Loading ...On The Road Again
June 22nd, 2006Hi everyone!
I’ll continue to put my introduction at the end of this edition of my Meanderin’s. Most of you already know me and my little sister so I won’t continue to bore you with all the details of how I came to be riding around the countryside in Mom & Dad’s RV. Anyway, my name is Max. Dad says I need to continue to send the folks more notes about my travels in their RV during Bob’s gubernatorial campaign because he’s too busy to do it.
You and I know he’s lazy! He’s only driving while I have to keep lookout and take naps.
Well, we took off in “4 Nevada” again Friday, May 5, stopped in Tonopah so Bob could catch his e-mail messages, stopped in Mina, Nevada to schmooze with several of our friends there, and arrived in Reno that afternoon. The next day we went to the ARRL Convention (ham radio) at the Atlantis Hotel where we ran into Ken Johnson, Bob’s Father-in-Law and former Scoutmaster. Mom, Dad, & Bob went to a “Meet & Greet” that afternoon and after that, Mom decided she’d had enough “fun” for the day. Bob & Dad went back to the ARRL Convention for dinner that night.
On Sunday, May 7, we all went to a Meet & Greet at the Pizza Factory in Lovelock, Nevada. We left Lovelock the next morning and arrived at a breakfast in Gardnerville about 9 AM. After that we went to the Storey County Senior Citizens Center in Virginia City so Bob could talk to folks and have lunch. We then drove down the Geiger Grade and back up the Mt. Rose Highway to Incline Village where Bob also had a speaking engagement. Then we headed to Comstock Country RV Resort in Carson City where the owner, Gene Lapire, set us up with our “Permanent RV Site” at Space 134B. That afternoon Mom & Dad finally got a much deserved rest and shower.
Tuesday morning, May 9, we arrived at The Golf Club at Genoa Lakes for a breakfast at which Bob spoke and schmoozed. Later that day we met Tom & Pat Grady (Nevada Assemblyman) at their home in Yerington. Bob continued with Tom on a Yerington tour and we headed home. Mom, Little Bit, Dad and I arrived home Wednesday, May 10.
Mom and Dad went to two Meet & Greets in Pahrump on Friday, May 19, but Little Bit and I didn’t get to go. (One of those Meet & Greets was at the home of Gary & Marion Davis. Dad said he went to grade school & high school with Gary!) Saturday, May 20, Dad left all of us home and took “4 Nevada” to the Nevada State GOP Convention at the Casa Blanca Hotel & Casino in Mesquite. Mom said she’d had enough fun for a while. Dad came back the next day and told us all about it.
Well, Dad took off in “4 Nevada” Wednesday, May 24, with
Dave Freeman, one of Bob’s Volunteers. They stopped in Goldfield and put up the 4-panel sign shown below.
They ended up at the Sunrise Valley RV Park in Mina, Nevada where Chuck Frost, the RV Park owner, had offered both the 4-panel sign above in Goldfield and the “other” side of the 9-panel sign in Mina shown below which Dave Freeman, Chuck Frost, Tom Bieker, & Dad they put up the next day.
On Friday, May 26, Dad met Bob and Kyle in Tonopah. They met Sandy Harmon, a Tonopah “Bob Beers Fan”, and put signs on the Mispah Hotel. On Saturday they went to the Boy Scout’s Pancake Breakfast, participated in the Jim Butler Days Parade, and panned for gold at the Tonopah Historic Mining Park in the afternoon where we all panned a little dust and Kyle panned a real gold nugget. The next day they all left in “4 Nevada” and participated in the Manhattan, Nevada Parade where they won 2nd place in the Patriotic category. Dad told me the 1st place went to a little girl on a trike all decorated with flags and balloons. He said he was glad she won ‘cuz she demonstrated the real spirit of the parade. Here’s a picture of them taken just before that parade.
After that they “bombed” home and we were glad to see them. Little Bit and I can only spend so much time taking care of Mom.
Well, on Monday, June 5, Little Bit and I were able to head out in “4 Nevada” with Mom & Dad again. We met Bob in Ely, Nevada the next day. We went to the White Pine County Senior Center where we ate lunch and Bob talked to the folks. From there we went to the Nevada Northern Railway Museum, toured the yards, and listened to their concerns. This is a complete railroad yard and nothing was ever hauled away. It was so isolated when it was built that they installed all the machinery and equipment a rail road would ever need so they were totally self sufficient. It is probably the most complete rail road yard in the west.
That afternoon we drove to Elko to a Rotary Dinner via Ruby Valley and Secret Pass. If you ever have the opportunity to drive the northern half of the Ruby Valley, don’t pass it up. It is one of the most gorgeous places in Nevada. I even stayed awake and didn’t nap, Secret Pass was so pretty.
The next day was Wednesday, June 7. We spent most of the day driving to Reno to meet Bob the next day at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center where he attended a Chamber of Commerce breakfast. We left after breakfast and arrived at the Truck Inn in Fernley where we parked in front and were obvious while we ate lunch and Bob spoke to some local folks. We then drove to a Meet & Greet at the Silver Springs Airport and were toured through a new roof truss manufacturing plant. We ended the day, a long one, at a Meet & Greet at a residence in Reno. Whew! We were ready for a rest after this day.
Friday morning included a Volunteer Breakfast at the Gold-N-Silver Inn in Reno. 
We returned to the RV park, hitched up “4 Nevada”, and drove to Hawthorne where we participated in another Meet & Greet function and picnic at the Hawthorne Park. Here’s a picture of “4 Nevada” at the Hawthorne Park with their civic pride and joy, a huge flag.
On Saturday, June 10, we went to the Mina, Nevada Centennial. Mina is a very small town now but it played a large part in the WWII defense effort. This is the area where the magnesium ore was mined that was sent to Henderson, Nevada for smelting and was so instrumental in our aircraft superiority during the war. This centennial was a very big deal to a lot of old Mina folks and was a pleasure to attend.
Well, on Friday, June 16, Dad and Kyle took off again. Mom said she’d had enough fun for the month so she stayed home. Little Bit and I had to stay and keep Mom company. Dad and Kyle arrived at Austin, Nevada that night and participated in Austin’s Gridley Days Celebration the next day. Here’s a picture of “4 Nevada” in the Gridley Days Parade that one of Bob’s fans sent us.
Bob, Sarah, and Andy Mathews, Bob’s Las Vegas campaign manager, arrived that afternoon and we all attended the Gridley Days picnic in the Austin Park. Dad said the Gridley Days Celebration harkens back to the 1860s when Mr. Gridley who owned the Gridley Store lost a political bet and had to carry a 50-pound sack of flour up the main street of Austin. Turned out that sack was auctioned off so many times that $275,000 was raised for the Civil War Sanitary Commission, the forerunner of today’s Red Cross. Anyhow, all this fun was followed by a big Bar-B-Que in the park and a good time was had by all (according to Dad. We had to stay home!).
The next day was Father’’s Day, Sunday, June 18. They all went to Paradise Valley, Nevada (about 40 miles north of Winnemucca) for their annual Volunteer fire Department Father’s Day Bar-B-Que and picnic. Dad said it’s a fund raiser for the Fire Department and over 1,000 guests signed up and ate at the picnic. Hayrides, games, and a typical small town wonderful time. Here’s a picture Dad took of nearly 3-year old Lois Tarkanian, daughter of Amy & Danny Tarkanian, in the sack race. Danny, son of former UNLV basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian, is a candidate for Nevada’s Secretary of State office.
Dad said that probably the most popular attraction at the Paradise Valley function was the hayride. He said the five of them rode it for over a half hour around the town and really enjoyed it. Here’s a picture.
Well that kind of wound things up. On Monday, June 19, Kyle & Sarah flew home from Reno. Dad headed south and finally got home Tuesday afternoon. Bob & Andy stayed in Carson city and on Tuesday dropped off the Tax & Spending Control petitions at the Secretary of State’s Office.
Mom still says the best part of these trips to Northern Nevada is meeting all the neat people. She and Dad have met a lot of people and made a lot of new friends. I told Dad to include them on my news letter.
Until we’re on the road again, probably next month on Bob’s campaign, see ya!
Max & Little Bit
My Introduction
Most of you met me when Mom & Dad sent a letter of mine from Oregon in September of 2000 when we picked up our new RV or from my letters from Yukon Territory and Alaska the Summer of 2001. Others met me when Mom & Dad sent my letters from the Lewis & Clark Trail in the Summer of 2002, or Branson that Fall. I introduced my new little sister, Little Bit (Yeah, we decided to keep her!) just after our trip to Carson City and the San Francisco Bay Area in the Spring of 2003. And then some of you met Little Bit and me after dumb Dad broke his leg that June and scotched all our travel plans or when we finally got away to Branson for a couple of weeks in September of 2004. I guess you heard about my osteosarcoma in April of 2005. Well, I’m doing great on three legs and there’s no more evidence of cancer. Great news! I wrote again when Mom & Dad went to the Pacific North West for Dad’s 8th Grade Class 60th Reunion. Then I wrote in early 2006 when we went to Chandler, Arizona so Mom & Dad could see a musical performance by several old Lawrence Welk performers. Dad says the rest of 2006 will be tours through Nevada while Bob speaks to various communities.