Carson Valley -------- Silver City RV Park - Montana Owners Club

HamRad · 06-24-2005, 09:30 PM

Well folks we decided to go by Reno on our way home from the Mt. Shasta gathering. Sure glad we did. We stayed at the Silver City RV Resort.

This is the park where the Reno MOC Rally will be held. As Sharon,
FireTruckerWife, indicated it is a nice park. It is very clean. I don't remember seeing a thing out of place. It is NOT as wide open as Pla Mor was but the sites are plenty large. Most are pull-thru sites. Each site consists of concrete and gravel. All access roads are blacktop and in very good condition. Each site has a table. The water was good as was the water pressure. Currently we are scheduled to be located directly behind the office complex.

There is a swim pool as well as a spa located at rear of office. The entire complex is handicap accessible. There is a small RV supply section in the large general grocery/convenience store. There are no restaurants located onsite but they do have an excellent brewed coffee selection as well as fresh donuts and assorted rolls. They also have gas and diesel.... while there it was the cheapest diesel we found. We will also have the use of
the Banquet Room while we are there.

It has been a number of years since we have spent any extended time in this area. We had forgotten just how much there is to do.

The Park is located about 4 miles south of Carson City. Carson City is the capital of Nevada. Besides the state stuff there is a very nice railroad museum for you RR buffs.

About 15 miles east and northeast of Carson City is Virginia City. Virginia City is an old mining town. There are many tourist type businesses in this town. It is a wonderful step back in history. If you are interested there is a train ride that tours the Virginia City area. It would be easy to spend an entire day in this area.

To the west is the awesome Lake Tahoe. It takes about 30 to 40 minutes to drive there from the Park. South Lake Tahoe is a great gambling town located in one of the most scenic areas of the world. If you've never visited this area it is a MUST see! Plan on at least one full day..... more if you really want to see and experience the area. There is a great "paddle wheel boat" trip you can take. There is a really nice RV park on the west side of the lake. It is on the pricey side but is very scenic.

Just south of the Park is the Minden/Gardenerville area. It is still a relatively small town/area. It has some nice restaurants and shops and a couple of casinos. There are several tourist attractions in this area. FireTruckerWife can give more details about the things available in this area.

About 45 minutes north of the Park is Reno. Reno has some great casinos. You'll want to spend at least a day or two up in this area. If you're interested; September is THE month to be in Reno. They have a major event each weekend of the month. Balloon races... Of course... the Reno Air Races, Street Vibrations... a motorcycle event.... and a huge Street Faire.....

For those who have been following this information... there is a
huge BBQ Ribs cook-off that takes place the first weekend in Sept. As you can see September is a huge month for this area. If you have the time come for the entire month and stay for the MOC Rally!

Almost adjacent to the park (within a couple of miles) is great shopping area. Including the following:

Costco, Best Buy, Michaels, Borders Books, Home Depot, Target, In-N-Out Burger, Cold Stone Creamery, and a Super Wal-mart

I know some of you are worried about the weather turning cold. Many of you lived in or still live in climates where snow and ice are major components during your winters. So you folks shouldn't have any trouble even if it should turn cold. By the way...... the manager promised that the weather would be absolutely perfect while we are staying there!

Even if does snow and get cold.... bring your skis. There just happens to be some world class ski joints within 30 minutes of the park!

We have until the middle of August to secure our sites. But the sooner you get your reservations in the better we'll be able to nail down all the details.

We really enjoyed our stay and are looking forward to the MOC Rally this Fall.

Dennis and Mary Kay

sreigle · 06-25-2005, 04:42 AM

Thanks for an excellent report, Dennis. We're really getting excited about getting there.

If anyone is thinking of towing the house down US 50 along the east side of Lake Tahoe, don't. Or be sure to find a route around the 12' 4" (per my truckers atlas) tunnel. It's called Cave Rock Tunnel and looks to be about halfway between Glenbrook and Zephyr Cove. I haven't seen the tunnel to verify its height but this is what the book says and what I have marked on Street Atlas.

Iowafan · 06-25-2005, 04:52 AM

Dennis, thanks for that great report. Sounds like the area has everything that we need as well as interesting things to see. We're really looking forward to the Rally and getting to meet more of the nicest people in the world.

vickir · 06-25-2005, 05:26 AM

You missed your calling, Dennis! You could get a job writing travelogues!

DHenry · 06-25-2005, 05:28 AM

Great report Dennis. I hope the manager is right about the weather. My winter driving skills are non existant.

firetrucker · 06-25-2005, 06:12 AM

A word on the weather in early October. The days should be warm and the nights cool. Because we're in the high desert, there's usually quite a temperature swing from night to day. It's important to stay hydrated

, which for us pre-boomers means drink alot.

If you're coming from California via highway 50, there are two alternate routes that come into the valley that avoid Cave Rock. One is Highway 89 just as you come into the Tahoe Basin, and the other is Kingsbury Grade, just after you pass the casinos (provided you can make it past the casinos

).

There's a new gas station in Gardnerville, with a mate in Carson City, that has about the lowest diesel prices around the area (still moderately high, though). At last check, they were about .10 to .15 per gal less than at the CG.

Bob

DHenry · 06-25-2005, 08:02 AM

firetrucker, which route would you sugguest comming from CA? The Highway 89 or the Kingsbury Grade? What about comming in on 88?

firetrucker · 06-25-2005, 05:33 PM

Doug, I'd take Hwy 89 over Luther Pass if I came in on Hwy 50. There are fewer sharp turns than on Kingsbury Grade, and the grade is not continuous.

88 is a bit of a chore, but a nice drive. More places to stop if you find people backing up behind you. Hwy 50 has fewer miles of 2 lane road, and you'd probably make better time even though there are the same number of sudden intakes of breath.

Bob

sreigle · 06-26-2005, 06:04 AM

We took 89 off of 50 coming from CA back in 2003. I think it then joined with 88 if I recall. It was a very pretty drive, especially when we made a turn and there was the lake spread out before us. Beautiful. Not a difficult drive at all.

Kingsbury grade is hwy 207, right? I think I'd like to drive that solo while we're in the area this fall. Looks like a really cool drive.

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