I got to celebrate my birthday with my 3 favorite guys! :-) Tyler started out by making me a DELICIOUS breakfast in bed. It was french toast croissants topped with strawberries, cream cheese, and whipped cream. OH MY GOODNESS! I married one amazing cook! :-)
We then played around with some of the dollar store toys that Ty and Parker picked out for me (finger football). Parker picked out a toy snake. YUCK! (Ty even tried freaking me out later that night by sneaking it under the sheets in bed. Yeah, no. It didnt work. I totally knew what it was....thank goodness!) Here are some pictures of us playing around with some fake mustaches...Do they look like their papa/grandpa??? :o)
Ty planned out a fun day of touring our great state. There are two ghost towns about 1.5-2 hours away. I was totally game! I have always wanted to see one. On the drive there we saw an antelope with twin babies. They must have JUST been born because one was walking not so well, and they other was trying to get up. It was so flippin' adorable!!!
When we arrived to Virginia City, I have to admit I was slightly disappointed. I have always pictured ghost towns as old buildings in the middle of nowhere with dirt roads, no electricity, and tumbleweeds rolling around. You know what I mean?! Well, I came to realize that this type of town wouldn't still be in tact without someone preserving it. After walking the streets a little bit, I started to really appreciate it.
Virginia City became a city after gold was discovered there. Back then, Gold was worth $19 per ounce and they found about $30 million worth of gold there. HOLY!
This is a picture of one of the general stores.
And here is another general store. I was surprised to see a couple stores that appeared to have sold some of the same things. Can you imagine the competition back then?
I dont remember if we heard what these buildings were, but they look really cool.
The local blacksmith and (I believe) the local shoemakers and clothing store building.
They had this really old newspaper on display. September 11, 1892
We decided to take a guided tour. It was between an old firetruck or a stage coach. Of course, Parker picked the firetruck. I really enjoyed our driver though. He was a lot of fun.
Our tour guide/driver is the one in the cowboy hat helping people off the truck.
Just to show how they tried to make their town look builder like the towns they left in the East.
Boot Hill was Virginia City's first cemetery.
Many people were buried here, but when these five criminals were buried here, no one wanted to be in the same cemetery. Some dug up their loved ones and moved them to the new cemetery and some just took their gravestones.
William and Clara Dalton's daughter wanted to keep her parents apart from the criminals, so she later came and built this little rock fence around their grave.
A view of Virginia City from Boot Hill
I loved that the roof had grass growing on it. I tried getting a good picture of it, but the firetruck wouldn't stop. :-)
Before our tour we went in and looked at this old theater. It was neat. On the way out, Parker told the workers that it was my birthday, and they gave me a free bag of cotton candy :o)
Notice the part of the roof where it sticks up a bit? (about halfway back) That is the support beam that the 5 criminals buried up on boot hill were hung. The were convicted to be hung, and this building was being built. So...they took them there and hung them on the beam.
A little thing reenacting the hanging.
The support beam that did the hanging...
Supposedly this house was the first house that had electricity--even before New York. I think it was the Governors mansion or something.
One of the first thing you see when entering Virginia City. We thought it was pretty cool.
And if you drive a couple miles past Virginia City, you will enter Nevada City--another preserved ghost town.
I want to look up this trial and see what was so extraordinary about it.
Nevada City looked like it was cooler than Virginia City, but we were all kinda tired and ready to start the trek home. They had really cool old gold-mining equipment.
They had lots of cool old trains in Nevada City
All of these buildings appeared to be converted into rentals. There were lots of people staying the night there.
The old stable
A view of the Ennis valley on the way home.
We had a blast. Parker was a big hit in his cowboy outfit. A couple people even asked to take his picture. :o)
I had a great birthday and even got to finish it off with my favorite food in the world---Chinese buffet! YES! I am so grateful for all my friends and family that thought to call or wish me a happy birthday, and especially for my mom and dad for bringing me into this world and putting up with me all of these years. I love you all! I am now a whopping -26- years old. Crazy.
