We awoke in Reno, and headed out early after having Motel 6's free coffee (actually brown water with some white powder creamer). Signage was not the best and we ended up doing a few loops to find the right road back to Carson City.
It was a Sunday, so the capital of Nevada was pretty quiet. The coffee stores and the breakfast joints surrounding the capital building were all closed, but it also left the building pretty empty. The sun was rising from behind the building, so not the best pictures, but it was great to reach our second capital in two days, the Nevada Capital Building.
 |
| Carson City, NV Capital Building |
The Attorney General's building was located across the street. The night before there was lots of activity as there was a concert happening close to the capital as well as the gambling halls down the road.
 |
| Nevada Attorney General's Building |
 |
| DownTown Carson City, Get Down! |
 |
| The boys at the Capital |
 |
| No Dogs Allowed, Grrrr! |
There is a large fence surrounding the capital building and although their were no dogs allowed or bicycles, I noticed a few people breaking the law. We proceeded to walk around the property and snapped some shots, pretending we never saw the signs. Oops!
 |
| Supreme Court of Nevada |
 |
| Carson City Dome |
I really enjoy seeing the different monuments that are erected on the grounds by state buildings. There is always a Veteran's Memorial and Carson City was no different. Below is there's.
 |
| Nevada State Veteran's Memorial |
The statues and monuments around the capitals also showcase important historical figures that impacted the state and region. Below is Kit Carson, mountain man explorer.
 |
Artist: Buckeye Blake
It was the winter of 1843-44 when Kit Carson along with the John C. Fremont expedition worked his way south from Pyramid Lake looking for an easy route across the Sierra Nevada. Carson, depicted here tracking his way through the mountains east of this location, was considered one of the best mountain men of the day. His name is still synonymous with the wide open spaces and lore of the American West, an image we still cherish as part of our freedom and heritage. It is the spirit and the love of the West that we honor with this statue.
Carson City takes its name from the Carson River which Fremont named to honor Kit Carson. The maps located on the ends of this monument show the routes and dates of Carson’s visits to Nevada.
This project wouldn’t have been possible if not for the tremendous support of Commissioner Lofton, Senator L.E Jacopsen, Shaw Construction, and the outstanding people who purchased the limited addition statues made to help fund the project. The Kit Carson Statue Project wishes to thank all these people for their interest, courage, insight and unselfish belief in this statue, the State of Nevada, and the heroic history of the American West.
|
 |
| Luther & Kit Carson |
It was getting warm, so I went looking for some cool beverages while Tom & the boys waited in the shade by the Senate building. Along the way, I saw a few more monuments as well as a walking tour of the Kit Carson Trail.
We headed back to the car, found some coffee and headed towards Boise, ID. It was roughly an 8 hour drive, so it was extremely frustrating when we found ourselves heading on the road again. Our navigation skills seemed to be on the fritz and needed some fine tuning. We would have plenty of time to do so, as we have 8000 miles more to go.
We arrived in Boise, ID in the late afternoon, still Sunday. There was not much traffic and the signs in Idaho were better than the ones Nevada. The approach into the city was well marked, following the signs to Capital Way. A right turn, a few lights and a left, and then down the road we saw the dome. Parking was a cinch and out we went to the grounds of the Idaho State Capital Building.
 |
| Idaho State Capital Building |
The monuments around the building included Lincoln and the Nez Perce. Follow the links for more information about these monuments, especially the journey of Lincoln to his current home.
 |
| Abraham Lincoln as the Emancipator |
 |
| Hospitality of the Nez Perce |
 |
| Boise State Capital |
The weather was hot and the dogs were always heading to the shade. It peaked their excitement that where the shade was, so were the squirrels in the trees. It took a bit of work to get them away from the trees and across the street to the side lawn of the capital. We all sat on the grass and planned out the route to get out of the city. We decided to head south out of the city and towards a few camping areas a few hours away.
We found ourselves landing at Three Island Crossing State Park in Glenn's Ferry, Idaho. It was our first camping experience for the trip so it was going to be a great test to see how our packing worked out as well as hauling out the big tent, long leads for the dogs and food.
Starting out, there is always stress for me, which, at times, can cause me to freak out a bit. Today was one of those days. We were all getting used to this. We found a nice campsite, bugs were not too bad, but I still felt out of sorts. I was a bit snippy and we found ourselves setting up camp in silence. I tried to figure out the best way to make this work while Tom started to do some cooking. A few dogs were walking by with their humans and all seemed good with Luther & BuddyJack and then it all changed.
Luther went after the dogs, wrapping me in their long leads, which I tried to hold onto. Burns across my leg and fingers. Youch! Bad dogs! Bad Tom! Grrrr! Time to go to bed! Hungry! Grrrr!
More silence, a pouty David and a silent Tom. Not the best first night camping. A quick dog walk and showers for Tom and I helped and we finally all crawled into the tent and slept. We had a busy day planned for tomorrow as we were headed towards Yellowstone & the Tetons.
