Wednesday, 17 September 2008

It's Ne-VA-duh, Darn It !!!!!!!



Welcome to Nevada, fellow BATW travellers!!! This State has been my home since Christmas Day 1994. I'm originally from a little country down under, called New Zealand.

One of the first things you need to know about Nevada, is how to pronounce it. The mispronunciation of Nevada, is a sore subject to many Nevadans, as President Bush, Brian Williams, Tom Brokaw, to name a few, have found out. So for those of you who intend to visit Nevada and don't want to sound like a tourist, here's the correct pronunciation.....

Okay then, everybody got that? Lets move on with the tour ...

Nevada has so many faces and contrasts, it really hard to know what to write about, so if it's okay with you all, I'll just ramble along.


There is the beauty of Lake Tahoe and the surrounding Sierra Nevada mountains, with their ski resorts, such as Mt Rose and Heavenly. Lake Tahoe is shared between Nevada and California. Which leads to situations like the Cal-Neva casino, that has the State Line running through the middle of it. As a result, gambling is legal on the NV side of the casino but not on the CA side.





Nevada's deserts are also spectacular. Black Rock desert, part of the extended playa of prehistoric Lake Lahontan, plays host to BURNING MAN every Labour day holiday. It's also claimed to be the flattest place on earth and because of this, it is ideal for experimental vehicles.The World Land Speed record was broken here, in 1997.

Sand Springs Desert is just out of Fallon, on the stretch of US 50 that runs through Nevada and is known as 'America's Loneliest Highway'. Here you find SAND MOUNTAIN , a popular pace for off road vehicles. There is also the burnt out remains of Salt Wells Villa, one of Nevada's brothels. This brothel was a popular red light stop for the Top Gun airmen from Fallon Air Naval Station, plus some of the local law enforcement officers. The brothel was almost burnt down about 30 years ago, when the wife of the local Sheriff, fed up with her husband's visits to the ladies, threw a Molotov cocktail through the front door.

This stretch of US 50, that runs from Fallon to the NV/Utah border and roughly parallels the old Pony Express Trail, is rich in history . As well as Indian Petroglyphs, ghost towns, historic cemeteries, it also has these beehive structures.

They are charcoal ovens and you will find them in Ward Charcoal Ovens State Park. They were built in 1876 to produce high quality charcoal for the silver smelters in Ward, NV. They closed down around 1879, however a use was still found for them. They provided shelter for prospectors and stock men during inclement weather. The story is that they also were used as hideouts by stagecoach bandits.

Nevada is also the State of Wedding Chapels, they are everywhere. In Nevada, it is very easy to get married, as Britney Spears discovered. The marriage licence counter at the local courthouse is open 24 hours and there is no wait period for a licence and no blood tests.

It's probably a bit of a misnomer to call them 'Chapels', in Reno anyway. Many of them are just store fronts, with a glitzy sign over the door and wedding paraphernalia in the windows.

If it takes your fancy, you can have Elvis marry you. Well his impersonator, that is. After you have tied the not, he will even croon a love ballad to you. 'Love me tender , Love me true, All my dreams fulfilled, For my darlin' I love you, And I always will '. Sorry,was getting carried away with The King there. Now where was I ? Right, weddings....
Now, I know you've all experienced drive thru's at the bank, the fast food outlet, etc, but how about a drive thru wedding? You drive up to the window, pay your money, say your vows, get pronounced man and wife and Elvis drives you off into married bliss.
Or you can ride up on your motorcycle ....
Or you can ride a bicycle built for five, with Elvis providing pedal power at the back....

Can't really end the tour without a few facts about Nevada.

Nevada became the 36th State of the Union on October 31st, 1864. The myth is that it's gold and silver production was needed to finance the Civil War, so it's admission was rushed through. The fact is, that Abraham Lincoln needed NV to be a State to enable his reelection and also to help ratify the 13th Amendment.

Nevada is home to Ellis Air force Base and Area 51. The Government, however, denies the existence of Area 51, even though it's pretty obvious that there is a secret installation there. The Air force has said that it operates a facility at Groom Lake, but that it's secret and they can't talk about it. Groom Lake is where Area 51 is supposedly located. Draw your own conclusions. :-)

The State animal is the Bighorn sheep. The State flower is the Sagebrush.

The US Government owns approxiamatly 80 % of Nevada, which is okay, because it's all desert anyway! The rest of us 2.5 million + Nevadans live on the rest of it.

Which brings me to Reno, where I live .....

Reno calls itself 'The Biggest Little City'. See, it says it right there on the arch that spans Virginia St, which is our version of Las Vegas's Freemont St. We are not quite as glittery as our bigger brother down at the other end of Nevada. However, that's a good thing.

We have our own brand of fun. There is ART TOWN , THE BEST IN THE WEST RIB COOKOFF , HOT AUGUST NIGHTS and this week STREET VIBRATIONS .

There's also the Reno Balloon Races. The Dawn Patrol and Dawn Glow are something else. very magical and worth getting up at three in the morning.

Well, that is a brief tour of where I live. Hope you all enjoyed it !! Do come back soon :-)

82 comments:

Unknown said...

Pheeewwww, it posted !!! YAAAAYYYY !!!

This was a journey. Blogger kept deleting my post. Grrrrrrr...

maryanne420 said...

i loved your post, very informative and makes me want to take a trip. i love nevada. we used to frequent reno when i was a little girl. we loved staying at circus circus. we also loved going to lake tahoe. i can't wait for winter to come. it's way too hot here in LA.

Domestic Executive said...

Hey Karen - well done for getting the post up. Great tour of Navada - I've just watched that video twice as I kept getting the pronounciation wrong! Enjoy the blog crack. Will be back to have a proper snoop around tomorrow. Time for dinner, chores and bed down under.

Julie (www.domestic-executive.com)

I Love Purple More Than You said...

What a great tour of Nevada! I had no idea I had been pronouncing it wrong... won't make that mistake again! :)

I loved all the Nevada facts too! (visiting from Los Angeles, CA)

Busymama Kellie said...

It's interesting to hear about the "other side" of Nevada. All I know is the strip! Hawaii people seem to be obsessed with Las Vegas and don't venture much farther than the casinos.

Chris H said...

Very nice looking part of the states... almost as gorgeous as our cute wee country 'down under' eh?

EmmaP said...

Thanks for the tour of Nevada! My parents live in Carson City, so we go back to visit frequently. Just how many state pententries does one state need?

Congrats on being featured today! Lovely Blog!!!

Keeper of the Skies Wife said...

Hi from Arkansas. This was a wonderful post. Enjoy your day.

Nonnas News said...

Here from Texas and BATW! What a great post of Nevada!! I've never been there but one day maybe I will get the opportunity to visit your wonderful state! Congratulations on being featured today!!

Becky W said...

Great job!! I loved it and learned a lot!! Thanks for sharing and letting us all stop by on your day!

Bramblemoon Farm said...

What a cool tour! I'm the one giggling in the back about the brothel burning down because of the angry wife:) I have never seen a desert-- it looks beautiful! I also had never heard of the ovens--these are surreal looking. Thanks for the tour!

Debbie said...

That was so worth the wait! Fabulous! I loved every word of it. I had no idea about any of that let alone the mispronounciation of Nevada. As usual, Karen, that was so much fun to read. Thank you thank you thank you!

ohhollyf said...

Balloon races, very cool !

Lula! said...

Oh, Karen...I just have to tell you. No self-respecting southerner would ever say "Ne-VA-duh" of their own volition. Never. Nope. That sounds so Yankee...and we don't do Yankee, even for western states.

I will continue to say it wrong...because I'm southern and can get away with it, while looking mildly adorable.

Loved your post...as always...you are so famous!
p.s. I will be in "Ne-vah-da" in 2weeks...

oº˚ Homeschool Mom˚ºo said...

Sending Hugs from Louisiana. Love your blog, the pictures or beautiful!

Ronnica said...

Sounds like Nevada is...well, interesting. I guess it makes sense though. It takes special people to live out in the desert like that, and I do mean that in a good way. =)

Suzanne said...

Wow....that was a terrific trip. I never knew about some of those places but I'm adding them to my list of things to see when we retire. It sounds like a very interesting place. I recognized those charcoal ovens. They're still being built in South America.

- Suzanne, the Farmer's Wife

Britt said...

Oh silly Blogger .. it didn't like me on my BATW day either. Our blogs must both be shy :o)

Great post! I had no idea there was such a huge discussion over the pronunciation of Nevada .. I was worried I was going to be told I've been saying it wrong. I was relieved to find out I've been saying it right :o)

Lauren W said...

Whew... I love it :)
I actually saw something about Burning Man the other day :) I'll bet there are some spectacular photos of Nevada! Thanks for sharing :D

Susie said...

Greetings from Wisconsin. Congratulations on your BATW feature. I hope you enjoy your day in the sun.

Thanks for the lesson in pronouncing Nevada. I love Vegas and now, I won't offend the locals when I vacation there:-)

Jen said...

Gotta love Nevada. I have very good friends there and I like to visit them. Great post.

Melissa Lester said...

I had probably been mispronouncing it too, so I will be sure to get that right from now on! We visited Las Vegas a few years back to see Celine Dion perform, and I was amazed at how the landscape changed during the flight. All those canyons and deserts! It is amazing that we have so much diversity in our geography here in the U.S. Thanks for the tour of Reno!

Jenkins said...

Do you have a job with tourism of Nevada? If not then, you may have a new career! That was the best online tour! The pictures are amazing! Although I must say those wedding "chapels" in Reno are funny.
So much more to Nevada than Las Vegas!

Michelle said...

Ok, so I have to ask. If the casino only allows gambling in the Nevada half, what do you do in the California half?

How many people outside tourists get married in the chapels? Is it fairly common, or do you still have lots of the more typical church/reception hall weddings?

Betty said...

Nice visiting your blog. I would love to visit there sometime in real life...
Happy BATW day!

Brian and Staci said...

WOW! Ms. Oklahoma here! What a great post! NeVAduh looks awesome! I've only been to Vegas (one time) and that was it...I'd love to see these places you posted pics of! Sounds like you are enjoying living there! Quite a change from New Zealand ??? Nice to meet ya!

Ashley said...

Thanks for your tour!

Cant Hardly Wait said...

Hey from New Orleans, LA! I've always said Nevada right, and I always thought I was wrong! Glad to know I was right all along! I didn't know Nevada had that much beauty to it! Great post!

Amy said...

I say it wrong....oops! Thanks for posting that and enjoy your BATW visitors today :D

Unknown said...

I love Nevada... it is a beautiful state, and so diverse! Thanks for the information and the love!!!

taratoons said...

I loved your post - so much information! I admit that I had to watch the video on how to pronounce Nevada - only because I didn't know the wrong way to say it. (Whew!) I hope you enjoy all of your comment love today!!

Amy Kay said...

Hello from Georgia and BATW. I love visiting Nevada. I have been to Lake Tahoe and Las Vegas. I haven't been physically to Reno yet, although I felt like I had after reading your post. It sounds like a wonderful place. Congratulations on you spotlight!
Amy ;)

Unknown said...

OK... I am packing my bags... Can I stay with you?

Super post! T

Elena said...

Hello from Idaho. I've only been to Vegas, never Reno. Although I have always wanted to see those balloon races and Lake Tahoe. We have some friends who recently moved there, so Reno may be in my near future. Thanks for sharing today, it was fun.

Aubrey said...

I always love stopping by your blog! You didn't disappoint today, but hey, you never do!

Thanks for the tour!

Unknown said...

Great tour...love the video...I have been pronouncing it right, yeah me!

Hope to be visiting your State next vacation...beautiful pictures.

Keys to the Magic Travel said...

I had no idea that I was mispronuncing the name. And I'm with Lula...us southerners can get away with it :-)

And I so want to renew my vows with Elvis.

Domestic Executive said...

How you going Karen? I've never poured so much tea or served so much cake in one day at Domestic Executive HQ. I'm off to find hobbiton now I know where it is!

BATW rocks!

Julie

Tamie said...

oooooh, fun! i've been to lake tahoe--on my honeymoon--but let me tell you, it was not fun--and only b/c my hubby and i don't gamble and he didn't research what we could do there (excet for the obvious--hint, hint!)
i've been to reno and that was intersting--my brother and his family just moved to vegas--he used to be in the marines and now does soemthing with contract work(who ever knows what those people do...)
what a great tour, and you foudn some awesome pictures to accompany your story. actually makes nevada look less like a desert than it actually is.
oh, and speaking of the proper pronunceation of the state...there is a town in eastern missouir called nevada...but it is pronounced with a short "a" sound--the sound the letter makes...i guess it is some indian word...since being there i've just always thought that the whole pronunciation of that word was a little funny. :)

Leslie said...

Thanks for the tour! I've been through on a couple of occasions, but will have to spend more time to enjoy it properly. Loved the pictures! Enjoy your spotlight today!

Vicki said...

I knew there had to be more to Nevada than Las Vegas. Thanks for the tour and the pronunciation guide. Everyone from Missouri calls it Missouruh. And I guess Colorado would be called Coloraaaaduh?

Frizzy said...

Loved reading about Nevada. I am a recently converted Nevadan thanks to Nellis Air Force Base. My hubby was transferred to and worked there until Jan of this year. We're now in CA only a few hours from Reno. I never thought I would say this but I miss Nevada. There are people from all walks of life and regions of the world there. Very multi-cultural and who doesn't love all the options for food and flavors.? Thanks for sharing I couldn't have said it better myself.

Lady Dorothy said...

Nevada has some of my favorite places to visit! What could be prettier than Lake Tahoe -- summer or winter?

Greetings from the Central Coast of California!

Aunt Julie said...

Thanks so much for the tour! I'm hosting a Recipe Week this week, so if you're hungry, stop on by! Isn't BATW wonderful?

Darcy @ m3b said...

Oh! I've been waiting for this to come up!

Did you know there is a Nevada, Iowa?

And they say it: Neh- VAY -da

Not like Nevada or like Brian Williams. Their own quirky little pronunciation.

Can't make this stuff up! ;)

Thanks for the tour,
Darcy

Nichole said...

Yah, I say it right ;o)

Happy BATW day!

Mrs. X said...

Lovely, absolutely lovely. The pictures you provided were perfect, especially the wedding ones! Who knew you could get married in a drive-thru, on a BIKE?!

Thanks for the fun trip. :)

Bug said...

I love the video! That was great! I have been to NeVAda multiple times and have enjoyed myself each time I have been there. My sister eloped to Reno! When moving to CA years ago,we stayed in Reno. I have been to Lake Tahoe on both the CA and NV sides! I have even gone to a wedding in Vegas! To top it off, when Frizzy and Bird lived in Vegas while Bird was in the Air Force he worked at Ellis. Hubby (Einstein) and I stayed with them and spent a little time on the base as well!

Thanks for a great post! Makes me miss that area every once in awhile!

I am visitin you via BATW from Illinois. (Remember, there is NO noise in Illinois!) We have the same issues with pronunciations!

Breanne said...

Those pictures were beautiful. Thanks for the tour - I have never been to Nevada but would love to really visit.

Shell said...

Happy BATW day, Karen. Thanks for sharing with us the right way to say Nevada. I had no idea. Whenever I get married, I do want to go to Vegas. Just without the singing Elvis guy. I had no idea Burning Man was held in your state. I thought it was in New Mexico.

Dawn said...

Hi from Louisiana! Thanks for the tour!

Anonymous said...

Great post. Thanks for the tour of Nevada.

The Hultman's said...

Great post! I love Nevada (and not just Vegas!). It's such a pretty sate! Thanks for the tour!

CaraBee said...

Those landscapes are absolutely amazing! I've heard really great stuff about Reno, my parents visit there at least once a year. One of these days...

Domestic Executive said...

I think my husband may be a hobbit - his feet are rather furry and he hates being up high in an open sky!

Glad you're enjoying your BATW Day.

Shannon said...

Whoops... I've been saying it wrong too!

I'd like to visit Lake Tahoe some day.

Great post! Enjoyed it!

Jennifer said...

That was a great tour Karen--I enjoyed it! Those beehive structures are so cool and all the scenery looks beautiful. I have been to Las Vegas, but never ventured away from there--next time, I will have to!

Kelly said...

Great job!! I had no idea that I had been pronouncing it wrong all this time & it took a New Zealander to teach me ;)

Tracy P. said...

Ah, yes! Lake Tahoe has been on my list of places to visit for awhile. Seeing the photos reminds me why!

Hope you've had a fun day!

Marla said...

thanks for showing me there is more than vegas... love that sand mountain picture!

Gombojav Tribe said...

Glad that I've been pronouncing it correctly all along!

Daja, visiting from BATW!

Laural Out Loud said...

That was such a great post! Thank you for an awesome tour.

Just Lisa said...

God Bless Nevada! Living in Cali, we go to Nevada at least once a year. Thanks for the great tour!

Rela Pantaleon said...

ah Ms Karen, so this is where you live!

Anyway, I've been to Reno and Tahoe a couple of times already on day trips. The most memorable one was when my parents were visiting from the Philippines in April 1999 and it was their first time to see snow. They said that it was like being out of this world! :)

Alicia @ Oh2122 said...

Wow! I have always wanted to go to Vegas just to see it, but those parks!

Nevada just moved waaaaay up the list of places to take my little one.

Tiffany said...

NeVAduh is one of my favorite states! It's so beautiful there. Haven't been in 10 years now and can't wait to get back there! Enjoy your BATW day!

Cindy said...

A few years ago I was travelling to see my parents who were living in California at the time. The plan was for me to fly to Vegas where they would pick me up and we'd drive to LA. I remember the temperature in Dallas being around 90 (which I think is really, really hot) before I got on the plane. Then I remember walking out of the airport in Vegas and almost croaking on the spot because it was at least 400 degrees there!

Kathi Roach said...

Stopping by from BATW a little late. I loved your post....now i know how to pronounce your state correctly!! Who knew?? Thanks for sharing. :)

Rene said...

Great post! My hubby and I have a Nevada marriage license ourselves! We were married at Circus!Circus! in Las Vegas. I know, it's crazy! I also have another link to you - my hubby's new bone marrow doc is from NZ too. Thanks for the great tour!!

lynn said...

Stopping by from BATW, sorry a bit late. Loved the tour. Been to Vegas a couple times, would love to see more of the state. Had no idea I was pronouncing it wrong all this time.

Rebecca said...

Thanks for the introduction to Nevada!!!

Anonymous said...

Wow, I wanna go! Great post - enjoyed the pictures! Found you by way of BATW

Rhea said...

I really want to visit. Amazing.

My sister and her husband spent almost a whole year there in Zealand, working and exploring. They LOVED it.

Rhea said...

Oops, I just realized I typed New Zealand. I meant Nevada. Really. I'm not drinking, I promise! I'm just blog-buzzed. lol

Unknown said...

The balloon races look beautiful. My heart is with Nevada - I was married there. Great tour for BATW!

Anonymous said...

Very interesting tour - thank you!!!

Nola said...

Hi, found you via Diet coke's blog and I really enjoyed reading! Thanks. Oh, I had been saying Nevaarrrda....but not any more! :)

B. said...

I lived in Las Vegas for 12 years. Visitng you brought back memories....

Mrs4444 said...

Holy cow! Do you always have this many comments?! Nicely done; I enjoyed it. We have talked about going to Burning Man for years, but otherwise, I've never considered visiting Nevada. Lake Tahoe seems to be calling my name, though. Do you have to be rich to vacation there?

A said...

Another BATW visitor here! Thoroughly enjoyed the tour...thanks for sharing.

Briana said...

Thanks for the trip from BATW!! I didn't know there were people saying the name of the state wrong. I always said it right (yay me) but now that I saw that video, I might second guess it! LOL...

Melanie Sheridan said...

I haven't spent much time in Nevada. We've been wanting to go on a family vacation to Tahoe. Hopefully we can soon. Thanks for the tour!