Coin Press No. 1

 On Friday I visited the Nevada State Museum in Carson City. One of the great exhibits was Coin Press No. 1, which was brought to Carson City from Philadelphia in 1869. The first coin was struck in 1870, a Seated Liberty Dollar, bearing the CC mintmark. The 18,000 press was moved back to Philadelphis after the Carson City mint closed in 1890. Later it was sent to the San Francisco mint and used there until 1955. It returned to Carson City in 1967. The picture shows a commemorative coin being struck, as I watched, on May 25, 2012. The press is used for this purpose on the last Friday of each month.
Warmest regards, Gus

Nevada State Capitol

 Yesterday, I visited the Nevada State Capitol in Carson City. The first two pictures are exterior shots of the capitol. The next two are in the Governor's office. I wanted to visit with Governor Sandoval, but he was in Las Vegas for the day.
Nevada entered the union as the 26th state on October 31, 1864. Construction on the Capitol was completed on May 1, 1871. The building was almost demolished in the 1950s, but cooler heads prevailed and the building was renovated.
The Senate and Assembly moved to a new building in 1971 and the Supreme Court also has a new building.
  Warmest regards, Gus

Sheri's Ranch, Pahrump, NV

 The other day I was taken to Cheri's Ranch and Resort to have lunch. However, I was not allowed to enter, since I am not 21 years of age. Sheri's is one of a few legal brothels in Nye County, Nevada. I have been told that only three counties in Nevada have brothels. I guess I will have to go to Google to find out what happens in a brothel.
Warmest regards, Gus

Sanders Winery, Pahrump, NV

 On Friday, Jonathan at Sanders Winery allowed me to taste a number of their fine wines. The winery has only been open about ten months, but they planted some of their vines about six years ago. They started bottling wine in 2010. If you ever get to Pahrump, I would suggest that you drop in and visit Jonathan.
Warmest regards, Gus

Mt. Charleston (Near Las Vegas, NV)

 Yesterday I took a trip to Mt. Charleston, just outside of Las Vegas, NV. When I was at the ski area (first picture) at about noon, it was 65 degrees. At the same time in Las Vegas the temperature was in the 90s. It eventually got to 100 in Las Vegas.
The next two pictures are from the Desert View Overlook. From the Overlook, facing north, you can see the southern end of the Nevada Test Site. I would like to explore the test site, but I don't have the proper security clearance.
 Warmest regards, Gus

Hoover Dam/Lake Mead

 On Monday, we left Cottonwood AZ, and drove to Pahrump, NV. On the way, we crossed the Colorado River on the new bridge. This picture was taken from the bridge as we drove across it. At the bottom of the picture you can see the top of Hoover Dam with the beginning of Lake Mead in the background.
We will be in Pahrump for two weeks before traveling to the Carson City area for a week. Then it will be off to Eugene, OR.
Warmest regards, Gus