Out west there’s still lots of snow in March for an excursion to the slopes. The Lake Tahoe area is surrounded by lots of ski resorts. We took the hour drive from Reno, NV to Truckee, CA at the north end of the lake to visit Northstar.
I gave up skiing a few years ago, but my son and two of our grandkids are still active.
Here they are ready to hit the slopes
March is the tail end of the skiing season but all of the slopes were open.
You can see that with fewer skiers they had the slopes to themselves. They reported that the snow was a little wet but it didn’t stop them at all from enjoying their outing.
When they finally took their skis off, we went looking for a place to eat outdoors.
We found a nice dining area to enjoy the balmy weather
And the grandkids seemed to take to the pleasant temperatures.
Since our son lives in Reno, we’ve often had the chance to visit the areas around Lake Tahoe. The Northstar ski resort is one of them and I have a feeling that we’ll be back again.
Last year we found enough time to take two short vacations. The second one was in October which turned out to be a nice time to still enjoy the pleasant weather while avoiding the crowds.
Our itinerary was to visit our son and family in Reno, NV and then hop north to Grand Teton National Park and enjoy the outdoors. Our route to Reno was pretty straight forward – taking Interstate 80 for the first half of our trip.
Our home in Grand Rapids is a solid midwestern city. We’re used to the familiar surroundings – cities, farms and small factories. As we drove westward we could see changes to the scenery.
Black – Grand Rapids to Reno Red – Reno to Grand Tetons to Grand Rapids
A noticeable change in scenery as we travel west . Here’s a feed lot in Ogallala, Nebraska
Wyoming is known for its oil production. This is the huge Sinclair refinery.
Captivating rock formations line Interstate 80 near Green River, Wyoming
We took this selfie at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah.
This downtown sign shouts to us as we arrive in Reno.
Tall trees characterize the Sierras close to Reno
A long coastline at King’s Beach along Lake Tahoe
A paddle boarder enjoys the cool waters of Lake Tahoe.
Posing at a pier.
Leaving Reno we head towards Grand Teton National Park. We backtrack on I-80 for a short distance and then cut through southeastern Idaho. It’s a 700 mile drive through some very unpopulated high desert terrain.
This encourages wildlife to crossing the highway using the bridge.
This is a solar farm in Rogerson, Idaho
The Snake River passing through Swan Valley, Idaho
We took in a colorful morning sunrise in Grand Teton National Park
We captured this bugling elk near Jackson Lake in the Tetons
This lady was taking a drink from the pond near the Park Headquarters
We took in a serene view of the Tetons at String Lake
We took a short hike along the Snake River at Schwabachers Landing
We spotted this bald eagle overlooking the waters at Colter Bay in the Tetons
The iconic archway was decorated for the Christmas season in Jackson
From Jackson we made our way back to Grand Rapids happy to have 10 days of relaxation and outdoor recreation in the west.
I’ve made countless cross country trips by car usually traveling our Interstate Highway system. When I pass by a “strange” name, I’ll jot the name down and do some research on the place when I return home.
One of these places is Beowawe.
Bewawe is located in eastern Nevada a few miles south of Interstate 80.
Some say that its name is derived from the Paiute language who inhabited the area and means gate. But there are several other interesting and humorous tales about the origin of the town’s name which you can read here.
In the late 1800s, nearby mining operations sent the ore to Beowawe for shipment by rail. The railroad also brought supplies for the ranching operations. For decades it remained a small town to support the nearby ranching industry.
During the 1940s and 1950s several visits by the USGS to examine the hot springs and geysers in the Whirlwind Valley area where Beowawe is located. Researcher Nell Murbarger discovered that this “remote pocket in the mountains of north central Nevada with a colorful terrace and boiling pools provide an amazing spectacle for the few people who venture over the treacherous road that leads to this spot.”
Geyser Field in Whirlwind Valley, Bewawe – Photo Credit: Oleh Melnyk, 1978
In the late 1950s tests were conducted to determine if these natural hydrothermal features were capable of generating electrical power. Consequently a plant was built to capture the hot water and steam. Unfortunately the geysers of Whirlwind Valley disappeared with the plant’s construction.
Photo Credit: “Plazak, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia CommonsResources: Murbarger, Nell, “Geysers of Whirlwind Valley” Desert Magazine, January 1956, Vol. 18, Issue 1. To visit Beowawe take exit 261 off of I-80 and drive a few miles south.
Still Interested?
Here are a few more places that you may never have heard of –
