I wish I were a cowboy, baaabyyyy

I forgot my camera. And believe me, this was not a time to forget it.

Ev and I drove over to Virginia City this weekend, and wow - what an experience. It's an old west towne (yes, with an 'E'), and they were taking it all way too seriously. Half of the tourists, and all of the locals had long, slicked back hair, leather hats, chaps and spurs (and walked in the "just off a horse" stroll); and whether or not they were wearing the getup, just about everyone was slinging a pistol or two.

Apparently, Mark Twain wrote about this townE at some point, so everything there bore either his name, or had "BONANZA" strewn across it (filmed in at the nearby Lake Tahoe). Because we're in Nevada, if it wasn't a museum, it was a bar - and if it was a bar, it was also a casino. The whole townE is basically on one side of the street, perched on the side of a mountain, making for some beautiful vistas out of every casino/bar door down the magnificent valleys. And, because it is on the side of a mountain, there was even a mine tour leaving from the back of one of the bars. The whole townE had the traditional, rustic covered boardwalk in front of all the stores, that clicked with every cowboy boot that struck it.

Interestingly, some nearby mines made upwards of 180Million in gold, silver and iron; but this mine in this town made a total of 438 DOLLARS over the course of the entire time they worked it.

Anywho, because we were in an old west townE, something about the sound of all the spurs and the ONE resident horse we saw, made us want to take some old west photos. So the three of us got all gussied up like gun-slinging bank robbers (except Elsie, who looked so precious in her little old-time gown) and we got our sepia on.

It was a perfect day, and Elsie did SO well all day - just as amused looking at all the ridiculous get-ups as we were. We stopped by an old fudge store, too, and got some ice cream and divinity (which was indeed divine). And on the way home, enjoyed some truly magnificent views of all of Reno from the hills. This townE, although it's only about half an hour away, is really in the middle of nowhere; and I have no idea why anyone would have chosen to settle there. There wasn't even a water source except for all the booze. And it occurred to me that I wonder how anybody traveling through would even FIND this little street up in the highlands? Maybe that's why it has so much charm, and was never really modernized?

If you ever decide to go, it's definitely worth your time to experience it. Especially if you like to see people with no life look like mazda-driving cowboy wannabes.