During the Memorial Day weekend holiday, we visited Cathedral Gorge State Park near Panaca. We hiked the scenic Miller Point Trail and explored the cathedral-like spires and cave-like formations. Just outside of town we explored the Teapot Arch formation before retiring to our cabin at the Pine Tree Inn for the evening.
The next morning, we spent some time looking for fossils at Oak Springs Trilobite Area near Caliente. Unfortunately, we didn't find any during our short visit, but everyone enjoyed looking. After a brief stop at the Alien Research Center, we headed to Las Vegas for lunch, then drove to Valley of Fire State Park. The temperature climbed into triple digits, so we couldn’t do the hikes we had planned, but we still enjoyed the scenic drive through the park and stopping at the Beehives formations and the Fire Canyon / Silica Dome Overlook.
While traveling through Nevada, we stopped to explore the new Ice Age Fossils State Park in North Las Vegas. While hiking the Megafauna Trail we saw several life-size depictions of Ice Age animals like Columbian Mammoth, Dire Wolf, Ground Sloth, Saber-Toothed Cat, and more. We also made a quick stop at the nearby Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument. Heading northwest from Las Vegas we stopped at the Area 51 Alien Center for some souvenirs, then toured Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge.
Ash Meadows is home to several schools of endangered Pupfish. This species of fish has survived in these small springs since mammoths roamed the area and is the only place where they exist. We were fortunate to be able to observe these beautiful fish in Rogers Spring, Crystal Spring, and Kings Spring. We also visited Devil's Hole, which is part of Death Valley National Park, but you can’t get close enough to observe any pupfish at that location.
After loading up on candy and gifts at Death Valley Nut and Candy Company in Beatty, we returned to Las Vegas to explore the Springs Preserve. We toured several parts of the preserve including the Origen Museum, Botanical Gardens, and Boomtown 1905.
While travelling to Elko, we drove the Clover Valley Scenic Drive and the Secret Pass Scenic Drive through Humboldt National Forest. After observing Western Pacific #727 and other railroad artifacts in the Elko Railroad Park, we enjoyed a nice dinner at the Coffee Mug Restaurant. In Carson City, we toured the Nevada State Railroad Museum and saw the unique McKeen Motor Car. We walked the grounds of the Nevada State Capitol (the second oldest capitol building west of the Mississippi River) and had a great dinner at Red’s Old 395 Grill.
The next day, we rode the Virginia & Truckee Railroad from Carson City to Virginia City. The steam train took a scenic route through the Virginia Range that included tunnels, mining sites, and plenty of history. Following in the footsteps of Mark Twain, Ulysses S. Grant, and many others, we enjoyed a layover in Virginia City where we had lunch at the Palace Saloon, toured 'The Way It Was Museum', did some shopping and sightseeing, and just took in the unique atmosphere and historic nature of town before returning by train back to the Eastgate Depot in Carson City. We also spent a morning on the eastern shore of Lake Tahoe at Sand Harbor State Park. Elizabeth really enjoyed hiking the Sand Point Nature Trail, watching the divers in the lake, and climbing on some of the boulders.
A few days later we returned to Carson City to begin an adventure of driving 'The Loneliest Road in America'. The 380-mile drive along US-50 follows the route of the original Lincoln Highway, crossing 16 mountain ranges, with only 6 towns. We stopped at several interesting places along the drive including Grimes Point Archaeological Area where we hiked the Petroglyph Trail and enjoyed watching all the military aircraft from the nearby training base. Next, we stopped to see the impressive Sand Mountain and nearby remains of an 1860 Pony Express Station. At Cold Springs we were able to see additional Pony Express Station ruins and one of the original transcontinental telegraph sites. In Austin, we visited Stokes Castle before driving through Toiyabe National Forest to Eureka where we toured the historic courthouse, Eureka Opera House, and saw some mining and railroad relics.
West of Ely, we spent a morning looking for Black Garnets at the Garnet Hill Rockhounding Site. Unfortunately, we only found a few very small gems, but we had a good time looking. Unlucky for us, the road leaving the rockhounding site punctured one of our tires, but luckily, we were so close to a town with options for getting it repaired and the incident didn't affect our trip. Benjamin watched the daily Nevada Northern Railway steam train departure while everyone else enjoyed some time at the hotel. Before leaving Nevada, we visited Great Basin National Park where we hiked the Sage Steppe Loop Trail along Strawberry Creek. The area had seen a somewhat recent wildfire which took away some of the scenic views, but we still had an enjoyable hike.
Benjamin spent a long weekend with family at The Mirage Casino & Resort in Las Vegas. While there, he attended a show by comedian Jim Jefferies, toured Madame Tussauds Wax Museum, watched the Bellagio Fountains and Mirage Volcano, and rode the High Roller Observation Wheel. He also enjoyed several nice meals at Smith & Wollensky Steakhouse, The Still, Chica, and the Rhumbar Lounge.
We spent a weekend in Nevada with Benjamin’s father visiting Great Basin National Park where we drove the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive, hiked the Sky Island Forest Trail, collected pinecones along Lehman Creek, and toured the visitor center. In Ely, we rode the Nevada Northern Railway through Robinson Canyon to the Ruth Copper Mine. We also toured the engine house, rail yard, shops, and East Ely Depot. Finally, we followed the route of the original Lincoln Highway and part of the Pony Express National Historic Trail to West Wendover.
At the end of the year, we drove through the northern part of Lake Mead National Recreation Area where we stopped to see Rogers Spring, hiked around the Redstone area (where Elizabeth enjoyed climbing on the rocks), and enjoyed the view from the Northshore Summit. We then met up with Benjamin’s father and sister to spend several days visiting Las Vegas.
Staying at the MGM Grand Resort on the Las Vegas Strip, we visited several attractions including the High Roller Observation Wheel, 'The Park,' the Bellagio Fountains, the Conservatory and Botanical Gardens at the Bellagio, the wildlife habitat at the Flamingo, and the Grand Canal Shoppes at the Venetian. We also enjoyed nice meals at Margaritaville and the Grand Wok, and we spent some money in the casino.
Before leaving town (after our family had already flown home), we also made a brief stop at Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area, then walked across the O'Callaghan-Tillman Bridge above the Hoover Dam.
Over Father’s Day weekend we drove to the Ruby Mountains district of Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest near Elko. In the forest, we drove the Lamoille Canyon Scenic Byway and hiked the Changing Canyon Nature Trail, which had an incredible array of wildflowers, a beaver dam, and waterfalls. We also hiked a few miles of the Ruby Crest Trail until we were stopped by snow at Dollar Lakes. The hike was beautiful, and the mountains gave us some nice relief from the heat. We returned to Elko for the night and had a nice meal at Blue Moon.
The next day we drove the Angel Lake Scenic Byway near Wells. The mountains were covered in some incredible wildflowers, and it was a beautiful drive. At the end of the byway, we spent some time taking in the scenery around Angel Lake and Willow Creek Falls.
We took a weekend trip to West Wendover where we stayed at the Montego Bay Resort and attended a special performance.
We spent a weekend with a friend in Las Vegas and toured the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement (the Mob Museum), walked Fremont Street where there were several Halloween concerts and events, and took a late-night tour through the Neon Museum and Boneyard where we saw many of the old Las Vegas signs and learned about the history of the city. We also toured the National Atomic Testing Museum, which is sponsored by the Smithsonian Institute, and Tiffany attended a concert.
We drove to southeastern Nevada where we hiked various trails through Cathedral Gorge State Park, Basin and Range National Monument, and Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge. We also stopped at the Alien Research Center.
We took a weekend trip to Las Vegas with Benjamin’s mom to attend a concert at the Coliseum at Caesar's Palace. We also visited Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area and attended mass at Guardian Angel Cathedral.
We took a weekend trip to West Wendover where we stayed at the Peppermill Resort and attended a concert.
We drove with a friend to Great Basin National Park where we hiked to the grove of Bristlecone Pines and toured Lehman Caves. In Ely, we rode the Nevada Northern Railway and toured the repair shop and museum. We also visited the Ward Charcoal Ovens State Park.
We drove west across Nevada, stopping in Elko to tour the California Trail Interpretive Center, and then stopping in Carson City to see the Nevada State Capitol. After Carson City, we drove around the southern half of Lake Tahoe and then back north to Reno. In Reno, we stayed at the Whitney Peak Resort and attended the annual 'Compression' fire and light festival. We also spent a night in Fallon before driving south through the state to Las Vegas.
In Las Vegas, we made a brief stop at the Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument then drove to the Hoover Dam where we walked across the Callaghan-Tillman Memorial Bridge and did some scenic driving through Lake Mead National Recreation Area. We also attended a show at the Luxor and spent several days attending a convention at the Rio All-Suites Resort.
We drove to West Wendover for a weekend of gambling at the Wendover Nugget and the Montego Bay. We also saw the Wendover Will statue.
We spent a weekend with friends in Las Vegas where we rode the High Roller Observation Wheel to see spectacular views of the Las Vegas Strip at night and had a fun meal at Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville. We also drove to Valley of Fire State Park and hiked the White Domes trail.
We drove to Nevada and visited Great Basin National Park where we hiked to a grove of 3,000-year-old Bristlecone Pine Trees, drove the scenic drive through the park, toured Lehman Caves, and attended a stargazing program.
We flew to Las Vegas to celebrate our 21st birthdays. While there, we stayed at the Stratosphere Hotel & Tower, drove through Lake Mead National Recreation Area, toured the Hoover Dam, visited the Bodies Exhibition at the Tropicana Hotel, toured the Ethel M Chocolate Factory & Cactus Garden, and visited the Star Trek Experience at the Las Vegas Hilton.
We also walked ‘the strip’ and explored many of the other hotels and resorts including Circus Circus, Treasure Island, Flamingo, Caesar's Palace, Paris, Bellagio, MGM Grand, New York-New York, Excalibur, and The Luxor.