Another early start to get Stan packed and sorted.  I work on the blog and my route to get to Jimmy’s place in Minden, Nevada.

I say farewell to Bill by cooking up a storm – smashed avocado on toast with poached eggs.  I think I am slowly changing America with by the way I am showing them how to cook eggs.

Stan fires up and we manage to get back down the driveway without falling off a cliff.  It is still early morning and the air is cool and crisp as I ride towards Napa Valley;

I go through a few smaller towns and enjoy the scenery;

Just as I was nearing Sacramento I had a wake up call when I piece of cardboard flew off the back of a truck that was ahead of me and sailed past my head.  There was nothing in it but it reminded me not to sit  behind anyone who was carrying any sort of cargo – in 2017 I had a garbage bag nearly take me out which was a hell of a lot more scary than this one.

I rode up beside the driver and motioned to him that something had blown off the back of his tray but all he did was give me a stupid look and kept going.  I decided the best thing was just to keep ahead of him given that his tie down straps were flapping in the wind and his cargo boxes were moving all over the tray.  God help anyone else behind him.

From Sacramento on the temp starts to climb to the high 30’s and it becomes quite hot to be riding.  Thankfully it does not last too long as I get to Eldorado State Forest and with the higher altitude it drops 10’c and riding is fun again;

I get on Highway 88 and the ride through the mountains becomes sensational – I even spend time riding beside a river;

Its seems weird to be riding in warm conditions but still see ice capped mountains;

Just before Minden I cross the border into Nevada;

Minden is a town of around 3,000 located in a valley that is surrounded by a mountain range.  I am surprised to find how green everything is and that it is prime cattle country.

I ride through town and a further 6 miles before I get to Jim’s house.  Jim had heard me coming and had the roller door up so I ride Stan straight in and park him in the shade.  Introductions are done and I meet Jim’s wife Denise.

Jim takes me to my ‘room’ which is known as Casita (Spanish for little house).  I can’t believe how nice everything is – the house is only a couple of years old and huge.  My room is easily far better than any of the hotel rooms I have stayed in on the trip.  The house also has million dollar views of the valley below;

I unpack and have a shower to cool down.  I then go and meet Jon and Matt who are Jim’s mates that have come over.  Jon turns out to be a real character – he is a Vietnam vet who is in his early 70’s.  Jon is an officer in  County Sheriffs Office but previously worked in Oakland (even I know Oakland’s reputation).  I get a look at Jim’s gun collection (80+);

Jim, Denise, Jon and I then drive over to nearby Gardnerville for dinner at Julio’s Restaurant.  Jim knows the chef who came out to have a chat with us – I had one of the best salmon meals in my life.

Back at the house we sit around the fire pit and enjoy the view.  It ends up being a very late night I don’t get to bed until 1:00 am.

The next morning is pretty relaxed and I have a slow start to the day.  Around midday Jim drives Steve and I over to Virgina City –  an old wild west mining town.  On the way over we pass the ‘Bunny Ranch’ and as you would guess they don’t farm rabbits.  We have lunch at the Red Dog Saloon;

Jim tells me the story of Julia Bulette who was working as prostitute when she was brutally murdered in the Hotel in 1867.  A french drifter was immediately locked up for the murder and hung about a year later.  The drifter maintained his innocence but the locals wanted blood.

Bulette was hugely popular with the miners and she had the largest ever funerals seen at the time which was much to the annoyance of the local women.  She was initially buried in the ‘reputable’ cemetery but the women were outraged so she had to be dug up and moved to where the criminals and outcasts were.  

After lunch it was across the road to the Bucket of Blood Saloon where the boys had a beer at the bar;

Whilst looking around the town I find this plaque outside one of the old buildings which long ago was the newspaper office;

The town was really interesting and it was not hard to imagine what it would have been like in the wild west days;

On the way back home we were lucky enough to see some wild horses grazing;

Back at home I have a 30 min nap to recharge.  A bit later in the day Jon takes me down to his house and shows me his 200 gun collection that is kept in 2 gigantic safes;

Jon shows me his .50 cal sniper rifle that is so heavy I could hardly lift it.  It takes a shell that looks like it should be shot out of a cannon;

Sitting in the garage is a classic that Jon bought new back in the 1960’s;

We head back to Jim’s place and have a great dinner of ribs/beans that Jim had been smoking all afternoon.  It was lucky I had a nap as the night turns out to be bigger than yesterday’s effort and we don’t call it quits until 2 am.  If I keep this up I will not have to worry about going to bed!

Next morning is another slow start and I later get taken out to lunch.  On the way back we go for a bit of a drive around the country side.  I work on the blog draft to try and catch up from being a couple of days behind.

Jim takes me out in the desert behind his house for a roar around in the ‘General’.  I could not stop laughing as we were tearing up goat tracks with Johnny Cash blaring out of the stereo;

The desert scenery was spectacular.  The guys are lucky as they have a massive play ground on their back doorstep.  Locals can explore hundreds of square miles on dirt bikes or in their buggies.  

Around 5 we head over to Carson City as Jim and Denise have bought tickets to the street food party that is held as a fundraiser for Domestic Violence programs.  Carson City has a population of 55k and is the capital of Nevada – lot of history and old buildings.   We have a great time;

Back at home we have a quiet night as I think we have all run out of steam.  I actually make it to bed by 10!

For breakfast next morning we head over to the Cowboy Cafe in Minden.  It is a bit of a wait to get a seat as it is packed out.  As the name suggests its a real cowboy diner and all of the locals are in cowboy gear.  The walls of the restaurant have pictures from John Wayne to the Lone Ranger.  I order my standard bacon and eggs but Jim has the banana pancake special for $10 – it comes out with banana on top of his pancakes but also 2 friend eggs and bacon (my breakfast is a side on his).

Jim and Denise then take me for a look at Lake Tahoe.  I had no idea just how big this lake is and it is a 72 mile drive to get around it.  The population is 65k but it is jammed packed with tourists who are enjoying water sports and hiking.  The drive was great;

Jim pulls into the carpark of Garwoods Restaurant as he wants me to try a ‘Wet Woody’s’ which is a legendary drink made up of rum.  We couldn’t believe our luck when we found a carpark right next to the entrance door (parks are an absolute premium).  I end up only having a taste of Denise’s drink given how potent they looked.  We continue around the lake;

We go past the south bank of the lake and I cannot believe how developed it is with several very large Casino’s and other shopping precincts.  I would certainly consider coming back at another time for a closer look.

Our final stop on the way home is at the ‘Old Genoa Bar’ in Genoa.  It is the oldest saloon in Nevada and very popular with the Harley Davidson riders;

The crowd is so cool even the dogs have sunglasses.  The bar is packed and in full swing – the band outside is playing ZZ Top and everyone is getting into it.  I pull out my camera to take the photos and Jim sees one of the older bikie girls waving at me.  Jim goes over and tells her I am from Australia and next minute she has her top over her head and flashing her breasts.  I gave her a 10 for effort but unfortunately gravity had taken its toll over the years and I will now spend the next several weeks trying to erase the memory.

We have a laugh and head home.  All up the trip took 6 hours which is funny as when Jim told me we were going up to the lake I thought it would take about an hour.  I can see why it is so popular for locals as well as tourists.

I get further spoilt when Jim and Denise cook me a Salmon dish for tea.  I think it was a result of me raving about the one I had at Julio’s.  These guys have been great hosts and I can’t wait to get a hold of them when they come out to Australia in 2021.  I will be calling on big Mick to have a drink with Jim as I have a score to settle.  

Next up I am heading to Arcata (California coast) to catch up with a mate who I stayed with in 2017.  It is going to be a big day as most states are experiencing a heat wave and I have a 7 hour ride!

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