Lake Tahoe
Having grown up with a love of big sky, open spaces and rugged terrain, I love visiting Reno and Lake Tahoe every summer with my family. Lots of people like to visit Tahoe in winter for snow and skiing, but I prefer Tahoe in the summer when we can swim, hike, and explore the old ghost towns that dot Nevada. In many ways Nevada is still very much part of the Wild West. You can get married and divorced in a hurry, and gamble legally. Some of the Westís biggest rodeos are held in Nevada, and the biggest of them all, the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Associationís National Finals, takes place in Las Vegas every December. As you can tell from my book, The Secret, I love Central Nevada and these are some of my favorite places to visit:  North Shore- Lake Tahoe/Incline Village
When we visit Lake Tahoe we stay at my motherís condo in Incline Village and weíre just a 1/4 mile from The Ponderosa, but even if the Ponderosa Ranch were an hour away, weíd still visit every year. The boys adore the Haywagon Breakfast, the variety & Wild West shows, petting farm, and shops stocking all kinds of western gear. I love the tour of the Cartwrightsí Ranch House and okay, I confess, I also enjoy the sexy cowboys in the Wild West shows. The Ponderosa is open Mid-April thru October. Visit www.ponderosaranch.com for more information. Ponderosa photos below.
The boys love playing 'Western Town' and we never miss the Ponderosa.
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Lake Tahoe itself. My little boys love the beach parks and we swim every day -- rain or shine. The water ís cold, and on the North Shore the wind picks up around 4 pm, but itís
so beautiful, we just bundle up and enjoy anyway.
Everyone should take the tram to the top of Heavenly
at least once. Itís about 15 minutes or so to the top,
and the incredible view and cool, crisp, pine-scented air is
worth every penny. At 10,000 feet, youíre definitely
in another world.
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Cowboy Cal performing at one the Ponderosa's terrific Wild West shows.
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Virginia City
Those Cartwrights from the Bonanza series were always visiting Virginia City, and you can go there, too. Itís not much more than a blip on the map today, but in the early 1860s, 15,000 people lived there -- most miners hoping to strike it rich -- and if you like history and historical novels, youíll love walking the old streets and getting a glimpse of how life used to be.
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| Lake Tahoe's beaches are
spectacular. |
Reno
Reno’s enjoyed an economic boom and the city’s thriving. Downtown you’ll find all the big casinos, as well as handsome city parks and turn of the century brick buildings. Every June there’s a big Reno Round-Up Rodeo, and you can call the Reno-Tahoe Visitors Center (702-348-7788) to get more information.
Reno also has one of the best museums in the West. You can spend hours at Nevada State Historical Society Museum. The exhibits, photographs and artifacts are fascinating. (702) 688-1190
Truckee
When we drive from Tahoe to Reno, we like to make a stop in historic Truckee with its quaint downtown. This year when we visited Truckee we spent an afternoon at The Donner Party Museum. The Donner Party was a doomed wagon train trying to cross the Sierra Nevadas in 1846-1847. The Museum has exhibits, a twenty minute film, memorials, and trails leading to the former cabin sites. Visiting the museum is a bit eerie, but it’s a stark reminder that “heading West” was not an easy thing to do.
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Tahoe
