A Frenzy of Friends - Both New and Old

Carson Valley in Nevada is one of those places I've been to once and thought I could live there. That first visit was 20+ years ago and boy has it grown! It still has that "protected valley" feeling, with the majestic Sierras to the west and lesser mountain ranges around the other three "sides". The high desert cottonwoods, junipers and scrub brush provide a rugged landscape that is both wild and serene.

High desert landscape

Cold and cloudy skies

Room to run outside the park

But the town of Carson City is big now! The downtown casinos and small state capitol are surrounded for miles by car dealers, large retail chains, big box stores, RV dealers, lots of eateries, and major medical facilities.

We originally made sure Carson City was a stop because we have friends from high school who live here. We were also going to Elko, NV, to visit more friends, and then learned they would be in Carson City this week as well. Perfect!

And on top of those old friends to see, we had the chance to meet up with a couple fellow bloggers - who are now wonderful new friends as well.

John and Pam (Oh, the Places They Go) were already at the Silver City RV Park in Minden, with Dave and Sue (Beluga's excellent adventure) on their way. There was a spot next to them so we booked it for the weekend.

"Following" people on their blogs for a couple years when they're already living the life and having grand adventures, and we're preparing and waiting to just get on the road, gives them a slight hero status in my eyes. So "getting to meet" them is a pretty big deal for me.

The reality is no less wonderful, but from the first handshakes and hugs, these are just real, fun and delightful people. Although I can totally picture each of them in tights and capes.......

We also meet the famous Lewis and Sasha - Dave and Sue's silly black dogs - who are normal canines and perfectly happy to hang out in their spacious motorhome while humans visit outside and go to dinner. Unlike a certain other dog who shall remain nameless.

That dog's new most favorite people - Sue and Pam (we like 'em too)

Getting together for happy hour each evening and enjoying two scrumptious dinners in town, we had a great time sharing our love of the full-timing life, and laughing more than we have in forever.

When I updated our location on RVillage I noticed a very familiar name - Russ and Linda Ranger were here as well. We have communicated on the RV Dreams forum, he reads this blog, and we've been following, but never catching, each other all summer. Returning to the park on Saturday I noticed there was a La Palma parked behind us, and sure enough there was Russ walking over to meet! A big hug and a quick visit and looking forward to seeing them the next day. Oops...

I was bummed to see their rig was gone in the morning, but a note later in the day confirmed they are on a tight schedule to Arizona, and then back to Mexico for the winter. We'll catch up with them next year for sure!

When we first arrived, Bill called Karla and invited us over to her house for Monday Night Football. Our Elko friends happen to be her brother Kevin and his wife, and they were arriving on Monday. So really, it was a perfect plan :-)

Bill and Kevin - friends for over 40 years

The company and the game were great, and we made plans to get together this afternoon. Unfortunately Kevin's doctor's appointment resulted in an overnight stay in Reno so we'll see what happens the next couple days.