It's fascinating how one can wonderful people in the most singular way. It can happen when browsing through a museum, when trying to figure out where you are, or when your in search of the name of a tree.
When Jaine and I came down from the mountain, we arrived in a very picturesque town called Genoa, NV and went to a beautiful park for a picnic lunch. After lunch we discovered a wonderful state owned historical museum and met Emma at the door. Emma just completed her degree from the university and is working as a park ranger over the summer. Her desire is to be come a graphic artist but is enjoying her summer in slow paced Genoa after a hectic year at school. She knows a lot of history and told how the Pony Express used to pass by right near the current location of the museum. She also told us about 'Snowshoe Thompson', the father of California skiiing. They called him 'Snowshoe' even though never wore a pair in his life, he actually made his own 10 ft skis and would carry mail in weather up to 50 ft of snow through Johnson's Cutoff twice a month for 20 years. And I think biking the Sierra Nevada is tough.
Emma also got us tuned in to Nevada's oldest 'thirst parlor' where the likes of Willie Nelson used to hang out. It's called the Genoa Bar and Saloon where 'Horses are not allowed'. Here is where we met Dana, Ned and Victoria. Good thing dogs are allowed in!
When i got to Carson City, I was checking my map for directions when a guy in a Harley pulled up at the intersection. He looked over at me and said "Hey Dude, what's up?" I said Hi and told him I was bicycling across America. He said "No way, man! That is so cool!", and pulled right over off the road and we started talking. Turns out he was a Hollywood stunt man named Ram Seeno and was in a ton of movies including some really wild stunts in 'The Fugitive'. Ram is a 'larger than life guy' and had a ton of great stories. He loved being a stunt man, but his only lament was that his face was never on the silver screen so his grandkids could see him. He has a heart of gold and would be a true friend to any one in need, even if you are trying to find directions. He's simply that kind of guy.
Towards evening, Jaine and I went to South Lake Tahoe to stay for the evening and visit the lake. Throughout the entire trip, Jaine was fascinated by a particular kind of tree with huge pine cones and a distinctive red bark and wanted to know the name of that kind of tree. As we walked up to the beach, we noticed a very fit woman about our age walking along the beach admiring the sunset. Jaine walked up to her, pointed to one of the red trees and asked her what kind of tree it was. The woman said "I don't know a lot about trees, but that's a Sugar Pine", and that is how we met Debbie Shyvers. Of all of the people we've met so far, Debbie is probably the closest person we've met who is of like mind, personality and situation in life. We're about the same age, our kids have finished college (or just about to) and we're all retired. Her husband was the chief winemaker for Robert Mondovi wines which also makes the Woodbridge line of wines that you can buy in Wisconsin**. She's led a very full life, but she now wants to do a lot of traveling and see the world. The first place she wants to visit is Africa and Jaine and I shared some of our experiences when we visited Kenya and Egypt during our stint in Saudi Arabia. We talked for a long time about raising kids, trips we want to make, goals we want to achieve in life, it was like talking to neighbor we've known for years. Good luck and safe travels, Debbie, as you and your husband travel all over the world. If you can, keep in touch so we can share our experiences and find new places to visit!
**I've tried their Cabernet Sauvignons and they are excellent. When I worked for Woodbridge Corporation headquartered in Canada I used to have visiting engineers over to our house for dinner and I would serve Woodbridge wine just for fun. The guys would get kick out of it and we put a bottle in one of our product display windows at the Woodbridge plant in Brodhead.
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