totchipanda

I'm not really sure Reno can count as a Day 5, as we didn't spend Sunday at the con at all. We figured we might as well do other touristy stuff while we're down here, since the likelihood of us ever returning is not high. Instead, we drove out to Carson City to take their steam train up to Virginia City, as it only runs on weekends.

Initially we planned on wearing Victorian dress on the train, but decided that since the weather is FAR hotter and drier than we're used to (more hotter than anything), we'd go in comfy clothes instead. Which is kinda too bad, because Virginia City is utterly adorable with it's main street of buildings almost all built in the 1860s and 70s, or if anything later was put in, it looks like the rest of the town. It still has a boardwalk outside the shops. There was tons of stuff to see and do. We saw a herd of wild mustangs on both legs of the train journey, I picked up a pair of granny boots, I had some delicious ice cream, I drank almost 2L of water before 6pm and still managed to pick up a slight heat-related headache.

Monday we left Reno and took the "back way" up to Virginia City to do some of the things we missed out on the day before. It's really steep and twisty XD We toured the Fourth Ward School and the Chollar Mine up to about 400ft in D: And also did a stagecoach ride :3 A team of 4 horses takes you around a short loop, and at the end they get up into a full canter. I kinda missed out on the stagecoach experience itself because I was too busy hanging out the window watching the horses. SO COOL to see them in a full gallop. (And all 4 were beautiful paints :3)

As we drove down into Carson City, we caught sight of the wild mustang herd again and started up a road to get pictures of them. The road also led to a bunny ranch, where there was a second herd hanging out. After that detour, we headed back on our way, and got a late visit in to the railway museum, where they have some beautiful old steam engines and a short ride on a hand cart. Then it was out to the hotel, and then dinner at Carl's Jr, cuz I looooove their $6 burger, which was only improved with the addition of guacamole and bacon.

Today we tripped out to Lake Tahoe and spent most of the afternoon hiking down to Vikingsholm and back up again. Vikingsholm was built in 1928/9 by a very rich lady (you had to come to dinner in a dress, or black tails for the gents) and was inspired by medieval and 17th century Swedish and Viking architecture. It was really, really lovely. Dipped our toes in the lake, hiked up to Lower Eagle Falls, and then Mom and I hiked back up the way we had come down, which is a rather steep switchback trail a mile long, and Maxwell took a 1.7 mile hike that let out at the campground. On the other side of the bay. He started hiking up the highway back to us, which was 2 miles away and up and around another steep switchback road, and he tried to catch a ride via hitching, and was finally picked up by a police officer who brought him back to us. It was really really hot in the sun, although if you could catch a breeze, it was very nice.

Now we're just chilling in the hotel again, relaxing off the hiking lol. Tomorrow we're taking a tour of the lake on a paddleboat, and then spending some time IN the lake itself. After that, Thursday is driving, Friday is a brief stop at Old Faithful in Wyoming, and I should be home Saturday. And some time after that, I'll get pictures posted, though I've been doing that sporadically if we're friends on Facebook :3

Last night, I showered and put my hair up in pincurls in anticipation of wearing my Victorian dress to give my hair more body. I didn't bring my hat, but oh well. Got up way too early, lazed about in bed reading for a few hours, uncurled my hair into a giant poofball of curls, which I still have, ironed my dress, got ready, and headed down around 12:30.

Took in a panel on the history of humourous music by Dr Demento. Danced a bit with Maxwell at the Victorian waltz and tea class. Shopped and spent more money than I thought I would, and have plans to spend quite a bit more o-o;;; Took in a panel on the history of pirates and discussion among several authors on why the age of piracy was romanticized. Started a couple others, and a movie, gave up on all, and ended the con day with a panel by Gail Carriger on ceramic archaeology and experimental archaeology, which was quite fascinating :3

Came back to the room with a bit of a migraine running. Mom came in just before 9 and "dragged" me to a book launch party by one of her favourite authors, Jean Johnson. I was lured with the promise of food (which there was) and we got there just in time for a book drawing. We stayed a bit longer through a reading and some emails she had received (the book was a future military drama, and she read two emails from soldiers serving in the US military overseas praising her book), and then she drew the "grand prize" which was a surplus backpack filled with her entire published library, which I won :3

I got a loooot of compliments on my dress today. At various times I heard "elegant", "period-appropriate colours and fabric", and "so nice to see Steampunk not tarted up". I'm debating changing my costumes around to wear it again on Saturday, but we shall see. I only have one pair of shoes to wear with it to keep my hems from dragging on the ground, and they hurt my feet :(

I really need to update more often :( I just saw the top line of my last post, which was about sewing. After that, I had a frantic couple weeks getting ready for the train trip and Animethon. I spent 8 hours solid hand-sewing a hat, and at the end of it, my dress wound up being partially pinned together, as I literally could not push a needle through fabric anymore. I will have to post those pictures later.

I also worked an obscene amount. Such is the nature of retail :(

Right now, I'm on vacation in Reno, NV :) The original plan had been to leave Sunday and drive down through Montana, but the week before we left, my mom got a call that my gamie wasn't doing well, so instead we left a day earlier, and drove out to BC to see her and my geepa for the day. We also got to visit with 2 of my aunts and one cousin, whom I haven't seen since 2004 when she was 11. That was nice :)

We left BC Monday morning and drove down through Washington to Pendleton, OR. The most exciting things we saw were Dry Falls, WA, the field of rocks south of Dry Falls, and the horde of cute Irish boys staying at our hotel :3 The road was very boring from the border to Pendleton. It was beautiful in its own way, but it seemed very desolate.

On Tuesday, we took a side trip to Boise, Idaho, to go to Cheesecake Factory :3 Then we continued south on 95 through the south eastern corner of Oregon. The 101-mile distance between some little town and McDermott, NV, is the single most boring highway I've ever had the displeasure of driving on. We talked to some Boise residents this morning who drove the same way, and they said there are two 25-mile stretches on that highway that are perfectly straight. There is NOTHING to see. You travel between some hills that might be low mountains, and the land is all low scrub, and there's no signs of life ANYWHERE. And the sun was ridiculously hot coming in the windows, the AC got a good workout.

Finally arrived in Reno after dark, and it's not as fancy as Vegas (not that I was expecting it to be; I overheard people in Vegas say that unless you're in Reno to gamble, there is nothing to do here.) We registered for the con this morning, and things don't really get underway until noonish, so I came back to the room (which is very nice; the Atlantis comes highly recommended :) ) to write this and decide what to wear today.

More reports from Reno later :3