Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Twain and Tears. June 11-14. Announcing a gathering in Unionville, northern Nevada. The gathering will be at a small park on the grounds of a shack where Mark Twain lived while prospecting in the boomtown of Unionville. Unionville is a tiny hamlet boasting @ 20 full time residents in Buena Vista Canyon, about 20 miles off I-80 between Lovelock and Winnemucca. It is about 150 miles from Reno. We will camp in a county park mid-village called "Moeha Walker Memorial Park." This gathering has become a biannual event, on the off years of IRG.

picture of park: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nevada_mag ... 658861943/

The park is free, with water and porta-potty. No electricity or showers. Camping will be group informal and family style, this is not a campground but a park which we have permission to use. The canyon is about 500 ft higher in elevation than Lovelock, so a bit cooler, should be great in September. And it is quiet, quiet, quiet. One road in and out. No cell phone coverage, although there are land lines so emergency service is available at a local home or the inn. Park will hold maybe 15-20 trailers maximum. Oh, and it is FREE!

What to do?

Talk, relax, play games, cook, eat. We will do a traditional Saturday Potluck, but otherwise this is a total relax program!
Watch birds and wildlife (bald and golden eagles often seen)
Hike several trails
Explore ruins of housing and mines (not in the mines, but the tailings, equip, ec)
Rock hound or look for trilobytes at nearby "Fossil Hill"
Take a tour of nearby Safe Haven, a rescue zoo.
Star gaze
Sleep


If you don't want to camp, but want to join us, there is my favorite bed & breakfast in the world here, Old Pioneer Gardern. http://www.virtualcities.com/ons/nv/c/nvc41011.htm
More about Unionville, go here : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unionville,_Nevada
Pics: http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/nv/unionville.html
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kenlund/48 ... /lightbox/
Will post more info later after we do more recon. PM Debbie Pontius (nevadatear) for more info.

Directions: To get to Unionville, take the Mill City/Unionville exit off Interstate 80 onto Nevada State Highway 400. Drive about 17 miles on paved road, then look for the Unionville sign on your right as the highway turns into a well-graded gravel road. The village is located about three miles up the road into the canyon. Keep going until you spot the park on the right. There is only one road in and out of the village.

More info to come!

As of this moment you can count me in.

Randy

Only 9 months to go!

Enough time to become a parent.........................................

I think we will pencil this in on the calendar, we camped accross the valley in Ladd Canyon a couple months ago chasing early airmail beacon sites. Unionville was one of the places I read about that I wished we could of visited. I seem to rembember it had the oldest covered bridge in the state or something like that.

Mike

Hi guys, pencil me in. For now we're a definite maybe. I would love to go but Jan is probably still in school at that time of year... Maybe not, If she is I may go solo. We'll let you know as we get closer. Its about time we touch base again....

. I am there in something. About 8 years ago. I looked at buying a run down house there. At the time I though was too far out. But where I am moving to now, that be big city living

Hey mel, good to hear from you! Guy guys should come to austin in two weeks! Mike and jay, you will love it in Unionville.

Most of the low hanging apples are gone. Better bring ladders or those fruit picking baskets on a pole.

Randy

Lee and Norma Count us in ! We are looking forward to Unionville. We really missed it last year but understand the reasoning for making it an every other year event.

Were in! cant wait.
Dan and Mindy

Kay & I will be there, as well! Looking forward to it! Won't be towing Kayvee there with the Saturn, again, though .. ...!


(Kayvee has been a nice yellow & white for over a year, now, and has over 15,000 miles on it since this pic was taken!)

CHEERS!

Randy and I heard today that all the lovely popular trees at the park we camp in for Twain and Tears have been cut down. Apparently the gentleman (whose wife the park was named for) across the way was concerned about the health of four of the tress and contacted the county commissioners. They had an arborist examine the trees and he determined that all were dying from the inside out as a result of the continuing drought, that they posed a risk of falling unexpectedly, and should be removed. And so last month they were. The only trees left are the Sequoias and the fruit trees. We are incredibly saddened at this turn of events. Those trees shading the grass is what made the park such a jewel. The man who raised the initial concern is now himself devastated. He wishes he had never said anything. He had no idea they would ALL go. These trees are over 100 years old. Make that were. But, the reality is they were determined to be unsafe. The county had an experience several years ago where a large tree limb feel on a resident in the park in Lovelock during an event. The woman lost both her legs and the county is still in a lawsuit over that. There is no way they will risk that again, and will cut every tree in the county if they hear of any breath of unsafeness.

Randy and I will go up there as soon as we can find a couple of weeks and decide if it is still appropriate to host a gathering there in June. We will keep you all informed.

Damn, what a shame ... ...! I could rant, but it won't put the trees back. Just another example of ... well, in the interest of civility and observance of Forum rules, let's not even go there! It's just a frickin' shame is all ... ...!

This is Nevada. Trees are scarce. Cutting them down should be a hanging offense like horse thieving...

Can understand the county's position with all the lawsuits now, but it still is sad.

However, we will do just fine. We all have ez-ups, and also "Big Ed".

(A minor silver lining is that full sun makes it feasible to bring ice cream in the magic solar powered freezer.....)

Sam