Relaxing Tme with Friends. On to Nevada!

Hope Valley, CA
Scotts Creek NF


Back to our special place in Hope Valley.  A place we can relax before heading to other directions.  This is just southwest of Lake Tahoe in the National Forest.  Perfect boondocking for us.  On the edge of a meadow and forest, near several lakes and hiking trails.

We met up at the Walker Inn for dinner with good friends Mike and Rose and his cousin, Randy and June.  We just happened to be nearby.  We only get to see them every few years so it was special to see them.  We had a great dinner and then they were on there way on a motorcycle ride to Oregon and we were headed towards Reno.

 Look at the size of that slice!  Enough for all four of us!

Me, Rose and June. 

 Randy, Mike and Steve.  Dinner then we were on our separate ways.

Ok, so a couple days later, John & Tina showed up.  We are enjoying our time with them as they will be heading east after this and we won't see them for a year or two.

 Our first campfire together.  Amazingly they are still allowing them.  I have a permit.

 A little Port at our fire.  So nice!

 Ack!  Look at the size of this beetle!

 The next night Tina got the fire going!

 We enjoyed our hikes along the river and did a few geocaches that Tina hadn't found yet. My brother even came up for the day an we drove his Ranger up to Scotts Lake while John drove his motorcycle.

 Beaver dam.

 Our boondocking site.

The Aspens were showing off for us.  As much as we enjoyed our week here, it was time to move on.  John and Tina and us were headed for a few days at Washoe Lake State Park.  They now have added some electric but we took the non electric so we could be close to each other.

 Our site.

 Their site just down the road.

 We have a nice, large open site. Since we have solar, it's no problem.

 Tina gave me this nice pillow!  I love it!

 Some time at Shoe Tree Brewing in Carson City. 

 Lots of wild horses here at Lake Washoe State Park.

 One day Tina and I took a hike up to the overlook of the lake.  It follows the creek for a bit.

 Towards the top you get many nice views of Washoe Lake below.

 The gazebo at the top.

 Memorial stone we came upon at the top.

 Tina looking for a geocache.

 Washoe Lake in the background at the top.

 More wild horses at the bottom in the campground.

 Our last day we drove in to Carson City and took a tour at the state capitol building/museum.

 It's a very pretty state capitol in the middle of a park.

 The state of Nevada at it's doorstep.

 Sara Winnemucca, defender of Human Rights, author of the first book by a native woman. 

 Lots of minerals in Nevada.  So much to see here.  We had a great time.

 So much beautiful marble throughout.  The floors and walls.

 View of the top of the capitol.

 Model of the capitol.

 36 star flag representing the addition of Nevada as the 36th state in 1864. 

 It was a great visit and now we'll part ways for a week but meet up in Reno for the Italian Festival where John will be competing in the annual sauce cook-off.  Stay tuned!