Wild West Adventure

There's a reason that Nevada is called the 'Silver State'. Silver, gold, and other kinds of mining are what this state was built on. Today, we got a taste of this heritage as we took a drive through some of Nevada's first towns.
Our first stop was in Genoa, an unknown little town that is actually Nevada's first settlement. More importantly, today's Genoa seems to be a favorite speedtrap spot for the Nevada Highway Patrol. While there, we saw four patrol cars stop about nine drivers.
Next, we explored old town Carson City, Nevada's State Capital. The old town is a blessing in a city that is otherwise an ugly example of modern city development -- suburbs and strip malls.
The old town is not all it has going for it, however. The green pastures of the Carson Valley and dramatic and lofty Sierra Nevada peaks that rise abruptly and sharply from the plains are a sight to behold.
Finally, we made it to Virginia City, one of the west's most famous historic mining towns. Wow! The setting, the buildings, and the fact that this town has virtually seen no growth since the end of the gold and silver rush in these hills, makes it a perfect place in which to get transported back in time to the days of the Wild West. Unfortunately, most of the historic store fronts along the boardwalk are not tacky tourist shops. This city could do well to take some advice from other historic towns which preserve a portion of the historic quarter as an untouched, open air museum. Still, it was a fantastic visit. Giddy up.