Minden Swap, Cars Show & Genoa Nevada

Saturday, we headed for the 18th Annual Electronics Swap Meet, after a quick stop at Schat's Bakery for a delicious pastry start to the day. My favorite this trip was a tasty, cherry turnover, heated just a bit and partnered with a cup of hot coffee. Yum!

The swap meet was a bit smaller than anticipated, but I enjoyed meeting a few amateur radio friends I've made over the years, for the first time in person. There were some interesting test gear, amateur and military radios, and associated equipment to inspect and drool over. And, an excellent live demonstration of a 1930's radio teletype machine, clickety-clacking away. The very knowledgeable owner explained its amazing and fascinating mechanical components in great detail ... the women loved it ... yeah right!

This next picture is of a 5000 watt, RCA transmitter typically found in an AM radio station back in the day. This is only one third of the massive 6-foot tall, 10-foot long steel cabinet. Of course, you couldn't go near the transmitter with the doors open, as shown here, as there were thousands of volts powering the massive transmitting tubes. You can see one of the tubes to the left of the opening and the cooling fan blower just below it.

Okay ... probably getting bored with all this electronics stuff? How about a car show? We just happened upon a local event down the street from Schat's Bakery and found some beautiful restorations as well as a few very unique rides. Look at the difference between the 1961 Corvette and the 2022 Corvette parked next to it. Both owners were very proud of their wheels, and loved to talk about them.

As I said, there were amazing restoration to see, but I won't bore you with all the pictures I took. However, check out this very unique 1940-something moving van! The owner brought a Bonneville race car, a Studebaker capable of 148 mph (6-cylinder engine, folks) stored in the back, and backed-out with the help of a few friends at the show.

My absolute favorite of the entire show was this 1968 Austin Healey 3000 MkIII in British racing green. The owner had owned it since new, and originally paid $1,600 for it. Today the car is worth north of $60,000! The car was completely stock and you could tell it has enjoyed many years of TLC by the proud owner. He told me his wife tried to sell it twice to buy a house. So, he hid it at a friends house until they got through that period in their lives! Smart move!

The last leg of our adventure in the Carson River Valley took us to the little town of Genoa set up against the hills between the valley and Lake Tahoe. Founded in 1851, it became the first settlement in what became the Nevada Territory. Situated just 42 miles south of Reno, it is now home to approximately 786 determined people, who operate the antique stores, museums and, of course, a couple historic saloons ... one of which we visited to refresh ourselves with a bloody mary after a full day of sightseeing and visiting local stores and businesses.

So, that about wraps it up for our trip to Nevada ... We head home to tomorrow and bid our friends JT and his wife Christina, Son Justin and wife Sandra farewell, after a lively dice game and pizza night hosted in our RV. 

We've had a wonderful time and look forward to coming back again. Each of us came away with historical knowledge of the area, respect for our pioneering ancestors, and maybe a few souvenirs to remember our adventure to the once very wild west.

Until next time, stay safe and God bless.