LAKE TAHOE (part 2): Cemetery; Mormon Station; Town of Genoa; Museum; Reno Temple; Casino Buffet

 Monday morning we started our day by walking through the little Genoa Cemetery. 

It was interesting to see that there was no grass at all. The cemetery plots were dirt or rock or gravel or big slabs of cement.

This dog statue had me wondering why in the world it was placed smack dab in front of the headstone making it nearly impossible to read all the names and dates.

There were good views of the mountains and also the valley at the cemetery. It sure made me appreciate the beauty of green-grassed cemeteries in our area.

We visited the Mormon Station State Historic Park right on the main street of Genoa.

It was interesting learning about John A. "Snowshoe" Thompson who emigrated to America from Norway. He carried the mail twice a month during the winter months for 20 years.

The distance was 90 miles between Placerville, California and Genoa, Nevada, traversing the mighty Sierra Mountain ridges on a pair of homemade 10-foot-long skis and using his single pole for balance in 20- to-50-foot snow depths, snowdrifts and blizzards.

He wore a mailbag weighing 50 to 100 pounds strapped to his back. He ate crackers and dried beef and drank melted snow. The mail was Genoa's only contact with the outside world during the long winter months.

Inside the cabin was some pioneer memorabilia. 

A display told more information about Snowshoe Thompson. "It was said that Thompson could travel through blizzards in the dead of night and never become lost due to his intimate knowledge of the treacherous Sierra."

Looks like our Danish ancestors are who we can thank for our favorite general conference breakfast--aebelskivers.

We walked the main street of Genoa taking photos of all the stores and businesses. Such a quaint little town.

We drove to Gardnerville and took a tour of the Museum and Cultural Center.

For dinner, we chose to eat at Katie's Country Kitchen located in the Carson Valley Inn. They had the best onion rings!!

Tuesday was our temple day. Since the Bountiful Temple was closed for a month, we had to make plans to attend other temples throughout the month. This week it just happened to be the Reno Nevada Temple. 

It is such a desert there which is definitely evident as we made the drive up the steep hills to the temple.

The beautiful flowers and landscaping were an oasis in the desert.

Glen took off his coat and tie while I made a quick change into pants in the car. We had some time to "spare" before dinner, so Glen suggested we do some bowling.

Glen was much better at getting strikes and spares than I was, but this one strike I got sure made me happy!!

Glen wanted to eat at a nice buffet, so we found Toucan Charlie's Buffet located in the Atlantis Casino Resort. 

The desserts were on display right at the entrance, tempting the diners to leave tummy space for some sweet treats at the end of the meal.

We were full and happy for our drive back to Genoa from Reno. It had been another fun and "full" day of sightseeing, temple attending and dining for us.