Dotty's Casino - Stateline, Nevada

Dotty's is the most bizarre casino I have ever been. It's like stepping into your grandma's attic with a bunch of slot machines thrown in. There are artificial plants and flowers, painted milk cans, ceramic figurines, and  other kinds of stuff that your grandma might have collected. There is a fake fireplace with four overstuffed chairs in front of it to sit and relax in. There are tables and chairs with gingham and floral printed tablecloths scattered through the building.

Tracy spent some time talking with a couple of employees, Tara and Athena, and found out Dotty's is a chain, with several locations in Carson City, Las Vegas, and a over Nevada, and one location somewhere in Oregon. She learned the casinos are named after the owner's dog. They are also so old-fashioned, they don't have a website.

However, we learned that Athena sings in a band and their website is www.workinminerva.com. 

Here are Tara, Athena, and Tracy in front of the fireplace:

Eagle Falls

Eagle Creek feeds into Emerald Bay. There is a parking area and picnic area at the base of the trailhead. The trail up to the falls is a bit strenuous, up lots of rock steps, but it is worth it to take the hike up. 

The view down to Emerald Bay and Lake Tahoe:

Here are Nick and Dylan up near the falls:

Inspiration Point

The Inspiration Point Overlooks has great views of Lake Tahoe's Emerald Bay. 

Harrah's Tahoe

We have a huge room here at Harrah's Tahoe. What you don't see in the picture is that we also have two full bathrooms; one with a shower and one with a tub and shower. We also have a nice view of the southwest part of Lake Tahoe. We are quite pleased!

Peddler Hill Overlook

We are on Hwy 88 at over 6000 feet in elevation. 

Indian Grinding Rock State Park

Indian Grinding Rock State Park is located just off Highway 88 near the town of Pine Grove. The grinding rock here is the largest grinding rock found in North America. Unfortunately, the museum is only open Fridays through Mondays, so we were unable to visit it.

Chae'se - Grinding Rock

U' macha - traditional Miwok homes

Hub'ge - Miwok Roundhouse

Mo'lla - Valley Oak - I don't think I have ever seen an oak tree with such a large trunk!

Clements Ridge

One of the great things about taking road trips like this is getting to stop at little places you see alongside the road. We found a really nice fruit stand just outside of Clements on Highway 88 called Clements Ridge. It's a family farm that opened up the fruit stand to sell produce grown on their farm. In addition to fresh produce, they have a bakery and wine tasting. You can even buy frozen pies to take and bake at home! I do suggest stopping here if you're on anywhere in the area. www.clementsridge.com

Extra Traveller

Nick didn't fail… here's a picture of our little extra traveler he snuck onto a door handle. Unfortunately, he didn't even make it all the way to Fresno.

Meet the Morgan's

The Morgan family are regular traveling companions of mine. Tracy, the mom, is my nonsexual soulmate… an extremely good friend who has very much the same mindset as me. Nick is her oldest boy and is 14. Dylan is nine years old. 

Tracy is really very easy to travel with. I just have to pull up to her front door and say get in the car, and she'll go anywhere with me. Nick is not much of a traveller, but when he goes, he likes to drive directly there and then just stay there. He's not much into making the stops I like to make but usually says he enjoys the stop after we've made it. He likes to bring his own traveling companions… sometimes I'll look out my rearview mirror and I'll see a stuffed monkey hanging from a door handle, or I'll find a little Lego man hidden somewhere in the car. Dylan is very inquisitive and into science. He is also very spiritual and into Native American things. I enjoy planning trips with him because we get to go to museums and other very interesting places. 

First Stop of a Trip

Car wash - especially after a buggy trip to 

Los Banos for work the night before! 

Tracy thinks I'm crazy, but I like a clean

car to start out a trip. 

It's been a while…

I realize it's been a while since I've posted. I guess Facebook has kind of taken over for where I've been posting about my trips. But I'm taking a trip this coming week to South Lake Tahoe, so I think I'm going to try to post about the trip on here again and get this blog started back up. I'm taking off Wednesday morning… Look for something new!