24 October 2009
If I told you the full story of the Virginia City weekend you wouldn’t believe me so I’ll give you the highlights and leave the rest to your imagination.
Riding in to Virginia City was a magical climb up rolling countryside under a truly ‘big sky’. The hills rolled away to the horizon like waves on a green sea. This fertile land produces a large amount of America’s beef and ranches abound. One drops over the edge of the peak to the secret world of the twin towns of Virginia and Nevada. Not to be confused with their namesake states these are more like small towns than large conurbations. Virginia City is based around its central road which divides the town into unequal halves either side of the straight-as-an-arrow main street. Wooden structures reign here with brick reserved for important buildings like the bank and town hall.
This frontier settlement was founded in the spring of 1863, heralded by a gold rush of a magnitude unseen in the region before. It is estimated that the surrounding hills yielded around $30 million of gold in just three years. The find brought gold seekers and people hoping to cash in on the new found wealth of the miners swelling the population to around 10,000.
The Victorian town is superbly preserved but by no means mothballed; it is a vibrant community of around 130 wonderful characters living year-round and it was into this medley I unknowingly plunged.
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I checked into the Fairweather Inn and went out for a wander about the place. At the bottom of the hill I found a beautifully preserved steam train. The train line never historically reached this far but in 1962 local man Charlie Bovey built a mile and a half of 30 inch gage track to connect Virginia City to Nevada City but it was never connected to the mainline eight miles away. The steam train is a fully restored 89 year old Baldwin locomotive and she’s stunning! |
Hopping aboard I asked if I could sit right at the back so I could take some photos but my accent was then out and questions from the rail staff came thick and fast about trains in the UK! I couldn’t answer many of them but did impress them with knowledge of the Dawlish Warren atmospheric railway built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel which operated by way of a pneumatic tube, vacuum ahead of it and atmospheric pressure behind it but failed when rats ate the leather tubing! I could tell they were impressed and frankly so was I for remembering so many details about a train which stopped running in 1848!
We chatted about my other rail adventures around the world and I mentioned that I had been invited to sit in the cab of the Transiberian Railway engine in Russia... this was the defining moment – I had, in their eyes, become a fellow train geek! I was invited to sit in the cab on the return journey by the train driver who said, “We can’t be outdone by the Transiberian, now can we?!” To top off the experience they let me blow the whistle... one better than the Transib! They were the friendliest guys and were a lot of fun too... if you ever make it to Virginia City, Montana then ride the steam train!
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Once back in Virginia I wandered up the main street back to the hotel and smiled at the receptionist dressed in Victorian clothing and wondered vaguely how hot it must be in all those heavy layers. She returned my smile and asked if the red bike outside was mine. I replied that it was and she said I should move it to the back of the hotel, “For safety”... hmm... now I was curious! She informed me that there was a band playing that night in the bar opposite and, “people can get a little careless with their driving afterwards!” Say no more but I think I’d just found my entertainment for the evening!
The band, Jerry Joseph and the Jackmormons, were great, although I did have to look up what a ‘Jackmormon’ was the next day! I walked into the bar and heard my name being called out – it was the sweet waitress from the motel I’d stayed at the night before! She bought me a drink and we chatted for a while but she had to leave early so I wandered into the dance floor and danced madly for ages. During the break I was at the bar and someone came up and introduced himself as ‘part of the band’ ... now, with my history as both a roadie and also having an ex-husband sound-engineer I knew exactly what he meant!! He was a ligger – a hanger-on – a wannabe guitarist etc! Still, he bought me drinks so who was I to complain! He suggested I buy a CD of the band and helped me pick one out. Back on the dance floor at the very end of the evening I bumped into someone – literally! Apologising I introduced myself and found I was talking to Dickie – a very likeable chap who then introduced me to all his friends!
Inevitably, Dickie and I started talking about bikes and he said I should meet his friend Indian Jeff and said he would drive me there in the morning. Taking this as drunk, end-of-the-evening talk I smiled and nodded. I rolled into bed very, very late with sore feet and just a little too much drink inside me but managed to make it back with $7 dollars more than I went out with as I didn’t pay to get in (the woman on the door couldn’t understand my accent and just let me in!!), had loads of drinks bought for me and found $10 on the floor!! Result!
After sleeping very late I eventually rolled out of bed in search of brunch and the same receptionist handed me a note from Dickie informing me that he would collect me at 2pm to take me to visit Indian Jeff! Which I shall tell you about in my next update.