<– Day 34 – Apr. 22nd: Old Town Sacramento | OVERVIEW | Day 36 – Apr. 24th: ‘Tire’d of Reno –>
Southern end of Lake Tahoe.
Reno was our goal on Wednesday, but not before a few stops along the way.
Wednesday’s drive from Sacramento through the beautiful Sierra mountains to Reno, Nevada.
We started by taking I-80 east, turning off at Auburn, then following highway 49/193 as it wound into the Sierras towards Georgetown, the western gateway to the Rubicon Trail. The drive is delightful, with trees, valleys and mountains all around. Many of the turns are tight and slow, but we weren’t in a hurry.
This huge statue commemorating the Chinese is much taller than the rail car behind it. Cool sculpture!
We knew we’d arrived at the right location when we spotted a “Jeep Jamboree USA” building. We hopped out and peered in the windows. Nobody was home, but there were several vehicles, including Mark Smith’s green CJ-3A and yellow Jeepster. We would have taken photos, but the glass was kind of dark.
Me looking in the window at a CJ-3A and Jeepster housed at the Jeep Jamboree USA building.
As we pondered the vehicles inside the building, a truck pulled up near us. The driver got out and he too peered into the windows. We got to talking and it turned out he was a retail rep for YETI coolers named JD Holt. He handles the area south of the Oregon border all the way to Bakersfield. He explained that YETI is trying to penetrate the Northwest better. I explained that sounded like some of my readers would appreciate. After some discussion, he told me he’d set me up with a cooler at good price so I could test and report on it. Sounded like a deal to me, so we’ll be arranging that after we return home [Ed Note: I never did hear from him … we ended up buying a Bison Cooler, which has since changed company names].
JD telling me about the YETI coolers.
Close up of the YETI.
With nothing happening at the Jeep Jamboree USA building, we drove a little farther until we found downtown Georgetown. Hanging from one of the stores was a sign that read “Jeepers Jamboree“. I thought it was part of Mark Smith’s organization, but I was wrong. What I didn’t know is that there are two different groups organizing events along Rubicon. This year the Jeepers Jamboree holds its 62nd Jamboree (July 24-27th), while Jeep Jamboree USA holds its 36th annual event (August 1-3).
From Georgetown, we drove to Placerville where we visited the El Dorado County Historical Museum. The museum had a couple items, including a very old popcorn machine. Another interesting item was one of Studebaker’s first wheelbarrows (for lack of a better description) and several of his wagons. I don’t remember a reference to the wheelbarrows during our 2013 visit to the Studebaker Museum.
A very enthusiastic, but not so knowledgable, docent tried to help out with our tour. She escorted us with a handful of notes, referring to them often. She tried to point stuff out to us, but we politely would shake our head and then explain some new fact she didn’t know. She asked how we knew so much and we told her that much of this stuff was still hanging around my parent’s house. I don’t think she took us seriously.
Following the museum, we discovered the Placerville Natural Foods Co-op. While not the largest or most fully stocked co-op I’ve ever seen, they did have four types of eggs for sale: chicken, duck, turkey and goose. Oh, I wished we had been camping tonight. I would have made some wonderful basted eggs! Alas, I had to leave with any eggs :-(.
They had some good food at their small deli.
This is ‘eggxactly’ the type of egg selection I wish I had in Pasco! Duck, Turkey, Goose and Chicken.
We decided it was too late to drive down to see Sutter’s Mill (about a half hour south of us), so we headed for Lake Tahoe. The drive was postcard perfect1
Lake Tahoe was beautiful as well.
Ann braved the cold water with her toes. She didn’t last long.
From Tahoe we quickly dropped down into the Nevada desert until we reached Carson City. There we saw the Nevada State Museum. It was closed by the time we arrived. It looked promising enough that after Reno we plan to explore Virginia City and Carson City some more.
Tomorrow we explore the National Automotive Museum, which just happens to be having a special WWII exhibit. It sounds promising!
<– Day 34 – Apr. 22nd: Old Town Sacramento | OVERVIEW | Day 36 – Apr. 24th: ‘Tire’d of Reno –>
Dave, is there a noticable difference in taste between the different kinds of eggs?
Would you use one kind of eggs in one dish but not another?
Well, this discussion deserves a larger response, but we are about to head out the door. So,
I have yet to try the turkey egg, but if it is like the duck and goose, there is more flavor in the cooked albumen and the yolks are likely more golden, richer and slightly thicker. The raw albumens are thicker and more useful in home-made chocolate moose and other items that require whipped egg whites.
I used to purchase duck eggs exclusively in Idaho. They tasted much better than the locally raised chickens and far better than the commercial eggs. In fact, I don’t really care for chicken as much. But, duck eggs are hard to find in most areas.
We also get a lot of chicken eggs from my sister, whose eggs graze on bugs, feed and anything else they can find. Their yolks are superior in color and their albumen thicker than the ‘cage free’, vegetarian eggs in the stores. And, don’t get me started on the senselessness of raising vegetarian chickens . . .
I have several cookbooks from the 1930s that show egg grades. The chicken eggs we currently produce commercial are no where near the Grade A that is put on the boxes based on those old cookbooks.
So, there is a significant different in egg quality between the commercial chicken eggs and the locally raised Duck/Turkey/Goose. But I believe this will only be the case if the animals are raised appropriately.
– Dave
A friend of mine has Emu eggs, but it reminds me too much of Jurassic Park, so I’m not interested in making an omelet out of one. (lol)
South Tahoe is one place I don’t travel to often enough. It’s a beautiful place I need to visit again. Ann was brave even to put her toes in that freezing cold lake water. Usually there’s more snow on the mountain tops, but there is less than average precipitation in the Sierra’s this year.
You didn’t miss anything by passing Sutter’s Mill. It’s a cool place, but only to say you’ve been where the Western Gold Rush started in 1849. Interesting old building and museums there, but they are much like others you will see in your travels. You can stop by another day when you have more time.
**Steve E.**