1920s vintage Nimbus motorcycle parked on C Street. Photo by Kevin KarlRigid and focused, I sat anxiously on the stool in front of the one armed bandit at the Delta Saloon. Any minute now… If you think this is leading to a big climax where I drop my last quarter in the slot machine and am suddenly driving home in a new convertible… well, the buck stops here. I was just waiting for my daughter to come out of the ladies powder room. I’m still a winner though, because we’re spending Father’s Day on the Comstock. With our hectic lifestyle, we’re rarely able to plan anything this far in advance, but several weeks ago we decided to have a barbecue lunch, then drive up Geiger Grade to Virginia City for one scoop of vanilla ice cream in a sugar cone with sprinkles on top. I’d call that a well planned taste of life’s simple pleasures.
Hopefully not a preview of her teenage years, Kenzie poses with one of Virginia City’s many photo props. Photo by Kevin KarlNo matter how many times we’ve been to V.C., when we arrived we still felt compelled to stroll up and down the wood planked walkways along C Street to absorb the vibe …“The way the West really was.” The people, places, critters, vehicles… always like a living museum in constant rotation. We invited our friend Julia from Timeless Treasures to pacify her sweet tooth up the street at Grandmas Fudge Factory. Even after several weeks of anticipation, my daughter stuck to her guns and ordered up—one scoop of vanilla ice cream in a sugar cone with sprinkles on top. Definitely a girl that knows what she wants. By the way, Grandma’s homemade sweets are so popular that they’ve made it more convenient for us city slickers to indulge by opening a kiosk in Meadowood Mall.
As we mosied past the Silver Queen Saloon & Hotel, my inner rhythm was awaken by the mellow sound of blues and rock emanating through from open doors. Once we stuck our nose inside for a peek, my daughter spotted the old yellow lab snuggled up to the foot rail of the bar. I knew we weren’t getting out of there any time soon. It didn’t take long until we were handed percussion devices and encouraged to join the band. The range and depth of musical talent in the area is pretty amazing, and if you were to examine the bios of some of the artist you’d be well impressed by some of their previous stints in the limelight. Still, the laid back style of Virginia City is where their passion for music shines. We had time to stick around for a few songs, then needed to start thinking about the twisty ride down the grade to home base.
Arrowleaf balsamroot and Applegates Paintbrush on the slopes of Mt. Davidson. Photo by Kevin KarlOn the way out of town we motored up one level to B Street, which offers a couple of access points to the Virginia Mountains where Mt. Davidson awaits up top (Look for the big “V” on the side of the hill when you’re coming into town). If you continue to the summit you would be presented with 360 degrees of vistas that include the Sierra-Nevada, Carson Range, Pine Nut Mountains, Stillwater Range, the “100 mile view,” surrounding valleys, and then some. On this day you can’t miss the fact that most of the hillsides are glowing with the warm yellow color of arrowleaf balsamroot, as well as other assorted wildflowers. In fact, this is the first time we’ve ever stumbled upon Applegates Yellow Paintbrush in Nevada outside the pages of a wildflower field guide.
All in all, we had a fun filled day packed into a small window of time. The variety of things to do and close proximity made V.C. the perfect venue for my sidekick and me to add another notch on our list of adventures. We’re already planning our next drive back up the grade.
To keep up on all the latest news and happenings in Virginia City, check out VirginiaCityNews.com.—Kevin Karl
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