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8 am another ginormous breakfast Katie’s Country Kitchen Carson Valley Inn
Today we order the “special” ham/eggs breakfast and surprisingly get a 1/2″ thick ham slice that covers the entire plate. We noticed other diners consuming the entire platter but for us this is a take-home sized meal….eat half, take the rest home. Our take home yielded two ham sandwiches and a dinner for two! A real value meal.
9 am attend morning Soaring pilot briefing SoaringNV
The Soaring Society of America’s 18 meter nationals competition being hosted at the Minden-Tahoe, Nevada airport requires pilots and their assistants to attend a daily briefing held in a vacant hanger. Pilots, mostly men, sit in a crescent of chairs facing a large screen. Various speakers address the group discussing today’s weather patterns, routes and rules, safety procedures and possible landing sites in case of emergencies. It’s the race’s first time back on the West Coast in several years. These amazing sailplanes are racing daily out of the Carson Valley riding the thermals created by the area’s unique geography. Here are the rules for this race in the clouds.
10:30 am Soaring experience
Experiencing this exciting sport is possible for visitors who want to see the world from a whole new perspective and feel the sky. Joe is going up, while Mary observes/documents. Flight Instructor Elizabeth Tattersall guides from the back seat. (An instructor, she is also an Episcopal Church priest. Want to get married in a glider? Talk to her.) We drive out to the parked glider. A waiting flight line crew helps set up the flight. Joe gets fitted into the front seat, controls are reviewed, Elizabeth climbs into the rear. A video camera is fixed to the right wing to record the flight. Everything ready, the canopy comes down enclosing both flyers. The flight line crew rolls out the glider and attaches the tow line from the waiting small plane. Very quickly the glider is towed upward. When proper height is reached, Joe releases the tow line. Now they ride the thermals! See video of the flight recorded by the camera here. The challenge and fun is finding them, controlling the glider to make the most of the energy aloft and to find another thermal when the first one runs out. While competing pilots complete their courses you can spend the day experiencing all that Carson Valley has to offer, then join the wrap up as pilots tell their adventures of the day.
noon follow Carson Valley Days celebration
Carson Valley Days, celebrated for 5 days in all the historic towns, showcases small-town USA featuring a parade, carnival, concerts and a variety of unique activities that have been a tradition for over 100 years. We return to Genoa where the Courthouse Museum (1865), Mormon Station State Park, and all of downtown is open. At the firehouse a party is in full swing. Performers decked in western garb stand on a flat bed, strumming and singing, to entertain the folks. Inside, tables are set for the barbecue, balloons fly. Neighbors and old friends chat away while the kids play chasing games.
Down the street, families are lunching outdoors at the Genoa Country Store’s courtyard. For those who prefer eating indoors, chess boards and pieces are set out so you can play as you munch! We’d heard about La Ferme Restaurant and stop by hoping to have lunch there. Only dinner is served so we are too early…but do have a chance to glance at the menu (outstanding) and check out the Gillis’ Menagerie Boutique (quirky European antiques). Better luck at the oldest bar in Carson Valley. Some say the dust is 160 years old. Like most western bars we’ve been to this one has decor reminders of the by-gone eras since its inception…old hats, photos, saddles, tools, bottles, juke box, pool table, antique mirror above the bar (made from diamond dust)…and more. Beer, nice and cold.
Head back to Minden for a final look-see at one of the younger towns – the result of one man’s vision. Established 1906 as a freight and passenger terminal for the V&T railroad to enable H.F.Dangberg to get livestock to market. Dangberg, the town’s founder, planned and designed a village community of neatly ordered streets and town square. The concept, rooted in German heritage, separated business and residential areas but allowed easy access between them. The town square was envisioned as a focal point of the community. Trees would be planted all along neighborhood streets. The plan received a unanimous vote from the city council and building began. The historic character, the essence of the town’s heritage and quality of life have been preserved in the many interesting buildings that can be seen and visited today: Minden Flour Milling Co, Minden Creamery, Minden Wool Warehouse, Minden Dry Goods, Minden Park. The Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park preserves a chapter in Nevada ranching history. Home to four generations of Dangbergs, there are 8 structures, built between 1857-1917. Reservations required.
Classic Cars owners showing them off at Tahoe Ridge Winery We stop for the cars and wine before going home. Another clear beautiful day. Valley is full of sunlight. Mountains shimmer. Long grasses sway gently. Grazing cattle oblivious to the beauty but seem to enjoy the tranquility.
We don’t want to leave but time to gas up and head home. Pleasant memories and details of this amazing valley float with us all the way back.
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