My wife and I have been traveling by ourselves ever since the kids left the nest. Last Summer we thought we would try something new: take our seven-year-old grandson Harry along on a couple of our weekend getaways.
A roadtrip was in order because Harry loves cars, freeways, maps and new places. So one Friday afternoon in July we drove up to Lake Tahoe and had a nice dinner with some family and friends who were vacationing there. After dinner we continued on to Carson City where we spent the next two nights. On Saturday we visited the Nevada State Museum and Harry was particularly impressed with the mining exhibit. I think he learned a lot about how our ancestors lived during the Silver Boom days of Virginia City.
The main purpose of our trip to Carson City was to get together with some Nevada relatives and to have Harry meet a fourth cousin “twin” who shares both a birthday and a first name with him. We had a nice dinner Saturday evening with my cousin and her two daughters and two of her grandkids including Harry’s “twin.” At the dinner we found out that they had one more thing in common: each had pulled out a front baby tooth just a few days before!
The Governor's Mansion in Carson City
After dinner my cousin gave us a tour of Carson City and we drove by many prominent buildings including the Governor’s Mansion and the house where John Wayne’s last movie, The Shootist, was filmed. Harry took in the sights enthusiastically and he thanked my cousin for “the great tour.”
On Friday we drove east on I-580 and I-205 to Tracy and then north on I-5 to Sacramento where we caught Highway 50 to Lake Tahoe and Carson City. On Sunday we took 50 back to Sacramento and then for a change in scenery switched to I-80 and I-680 to get back to Crow Canyon. Harry the Backseat Driver with his CSAA map and Mapquest directions directed us all the way. He was in Heaven and so were we. Because of Harry the act of getting there was just as exciting to us as the final destination!
Harry also likes airplanes and airports. So we thought we would fly on our next trip a few weeks later. But that’s a subject for another posting!
