After errands in Carson City, we took the 'scenic' route home and stopped for a drink in Genoa.

As we drove through Nevada's oldest settlement, I pointed out Nevada's oldest thirst parlor and Chuck wanted to stop.  Steve and I had been here before and loved it.

The Genoa Bar (1853) has a rich history of famous partakers and movies being filmed here.  It is always worth a pause for a pint!

We ended our evening at Camp Richardson for a lecture on mapping the Johnson's Cut- off.  The Gold Rush created a demand for crossings of the seemingly impassable Sierra Nevada range so Americans could reach the goldfields. John Calhoun Johnson surveyed and opened the route to traffic in the spring of 1852. Finding and mapping the whole route of Johnson's Cut -Off became a passion of "Cockeye's " great -great granddaughter Ellen Osborn.

Speaker John Winner,encouraged by Ellen and under the auspices of USFS and the archaeologists, has led enthusiastic members of Oregon California Trails Association (OCTA) through forestland and thicket - clearing, marking and mapping the 1852-era Johnson's Cut-Off trail for posterity.  Our friends, Dick and Joan are part of the OCTA and have shared their enthusiasm about this very unique "treasure hunt".  We learned a great deal about the history and the hardships these early 'tourists' had to endure.  It was an interesting and educational end to our day.