Quoting that old philosopher, George Marvin Dietz, “We are
Oak Grove People.” As such, we go to Reno, where we find cheap liquor, loose slots
and the same amount of sleaze and boarded up businesses as we’re used to. And,
we can drive there in one day.
We’ve been before, we know the way, but we haven't blogged
about it until now…
In the early days we’d stay at the El Dorado – Joanie’s
favorite. But downtown has changed. We stayed at the Peppermill this time – it has
a great sports book and we were there on important business: the Portland Timbers match against Seattle. Enough said about that bet.
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| The Peppermill at night. Took the tripod. |
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| Skybridge to the hotel |
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| Cold adult beverages and a couple of lounge chairs by the pool really hit the spot |
Oh yes, it was our 51st anniversary and by the way, Mother’s Day.
The Truckee River
flows through downtown and a nice Riverwalk has been constructed along the banks.
Dog walkers, joggers and a few homeless people all take advantage of the area. We had a pleasant early morning walk.
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| Reno Riverwalk in downtown |
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| Great place for a morning power walk |
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| What happens when Dr. Seuss gets to pick the artwork |
One of the most noteworthy experiences this trip was a really big hit on a slot machine for over $1000.00! Never happened before and won’t happen again. It was a Buffalo stampede for sure. Winning is fun.
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| Buffalo Gold, accept no substitutes |
In the hills above Reno is Virginia City. Silver mining
built the town and bikers keep it a going concern today. All good people. We
stopped in to the Bucket of Blood Saloon, but opted for an iced coffee instead.
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| A world-class Kitsch emporium in Virginia City |
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| Tom took this just before noticing the "Absolutely No Photographs" sign on the floor |
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| Great ceilings in this town |
On the way up to Virginia City there is an overlook with a great view. Well worth the short hike and climb up to the viewpoint.
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| Terrific view from the Geiger Grade overlook |
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| The view back toward Reno |
When we left Reno we took a route through the Sierras that
was new to us. We went through many little, unphotogenic towns, some just a wide spot in the road.
Highway 39 took us up to Lake Almanor. Our intrepid photographer and his able
bodied assistant set out on foot to get the perfect shot of Lassen Peak. The
path was paved and the bugs were glad to see us. However, it turns out we were on the wrong
side of the lake for that perfect photo of the mountain.
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| Lassen Peak peeking above the trees |
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| The lady and the lake. Both very photogenic |
Chester California is one of those sleepy towns we drove through, but it probably wakes up really fast when there is a forest fire happening.
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| Hopefully, they mean fires |
Continuing through the Sierras, we stopped in to Lassen Volcanic National Park. Clear air, clear skies, clear
brains. Good for the soul.
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| On the way to Lassen Volcanic National Park, where seniors get in free |
A mandatory stop in at the Olive Pit in Corning and an unremarkable night in Dunsmuir and we were headed north. Then we clicked our heels together and found there’s no place like home. Bye for now.
Tasty Travel Tunes
Road Trippin' - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Philadelphia Lawyer - Rose Maddox with Arlo Guthrie
Reno Nevada - Fairport Convention (or Mimi & Richard Farina, in case you don't have 5 minutes to spare for a Richard Thompson guitar solo)
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| Largest single fire in California history |
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