March 26, 2017 - Tanya's Annual Trip to Park City - Day 7 - More Skiing in South Lake Tahoe & Nearby Virginia City

Elisa's Daily Scoop
NEXT TRIP DEPARTS IN: 17 DAYS

Virginia City, Nevada

HAPPY SUNDAY!! 

Cannot believe that this weekend is nearly over!  It went pretty fast, but it's still not over!

My day has some fun stuff ahead. Today, I am errand free (well, except for picking up some groceries at the supermarket) and therefore, will be having a totally enjoyable morning at the fitness center!  Yay!!!!

So what's on the agenda?

Well, first, I plan on getting to the gym and hitting the treadmill and the elliptical to do about four miles.

Next, I have a Yoga class, which I'm very excited about taking, since it's with the same instructor who teaches Meditation - a class I've already taken twice and LOVE!!

Want to know the best part??
I'M GOING ALONE!!! 

​I love my girls more than life itself, but I do need some time to myself to unwind and be alone.  So, this morning, while the girls are home doing their homework, I'll be working out and clearing my mind.

Now, I need to apologize for my blog post yesterday -- I misunderstood Tanya when she was telling me about her day yesterday - On Friday, she told me that she was "driving alongside the California Trail for most of their 600+ mile drive across Utah and Nevada.

She WASN'T actually going to the ​California Trail Interpretive Center.

In any case, I hope you enjoyed reading all about it.

Well, as for Tanya and Cosette, they spent their day on the slopes of South Lake Tahoe yesterday, where they will also be today!
Read all about their ski day yesterday in Tanya's blog today. ---->>>>

In light of their current location, I thought I would tell you about a nearby place to visit close to South Lake Tahoe...Virginia City.

VIRGINIA CITY, NEVADA (credit: wikipedia)

Virginia City is known as the home of the Comstock Lode and one of the largest mining camps west of Denver.

Today, its trusty wooden sidewalks carry visitors who come to see this real life bonanza as well as the icons known around the world.  

Let's take a look at this historic town's history:

Virginia City sprang up as a boomtown with the 1859 discovery of the Comstock Lode, the first major silver deposit discovery in the United States.

At that time, numerous mines opened and the city's population in the mid-1870s, at the boom's peak had an estimated 25,000 residents.

According to the official website, www.visitvirginiacitynv.com, 

"The 19th century mining bonanza turned Virginia City into the most important industrial city between Denver and San Francisco, and it turned destitute prospectors from all over the world into millionaires.

They built mansions, hospitals, churches, opera houses and schools, and imported furniture, fashions, and entertainment from Europe and the Orient. They helped finance the Civil War, and went on to build empires around the world. Among the finest examples is San Francisco, a city built with Comstock silver."

Unfortunately, the mines' output declined after 1878, and the city itself declined as a result. As of the 2010 Census the population of Virginia City was about 855.

Virginia City Fun Fact:
​There are 600 to 700 miles of tunnels under the Comstock. This is the same distance as
walking to San Francisco and back.

COMSTOCK HISTORY CENTER (credit: flickr)

Interestingly enough, in its heyday, Virginia City was "the place" for arts and culture with celebrities and famous people making it their destination.

In fact, the town had a Shakespearean theater, two newspapers (one of which is where Mark Twain began his famous writing career,) and an opera house.

Today, visitors can enjoy numerous activities and events throughout the year along with a multitude of museums, restaurants and shops. 

In fact there are 15 Museums in Virginia City!

• Comstock Gold Mill
• Comstock History Center
• Courthouse Slammer and County Museum
• Historic Fourth Ward School Museum & Archives »
• Julia Bulette Red Light Museum
• LEC #1 Comstock Firemen's Museum/NV State Firemen’s Museum »
• The Mackay Mansion »
• Mark Twain Museum at the Terriotorial Enterprise
• Marshall Mint Museum
• Pipers Opera House »
• St. Mary’s Art Center »
• Saint Mary's in the Mountains Catholic Church 
• Storey County Courthouse »
• The Washoe Club Haunted Museum
• The Way It Was Museum »

ANTIQUE CENTER OF VIRGINIA CITY (credit: visitvirginiacitynv.com)

There is also no lack of shopping with jewelry and stone stores, mercantile shops, antique & specialty shops, clothing and even old-time photo venues!

For the outdoorsy types, there's lots of hiking, camping, horseback riding, off-road, and bicycling available to enjoy. 

Anyway, last night, me and Kelsey had a movie marathon evening. First we watched The Proposal with Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds.  Of course, I cried!

Then, if that wasn't enough, at 10:30pm, we watched Something's Gotta Give with Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson, one of my favorite movies ever.  Could it be because it's about a more "mature" couple finding true love?? Anyway, I'm a hopeless (or perhaps hopeful) romantic. Cried again!! lol

Back to today...
Feels like Spring is on its way.  Thank goodness!  I'm determined to get into great shape by the time the summer arrives!! Thanks to my friend Fred who INSISTED that I join a gym for more reasons than one - it was one of the best decisions I've made in a long time.  Here's to my road to bikini-dom!

Hope you all have a great day!

-E
xoxo

Tanya's Daily Scoop
CURRENTLY TRAVELING IN:
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE

For the Love of Skiing

WOOHOO!

We did it! We skied in Tahoe for the 2016-17 season! 

For some of you it might seem trivial, I mean what's the big deal about skiing in Tahoe - I do it every year...

But this season has been different the resorts have been plummeted with snow (it's said to be the BEST SEASON since 1997-98, before we ever visited Lake Tahoe) and we've tried to hit the slopes and ski - but to no avail. The weather has had it's own agenda and it wasn't for us to be skiing. 
​
And then came yesterday...

Btw GREETINGS from South Lake Tahoe!

Let me rewind just a tad.

I had decided that instead of dealing with a rental shop to get Cosette skis, that we would have Ski Butlers come to us and deliver skis. 
​

What a glorious and awesome experience!

It was quick, easy and efficient. The customer service was top notch and the equipment fantastic.

​They fit Cosette, set the bindings, and had us ready to go all within 15 minutes!!

No muss, no fuss, I was super thrilled and the day had really been set off to a great start.

It's no wonder that they advertise having AWARD-WINNING Ski Rental Delivery!

I'll tell you one thing as long as the Ski Butlers are available - you won't find me trekking to any more rental shops ever again.

We then hopped on a shuttle to the slopes and we were off!

The weather was grand and the snow was some of the best that I've skied this season - which was a bit of a surprise to me...

It's March and I was really expecting so Spring like conditions (which aren't my favorite), but since it had snowed the night before and a few days earlier than that, the runs had an extra 14" making the total snowfall over 500" for this season!
​

During the shuttle ride over we actually got to chatting with a local snow boarded who was just in total awe of this season.   He had also given us a bit of his own history (I had asked a few questions which led us to this) and how he turned his life around from being on a path to become an Engineer to becoming a professional snow boarder.

On the short ride over he had also briefly told us about some of the places that he boards and how he usually only rides with skiers (because we are faster than snow boarders) and how they go to
"no fall zones" (off-piste of course) where if you fall - you die! 

Well although I don't fall much, I'm not into the idea of dying out here. So we'll stick to the resort and have our fun there!
​

While I was expecting the lines to be long and the resort to be crowded - it was a Saturday after-all. The lines really weren't all that bad and neither were the crowds. It was quite a lovely day.

In fact we skied much more that I had expected and with no breaks until finally having a late lunch.
I guess I shouldn't have been surprised that my legs were burning up by the end of the day - which pretty much never happens to me.

So I suppose I got even more than the usual great workout that you get on the slopes! Which is awesome!!    Because if you take a looksie on Elisa's column you'll see that she has a reminder on there for bikini season and that she has recently joined a gym.

Well as you know I have been a big fan of going to the gym for years upon years - probably since I was 18/19ish. Can you say lifetime member?! LOL
And my bikini season is coming a bit earlier than some - Hawaii is only 37 days away!!

So with that being said - all workouts are welcome and skiing is one heck of a workout.

Apart from burning up to 3,000 calories during six hours of skiing, you can lose up to five pounds of weight in a week, tone your stomach muscles, boost your immunity and even relieve depression!

Read more here:
THE BENEFITS OF SKIING

And to think - I loved skiing waaaay before knowing any of the benefits!

Anyhow since I mentioned Hawaii, I will mention that I finally purchased our flights as of last night.

Yup I'm going from the SNOW to the SAND!

But there are also 2 other trips that take place even before Hawaii...

MOAB, UTAH - departing in 11 days

LONDON, UK - departing in 22 days

Oh the fun just doesn't stop!!

Well my day of fun on the mountains is calling, so I must go.   Enjoy your Sunday!

-T