I descended into Virginia City, in the 1860s this was a bustling and lawless gold rush town for a short period of time. The gold soon ran out and the town almost became a ghost town. However two rich Montanans took on the project to restore it. Now it is a tourist trap but gives a good sense of what the town would have looked like in the 1860s. The inside of some shops were restored also and I liked the very large coffee grinder!
Shortly after I passed through Nevada City, another gold rush town with a similar fate. Here not much original survives but historic Montanan buildings have been moved to the town to create another museum type town. Also some trains have been moved here, even though there has never been a railroad through the town. I guess it's just because trains are so cool.
After Nevada City it was about 30miles gradual downhill to Twin Bridges. Very pleasant riding and scenery. There were also several "historical markers" around which I loved. It's great to stop occasionally and read about the areas you are passing through. Rather than paraphrase I have included a couple of photos of interesting markers below in case you also want to read!
Twin Bridges allow camping at the City Park and have built an indoor space for cyclists. This has a shower, toilet, water, electric sockets, space to cook and sofas to relax on. The idea is that by encouraging cyclists to stay in the town they will spend money in the local cafes and grocery stores. Win win. Seems to have worked as I'm having a drink in a bar now to use the wifi and write this!
A cyclist called Matt is also camping in the city park. He is cycling from his home in Washington State to his son's house in Colorado. It's good to swap stories from the road. A couple from Granada, Spain joined us later. They are cycling from Banff in Canada down through California and hope to continue through Mexico.
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