Explorations

Here at MountainMoxie I like to take the mundane tasks of everyday life and transform them into something fun. This doesn't always work out to be anything at all but yesterday was. I had read at AroundCarson that a previously unpaved section of East Valley road had been paved. East Valley Road is tucked up about a mile east of the highway one would normally take to go south to Minden and Gardnerville. Taking the highway isn't a bad ride by any means but there is so much of this area I am unfamiliar with that I try to take a different route here and there in my wanderings, sometimes getting lost, most often discovering a whole new area I didn't know existed. The first time I tried to find East Valley Road met with disappointing results but I did cruise around on the back roads of the Carson Valley anyway. These little forays into the unknown are usually carried out during my once a month trek to the recycling station located conveniently just outside the dump or "transfer station" as it is called. The station is on the southern most end of Gardnerville, about a 20 minute ride from my house. Yesterday I was successful in finding the East Valley Road turn off from Stephanie Lane. It was surprising to me how many houses are out there in the eastern Carson Valley. You would not realize this from the highway. Old, new, large lots, small lots...a whole entire population I was unaware of. Saw lots of horses. And then I came upon these:

Llamas on East Valley Road, Carson Valley

You can't see very well...but these are Llamas. Fluffy, sweet Llamas...a bunch of them on a farm.

I didn't get much closer due to the whole "private property" sign so you will just have to take my word for it. As I was snapping my pic's I looked down and saw this. It appears to be a little fluff of Llama. It is amazingly soft!

I meandered along East Valley Road until it ended. After a few moments of thought I opted to turn right on Fish Springs Road. Lucky for me this was the right guess as it eventually lead me to a major intersection with the highway. I am sure I could find another way to the station from back in the valley but I think I may have to purchase a map for that. Until then all roads I take hopefully lead to the highway where I can get my bearings again. While riding along checking out the scenery I drove by some land and my head whipped to the side and I thought "are those?"Hmm, what else could they be? So fascinated by the possibility of something so exotic, I drove back that way after my recycling duties were complete. I pulled my car over and got out for a closer look.



Yup, that's a buffalo. What he is doing in the Carson Valley I do not know.

In fact, he has many buffalo friends hanging out with him. Now I am wondering when would buffalo mating season be and how long do buffalos gestate? Maybe I can go back and get pictures of baby buffalos.

So that my friends was my interesting journey through the Carson Valley yesterday. We shall see what new sites my February recycling run brings forth.