When you take off and head north from LV, and stay on the main highways, you can see nothing but miles and miles of nothing but miles and miles.

Many years ago, I went to visit a friend on a ranch, just a few miles North of Vegas. I couldn't tell you now, how to get there, but I believe it was close to the town of Beatty.This place was amazing to me.

It was just a desert farm, but several times one of the tractors had just dropped into a hole. Not a visable hole, they would just be driving across a field when suddenly they would sink down to their hubs in mud or quick sand which would be covered up by a foot or two of dry soil. Apparently a lot of the land through the center of Nevada is swamp-like, but it is underground.

On this farm, there was a little cave in a rock formation. When I say little, I mean just that. The visible hole was just about large enough for one large man to get into. In this cave, was a water hole. I was told that this water hole was bottomless. They told me that a couple of divers had gone in, and never came out. (???) There was a local opinion that this little underground cave could go as far as Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. There was also, in the water, a small blind fish that had never been found anywhere else. Now, when I read the tourist information about Nevada, I find that there is a place called "Devils Hole" and it is somewhere near Beatty, and it contains the endangered "pup fish". Hmmmmm.

Next door to this farm, there was another interesting place. I believe it was called "seven springs ranch". It was what we called in those days, a "cat house". Very exclusive, very elegant, a regular "resort" out in the middle of no-where. I was invited to spend the night there and tour the facilities. (just as a guest mind you, not a "participant"). I didn't. I was too chicken. Too bad.

All along the empty looking central part of Nevada, are scattered big old family ranches, mines, ghost towns, state parks, etc. The towns have names like Gold Point, Belmont, Hot Creek, Yerington, Hawthorne, Gabbs, Tonopah, and Pahrump. Pahrump has a winery. Yearington is a ranch town. Tonopah is the center of mining country.

Fort Churchill State Park contains an old civil war fort, which was once a pony express station. And Highway 395 is known as the "exraterrestrial highway" a favorite gathering place for UFO watchers.

Now we come to the Lake Tahoe, Carson City, Reno area. Remember these guys?

Yep! Bonanza.

The Bonanza ranch is near Lake Tahoe. It is a must to visit if you are in the area. You get to see the ranch house and lots more, including a wonderful classic car collection. They also provide a breakfast hayride.

LAKE TAHOE

has breath taking scenery. If you drive over from northern California, you can drive across the famous "Donner Pass" named for the ill-fated Donner wagon train. It is a little scary in a car, in good weather. Sure would have hated to try it in a covered wagon.

Along with all the water sports, there are casinos lining the eastern shore of the lake, and in the winter you can find some of the world's best skiing.

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Then a little to the east of

Lake Tahoe,

we come to

Carson City

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