The Virginia City Loop

Rain has threatened all
day but we were completely
undeterred by it
 
~ carliewired
 
We had a late breakfast at the casino after trying out the showers at the RV park. Now that our water tanks have been emptied it will be catch as catch can. 
 
We were off to Virginia City, Nevada for a little sight-seeing. It's only 25 miles from Reno where we're staying. We took the 341 which is high and winding, but gave us a grand view of the valley we were leaving. 
 
We found a parking space in the middle of main street in Virginia City. It came with a fee but gave us immediate access to the trolley-like tour bus that gave us the 20 minute introduction to highlights of the town. 
 
After the tour we headed up the rolling boardwalk, where I spied the biggest pair of red knickers blowing in the breeze like a flag. I loved the two old churches on the street below the main street. The tall brick one is St. Mary's in the Mountains (Catholic) and the smaller one beside it is St. Paul's Episcopal Church. Also on the lower street is Mackay Mansion, a typical Victorian-era home for this town. One section of the main street (shown here) escaped the survived the drastic fire in the 1870s.
 
The weather was less than ideal for photos so we drove over to Carson City (state capital) and made the circle back to Reno. As we approached on hwy 395 a rainbow appeared over the valley as if hovering over the city. 
 
Virginia City, made famous for its mining boom in the 1870s, is holding onto its past and making the most of it.