We made a pilgrimage to the basement of Sandie's General Store in a building constructed in 1863...
...that housed the Virginia City Enterprise, the newspaper where a young Samuel Clemens discovered his writing talent and adopted the pen name of Mark Twain. Although much of the building itself was destroyed in a fire and rebuilt, the Enterprise offices in the basement were spared, including the press.
Further west we drove around Lake Tahoe, which is surrounded by the Sierra Nevadas. We drove around the lake on terrifying, narrow mountain roads, many with no shoulders or guardrails, but with spectacular views.
In Roughing It, Mark Twain wrote about Lake Tahoe: “The air up there in the clouds is very pure and fine, bracing and delicious. And why shouldn't it be? — it is the same the angels breathe.”
On our way north to Susanville, California, we encountered the Hallelujah Junction shoe tree...
...and...
For the next two days, we'll be in a remote location that may not have wi-fi.
TRAVEL TEASE: Mudpots, fumeroles and volcanoes
I'm glad you're driving those narrow mountain roads so I don't have to. But I can enjoy the views via your photos. I had forgotten that Mark Twain spent time in California--I tend to think of him as a Midwest boy.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, what's up with the shoe tree--why??
ReplyDeleteBut, why not? Actually, trying to answer that question ourselves, we found there are dozens of shoe trees throughout the US, including Chicago suburbs.
ReplyDelete