Quick Trip to Woolstenhulmes

Last Thursday, May 26, 2016 we loaded up and headed west for a 6 day trip.  We drove as far as Ely that night and had dinner at our favorite Chinese place there, Happy Garden.  I was asking the waitress if the Cashew Chicken had a white or a brown sauce and the chef came out and told me that he would prepare it any way that I would like.  I loved that.  I  got the white sauce and it was perfect.  We stayed in the Prospector Inn and Casino and had a most interesting room.  It had everything from modern art to very dated wallpaper trim to Marilyn Monroe.  It was very large, a comfortable bed and was quiet so we were pleased.  We even got a free toothbrush and ear plugs and there was a huge teddy bear on the bed and a rubber duckie on the edge of the tub.

The yard was decorated with a huge variety of metal cowboy things and old antiques like chuck wagons.  Quite the interesting place.

 We had breakfast in the cafe there and then took off for Washoe Valley.  We got there in time to change clothes and go to Reno to go to the Peppermill Casino to the arcade room for Eli's birthday party.  The kids really had fun and it was a smart place to hold a party with pizza and free drinks. Laurel had made strawberry pie for the birthday treat.

On Saturday we had Kalli's birthday party at a climbing place.  Laurel went earlier with the kids and then Russ, Mike and I picked up pizza for the treats.  Laurel had made Grandma Britsch's chocolate cake.  They were through climbing when we got there but they seemed excited and were cute little girls.

That night Laurel made a huge double batch of sugar cookies for Eli's baptism the next day.  We went to church with them that morning.  Had fish tacos for lunch and then packed up veggies, cookies, orange slices and drinks and headed for the church again.  It was a lovely baptism.  He is a delight!

Kate had asked if we could make Teddy Bear bread so we mixed up the dough and shaped them before they went to bed and I baked them.  The adults ate the one I made that night while it was hot and the kids got to eat them the next day. They totally sculpted their own and did a great job!

Mike and I realized that we are getting older.  For the first time we really did not even want to think about driving the entire way back on Tuesday and we had agreed to work at the Temple on Wednesday so we decided to start our trip home on Monday afternoon.

We had a great visit to California for a few minutes .  We saw just a second of Lake Tahoe......
(Picture was taken from moving car.)

as we were heading past Fallen Leaf Lake...........

and up a one-lane road (rather fun taking turns being the car to pull off so that the car coming the other direction could pass)  to our destination of Glen Alpine Falls.

I wasn't sure that I was going to get Russ to let me take a family picture so I am grateful to have this one in this beautiful setting.  Such cute, cute kids!

We were only there a few minutes and then got back in the car to start our trip back to Ely and the Prospector Inn.  This time we were in the handicapped room and the decor and space were not nearly as exciting.

Tuesday morning we had breakfast there and then started the drive home.  We got here by noon and were able to get some things done before our normal week started again on Wednesday.  We noticed some interesting things on our drive back that we may take the time to see on another trip.

Stokes Castle is a three-story stone tower located just outside Austin, Nevada. It was built by Anson Phelps Stokes, a mine developer, railroad magnate, and banker. Intending the building as a summer home, Stokes began building the castle in 1896, completing it in 1897.^[2]
The castle is patterned after a tower that Stokes had seen and admired in the Roman Campagna in Italy. The castle is built of hand-hewn native granite, and the huge stones were hoisted into place with a hand winch and held in place with rock wedging and clay mortar.^[3] The kitchen and dining room were on the first floor, while the second floor contained the living room and the third floor housed two bedrooms.^[2] Each of the floors had a fireplace, and the second and third floors each had a balcony. The roof had a battlemented terrace.^[3]
The family only occupied the Stokes Castle for a short time. The family traveled west in June 1897 with friends and spent about a month in the castle. They spent a few more days in October 1897. They returned in the summer of 1898, but they sold their mine, the milling equipment, and the castle, and never returned to the town.^[2]
Eventually, the castle fell into disrepair until Molly Magee Knudsen, a cousin of Stokes, bought the castle in 1956.^[2] The tower was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.^[1] The "Castle" is currently owned by HW Trapnell of Austin, NV and Dunsmuir, CA.

 Belmont Mill Nevada Historic Mill. This very large mill is not too far from the ghost town of Hamilton, NV nearer to Ely.  It may be a fun place to explore some day. 

 The trip was fast and our bodies were tired of the car but our spirits happy.  We love the Woolstenhulmes and we were grateful to be a part of the parties and baptism.