Friday 10th October
A great way to start the day was having breakfast overlooking the lake (once again) and it is a sight that you could never tire of. We watched a hot air balloon being launched from the middle of the lake on a pontoon.
Today we set off on a drive on the western side of the lake and then took a detour via Carson City and Reno in Nevada before trekking back into California and onto Nevada City. This is another “wild west” gold mining town but interestingly it has become very popular with the young hippie (yes, that is what the locals call them) culture. So much so that the shops even reflect that. There are a number of art shops, a few antique houses and lots of shops selling imports from around the world. The incense wafting from the many shops is the give-away as to what lies beyond the threshold.
We did come across some interesting evidence of the mining days of old, including a very large specimen of drill core which was 5 feet in diameter.
We hung out at a local boutique brewery/pizza bar. For a town that is the quarter of the size of Charters Towers it is certainly buzzing with a very hip crowd. The locals (and not the hippies) obviously love the brewery bar (The Three Forks) as we did and the pizza was pretty good too.
We are staying in The Parsonage B&B right in the main street of this mid 1800’s town.
