Past Issue
» Feature name game
May/June 2009
Famed explorer Kit Carson blazed through the West, leaving behind hope for future travelers and a landscape proud to bear his name. Today the eponymous Carson River rollicks through Carson City, Nevada’s capital, which pays homage to the pioneer. Other Nevada town names, however, aren’t quite as obvious. Where did Jarbidge get its peculiar name? And who was Rachel, and why did she have a town named after her?
» City Limits signs of the times
May/June 2009
Chris LeBlanc opens the chain-link gate to “The Boneyard.” LeBlanc is one of many volunteers at this nonprofit museum, guiding tours through the twisted signs and remains twice a day. “This is a part of our history,” says LeBlanc, as he guides about 10 of us through the yard. “We’re trying to restore and remember.”
» Wide Open adventure: soar minden
May/June 2009
A sailplane, or glider, is a sleek aerodynamic fixed-wing plane without a motor. The sailplane is towed behind a single-engine airplane. When the pilot of the glider reaches the altitude and location desired, the towrope is released (opposite page). This process is part of an exhilarating ride, which I recently experienced thanks to Soar Minden.
» Tour Around Nevada genoa
May/June 2009
Established in 1851 (the town claims the title of Nevada’s first permanent settlement) by Mormon traders, the area was known as Mormon Station until 1855 when Judge Orson Hyde named it Genoa, for the Italian birthplace of Christopher Columbus. The town’s more than 150 years of existence gives way to historical attractions such as Mormon Station State Historic Park.
» Cravings mixology madness
May/June 2009
We have entered a new era in alcohol, one with drinks whose ingredient lists read like an intricate dessert recipe. While Japan may be the originator, Nevada has to be on the mixology map somewhere, I thought. We have Charlie Palmer and Bobby Flay for Pete’s sake. So I set out to see what Nevada has to offer.
» History western nostalgia
May/June 2009
A few hours drive east of Tonopah off U.S. Highway 6, the eastern slope of the Hot Creek Range is a testament to rural Western culture. Tucked into canyons and near scarce water sources are crumbling monuments to mid-19th- and early 20th-century miners and ranchers. A trip to the area transports visitors to a time when life was hard and self-reliance was the order of the day.
» Gaming lady luck and miss memorabilia
May/June 2009
Sheldon Smith is the education and publicity director for The Casino Chip and Gaming Token Collectors Club, Inc. There are many reasons why he gives so much time and attention to this group, but make no mistake—he’s a collector, too. “My wife and I have always enjoyed playing in the casinos but haven’t been able to win many chips,” he says. “So we decided to collect them instead.”
» Business green gas, desert waves, and nevada sails
May/June 2009
Bucolic Carson Valley is the last place you might expect to find the latest in green fuels and cutting-edge manufacturing technology. These three Minden businesses will make you think otherwise.
» Events Spotlight classic “care” tour
May/June 2009
“High profile, below the radar” is how Gary Davis and Alan “Big Al” Crawley describe the ’Round Nevada Classic Car Tour, due to the prominent characters who have joined the event over the years. There have been Microsoft executives and federal and state judges, but it’s not the names that are important on this journey. It’s the cause.
» Shows Spotlight the king has arrived
May/June 2009
Lions, monkeys, and other exotic animals on the Las Vegas Strip are hardly a novelty any more. But get those animals to sing and dance, and you’re bound to turn a couple of heads. After 12 successful years on Broadway and tours around the world, “The Lion King” roars into Sin City on Friday, May 15.
» People
Rick Gunn
Technically, Rick Gunn’s journey began (and ended) on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Philosophically, it began much sooner, when his dad took the training wheels off his purple Schwinn Stingray, and he discovered the freedom of pedaling. “I found something in that simple act of motion, atop that simple machine of rubber and steel, that brought me back to myself,” Gunn told an audience of about 100 at Reno’s McKinley Arts Center in March. The center was one of many stops on a tour in which Gunn shared images from his recent three-year, 25,811-mile bicycle journey around the planet.
