppermill Casino and some stills from around the area.

It’s always fun to see strange vehicles.  Here are a few shots of the strangest vehicles I saw including “Big Foot” a gigantic pickup, a jeep dairy truck, and the 1940 Packard Royal Streamliner.

I met son-in-law David for car activities and evening entertainment at the Peppermill Casino. The group Surfs Up provided the entertainment in the midst of beautiful machines.

The perfect ending to the perfect day. I took this shot of the sunset as David and I drove back to the RV park.

This was the 29th anniversary of Hot August Nights in the Reno area. A history of the event follows, taken from their site:  http://hotaugustnights.net/history/

During an evening night on August 1, 1986, the Reno-Sparks Convention Center was bursting at the seams with hundreds of revelers who were partying, cheering and pushing to be let in to a first-time event of a magnitude yet to be realized. Inside, 10,000 spectators were massed together in anticipation of seeing and hearing a live event of the Righteous Brothers, Wolfman Jack, and Jan & Dean!  It was that night when nostalgia was unleashed among an audience who excitedly relived their childhood years of the 50’s and 60’s- a time of innocence, prosperity, cars and the birth of Rock and Roll. The weather was HOT, the month of AUGUST was right, therefore, HOT AUGUST NIGHTS was born!

The aim of Hot August Nights was to fill a void in tourism in Reno during the month of August and to raise money for local charities. The first concert was held in the Convention Center parking lot where most hadn’t danced to “that” music, to a live band, under the stars, since high school. The memories flooded back and so did the desire for more!  The first year of Hot August Nights was more of a nostalgia event than a car event. But it was the car parade that was the highlight of the Event for the participants and the crowds who thronged Virginia Street. The car owners were thrilled to show off their cars. They’d never had so many people “oohing and aahing” over their “works of art.” It was a proud moment for classic car owners.

The event comes to a close with 3 nights of Barrett-Jackson Auctions. The World’s Greatest Collector Car Auctions™, comes to Reno to join the world’s premiere classic car and nostalgia festival. The Hot August Nights Auction presented by Barrett-Jackson marks a historic partnership between two of the most recognized names in the classic and collector car industry. Not only will buyers be able to bid on and purchase from Barrett-Jackson’s famous selection of collector cars, but they can take them right from the auction block to the streets of Reno-Sparks to participate in one of Hot August Nights’ famous cruises or show-n-shines.

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While Dick was enjoying himself at the car show, I did some shopping and visited with friends Libby and Ray. Libby is originally from Tasmania and Ray is from the States. They spend 3 months here in Nevada and the remaining months in Australia. Such a cool couple! We plan to have dinner with them next week.

Friday we packed our bags, closed up the camper and drove (sans camper) to San Jose, CA for the weekend to visit our son Scot and his family (Mary and daughter Schuyler). We decided to take the scenic route south on US 395 to Route 88 in Minden, NV for 100 miles to Stockton, CA. What beautiful scenery through the mountains, at an altitude of over 8,500 feet at Carson Pass. We turned south on 99 to I-5 to I-680 to San Jose. (So glad we don’t have to deal with this traffic on a continuous basis. YUCK!)

That evening, when Mary returned home from work, we had pizza, then played QUIXX (a dice game) and a few card games of Golf. Mary wins at QUIXX; Scot and Dick each win a game of Golf.

On Saturday afternoon Schuyler, Mary and I went for “deluxe” spa pedicures. So relaxing to spend 90 minutes not doing anything but being pampered! Then, it was off to Left Bank restaurant in San Jose for dinner. (Schuyler works at their restaurant in Menlo Park, so she was able to get us a good deal on dinner. Thanks, Schuy!)

Schuyler, me, Mary and Scott--and Angus and Josie

The Left Bank restaurant. Had to include a shot of their Onion Soup...amazing!

Left Bank is an authentic French-style brasserie in downtown San Jose on Santana Row. What a charming place! Seating is available outdoors on the patio, but we had good seating indoors. This particular location boasts having the largest bar on Santana Row, and apparently is the place to see and be seen!

We dined on steak tartare (actually only some of us—ha!), onion soup, heirloom tomato salad, fresh corn and ricotta infused ravioli with tomatoes and spinach, duck, rib eye steak with Roquefort butter, and beef short rib bourguignon. YUM-YUM! Then, for dessert: strawberry and lemon sorbet, and Café Liegéois (vanilla bean ice cream topped with Chantilly crème, toasted almonds, espresso, and warm dark chocolate. Oh, and I had Drambuie neat. Such a wonderful evening!

Returning home we decided to play another few games of Golf: Mary wins!

Scot decided breakfast on Sunday morning should be French toast (recipe from Grandma Betty Jo Cummings) and sausage. Since I’m the one with the recipe in my head, I was elected chef for the morning. Apparently it was a hit, as most of it was eaten.

As I worked with photos for this blog posting Dick, Scot and Mary took Josie, one of their 2 dogs, to a local park for some fun. The temps were in the low 80s, so that outing didn’t last very long, but they still enjoyed it. Their other dog Angus is sporting some sort of injury to his left front leg, so they attempt to keep him quiet—as quiet as you can keep a 115 lb. mastiff/lab mix! Jose is a 78 lb. mix of what they think is boxer and hound.

That evening Scot, Mary, Dick and I went to The Regale Winery and Vineyards in Los Gatos, CA where Scot and Mary are members, for a “lobster feast” dinner. We joined their friends Erin, Eric, Kat and Jennifer for snacks and a glass of wine beforehand. Located in Los Gatos, CA, the winery overlooks their formal gardens, vineyards, and the coastal mountains. Absolutely beautiful! Intimate garden vignettes feature beautiful fountains, a spiral herb garden, outdoor fireplaces, a bocce ball court (more about that later), and a traditional wood-fired oven. Three varieties of olive trees line the property, from which they hand-pick and press olives for their signature Estate Olive Oil.

Our wine of choice for the evening was the Regale Red Blend; smooth and lovely, while the others in our party had Chardonnay. Two long tables were set up outside surrounded by grape arbors, each seating 32-34 people. As we were seated, we were given lobster bibs while the wait staff literally poured the meal onto the table: corn on the cob, artichokes, new potatoes, onions, garlic, Louisiana hot sausages, shrimp, and then came the lobsters. It was a true New England lobster boil! Wow! All through the meal we enjoyed a classical guitarist who provided contemporary background music, which just added to the ambience.

After dinner, while Mary, Erin, Jennifer and I enjoyed another glass of wine at nearby tables, Dick, Scot, Kat, and Eric played bocce ball. Dick says Eric (his teammate) was incredible and carried his team to victory; they won 13-11.

While they played we watched the sun gradually set over the coastal mountains. Beautiful.

The 21 mile drive home after dinner was crazy! At 8:00 p.m. the 4-lane road down the mountain was bumper to bumper cars. Guess people were still going home after a weekend at the beach. The trip was uneventful, and we were so tired and full from dinner that we hit the pillows before 10:00!

That’s it for this week. We plan to return to Carson City on Tuesday and home to our camper.

Until next week, hugs ‘n’ love to y’all!

RJ and Gail