THE LAST OF THE MOJITOS (Or, VIRGINIA CITY: WORST AND LAST HANGOVERS) -- Part 2

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This is Part Two. Part One can be found HERE, and you really should read that first, otherwise even this blog bit's title won't fully make sense to you.
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This woman's voice is almost like a dog whistle but she's kinda cute, so cut her some slack, eh?...
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Virginia City Is The Wild West
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FI8-72-v0HI


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For some time, things had been occurring which I interpreted to be signs from God indicating that I should return to strict sobriety. I had also come to realize that alcohol was restricting my Spiritual walk. Furthermore, even the slightest amount of alcohol usually strangled my ability to dream, and I considered my dream life to be a significant component of my Spiritual life. 
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I might make jokes about those "signs" -- as I did in the following text, which I sent to my friend Trainyard Julio -- but deep down, I knew that eventually I would need to face up to those signs and respond to them.
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So, I'm at the Palace Saloon, having a cold Mojito, when an ad comes on the TV screen about an organization called "Make America Sober Again". Quite obviously a Communist plot of some sort. I'm sure Les Nessman will get to the bottom of it.
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But I finally reached that point when I knew the decision needed to be made. I am determined to NOT let anything interfere with my reAlationship with God and my Big Brother Savior, Christ Yeshua!
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I decided to go up to Virginia City again for one last round of saloon-hopping and then and there, return to a life of strict sobriety. So, on the morning of 11/24/2017, I drove up Geiger Grade and checked into an 1870s hotel:
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After meditating in the Miner's Park, I spent the first half of the day exploring the sites I love so dearly. And then at about 2 PM, I ordered a beer and began my final party.
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Please go saloon-hopping with me now, as we retrace reweave my final night of liquidated fun:
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First, I had a pint of Cerveza Chilebeso, probably my favorite beer of all time, at the Virginia City Brewery And Taphouse, and that got the party started...
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Next, I went across the street to the recently opened Cigar & Bar and swapped real-life ghost stories with the bartender while I drank a Scotch & Soda...
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After that, I walked 1.5 to 2 miles down to the Gold Hill Hotel Saloon and had a Margarita followed by two Modelo Negra beers...
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Trudging 1.5 or 2 miles back up the hill to Virginia City, I stopped in at the Silver Queen Saloon for a Hot Buttered Rum. Yes, I know about not mixing too many different kinds of alcohol but... I didn't care.
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Then I headed up to B Street and one of my favorite watering holes in Virginia City -- the Old Corner Bar -- to see Lisa, my favorite bartender in Virginia City. I sent the following text to beer brother Trainyard Julio, aka 6-B and Bryan Pedas:
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Utilizing my White privilege, I just ordered a White Russian at the Old Corner Bar. I would have ordered a Black Russian, but a gang of them kicked my ass one night in Kentucky in 1983, and I've avoided 'em ever since. 
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He responded with this funny text:
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Just watch out, comrade. In communist Old Corner, White Russian drinks you.
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Ha!-Ha! Well, he was right! Lisa made that White Russian good and strong, and it went down so nicely, so deliciously, that I ordered TWO MORE!! I tipped Lisa $20 and walked out of the Old Corner Bar...
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At this point, I was no longer feeling the pain of life, but I still felt I owed myself one more beer. So, walking back down to C Street from B Street, I stopped in at the Mark Twain Saloon and drank another Modelo Negra...
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I seriously debated returning to the Virginia City Brewery And Taphouse for a final Cerveza Chilebeso, but I finally 86'ed that idea and returned to my 1870s hotel for the night. Good thing, too. Because despite sleeping pretty well, I still woke up with a hangover. It wasn't an A-List E-Ticket hangover like the old days, but I'm older now and any hangover of any degree is no bueno! 
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Shortly after The Palace Restaurant & Saloon opened at 11:00 AM on Saturday, November 25th, I went in for the previously planned final 2 drinks. I ordered some Mozzarella Cheese Sticks with their wonderful Ranch Dressing and a Blackberry Mojito. I'd never had the Blackberry variety before, and it was delicious. But I had to sip and eat slowly to make sure everything stayed down, boy, DOWN!
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An hour later, I ordered The Last Of The Mojitos -- the regular lime type -- in a plastic to-go cup, and I headed to a semi-secluded special spot of mine, away from C Street and the tourists. There's a place in a small half-circle of trees in a barren area where a telephone pole has fallen between two piles of mine tailings, creating a kind of "log bench".
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There I poured the remainder of my Mojito into my silver cup...
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...and just as I did back on September 22, 1995, I had my last drink (again) and returned to strict sobriety for Spiritual purposes. 
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Interestingly, as I was enjoying the last sips of The Last Of The Mojitos, a HAWK seemed to appear out of nowhere and began circling in the sky before me, while squawking loudly. At first, I thought maybe it was a mama Hawk and I was too near her nest. But, heck, the trees were all barren and it was late November. There couldn't be a nest.
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Then I got the idea that maybe this Hawk was a sign from God, squawking approval of my decision to quit drinking again. I thought to myself: If this is a sign from God or Christ, the Hawk would fly over me. I had barely completed the thought when the Hawk completed its last circle before me and flew DIRECTLY over my head. I looked STRAIGHT UP at it thinking: WOW!!! ...And then my second thought was: I hope it doesn't poop on me. 
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The Hawk then started flying East toward Sugarloaf Mountain...
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...and when it was near the Mountain, suddenly a Second Hawk appeared from somewhere and the Two Hawks joined each other in the sky and continued flying East until they both became mere dots on the horizon and disappeared from my view.
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The Father and The Son... Anyone familiar with the Biblical Law of Two Witnesses understands what that was all about. I got it immediately, and was very grateful.
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And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.”
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Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”
~ Matthew 26:26-29
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Looks like I'm returning to Hot Buttered Nothings for Christmas from now on.
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But I'll leave you with some Fun Facts:
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Not only was Virginia City the richest and most important mining town in American West history (the North would have lost the Civil War without it), which gave us Mark Twain and even the beautiful, mystical love story 'Somewhere In Time', it was actually the real birthplace of Psychedelic Rock in the 1960s! (See the videos below.)
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Red Dog Saloon (documentary excerpt)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQKlhKFeO3U


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Red Dog Saloon (documentary excerpt)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeQ-enoKwLI


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There's just something very, very special about Virginia City, Nevada, and I believe souls that have lived there in previous lifetimes return to it time and time again.
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Somehow, the lovely Squeek Steele managed to capture the magic of Virginia City in the haunting melody of her 'Virginia City Waltz'...
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-X1ZLb2T0Q


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If you ever have the opportunity, be sure to visit this magical place. Look here and see what you're missing...
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VisitVirginiaCityNV YouTube Channel
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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