Welcome to Nevada

We left for Nevada on Saturday, July 22. When we landed in Reno we had been flying for more than 10 hours, but due to the time change it was still early and we arrived to a beautiful, sunny day. The drive to the resort was easy, about 45 minutes and we were impressed by the beauty of the mountains (snow capped, even in the extreme heat) and the wide open plains of the Carson Valley. Our resort was situated at the foot of the mountains overlooking the valley. There was a very large ranch nearby, with a huge population of beautiful, very happy cattle who spent their days munching grass, wading in the streams and having "morning meetings" during which they gathered in tight groups early in the morning--we guessed that they were deciding which part of the acreage they would spend their day in. The resort was built in 1862 during the Civil War. David Walley found that his property held seven natural hot springs, and developed the resort for travelers looking to soak in their therapeutic waters. There are pictures of early vacationers making their way there, by horse and wagon. Some of the original structures are still there; the restaurant was one of the original buildings, and there is one small brick cabin that was original but has been restored. A fire early in the century destroyed most of the resort's buildings but those made of stone at least partially survived. The amenities are wonderful, and the hot springs are now fully modern outdoor hot tubs/spas set on the locations of the first natural hot springs. All the hot tubs are fed from the underground hot springs, so they are mineralized and have varying temperatures. There are also two large regular pools and a beautiful full service spa offering massages of various kinds and other services. Since we were tired from the trip, we made dinner at home (we stopped at a supermarket on our way, knowing we wouldn't want to go out again) and called it a day.