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Reno, NV: gateway to Lake Tahoe. We stayed in Reno for three nights, mainly to see Lake Tahoe, which we weren’t sure we were actually going to make it there due to wildfires. Yet we did! Lake Tahoe itself was a full day trip and will be discussed on next post. This post I’ll share all about the town of Reno itself.

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We arrived in Reno in early afternoon, in time to do a little scouting before the sun went down. Still on Pacific Time, but moving eastward we’ve noticed the sunsets are arriving earlier in the day and that is a bummer. We’ve gotten used to having a long day of daylight and the many opportunities to stay out and about before dinner. We jumped in the car after setting up camp at the Shamrock RV Park (a nice campground that we’d visit again. In fact, there’s been very few campgrounds that we’ve given the thumbs down to, or at least say we’d pick another place). Headed straight for downtown and took a nice stroll on the Reno Riverwalk. Similar to Columbus boasting the Chattahoochee River, the Truckee River meanders through town, with Class 2, 3, and even 4 rapids in certain areas. Smack downtown, the river calms a bit and welcomes kayakers and swimmers. I walked in the water myself up to my knees to cool off a bit which did the trick; the water was cool and refreshing, clean too.  There are several art installations form previous Burning Man events that have made their permanent home here on the river bank. A welcome sight to see the “BELEIVE” sculpture here, which helped take the sting out of being soooooo close to Burning Man happening in a few weeks. We visited the Black Rock Desert Playa back in 2013 – hopefully next year we can make it back “home”, which would also be a 10 year reunion. Remembering our poses with the sculpture back on the Playa, we had fun re-creating them.     

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Casinos aren’t much of an excitement for either of us, but of course one mustn’t miss visiting several while in town. We found the iconic “Biggest Little City in the World” sign, and strolled into the Casino strip that is Circus Circus, The Silver Gate, and the El Dorado. Although casinos are known for cheap steak dinners, neither of these three offered ‘cheap’ meals, so we decided to find an alternative Mom and Pop restaurant. By chance, we managed to find “The Original Mel’s Diner” located in the historic Sands Hotel/Casino. Fun place! We were transported back in time to the days of tail-fin cars, drive-ins, and actual jukeboxes. Sitting down at the table, we had to play a tune or two. In honor of the recently announced theme of “Disco Daze” for the upcoming Hulaween Fest, we chose appropriate 70’s disco. Jim enjoyed Steak and eggs.
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The next day we spent the entire day at Lake Tahoe (next Blog post).

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Following that, our final day in Reno was back visiting downtown. Because of Reno’s close proximity to Burning Man there is a plethora of vintage clothing stores where one can find cool and kooky outfits for the desert. I had to swing by a few; thank you “The Melting Pot Emporium” – I found a few items, namely some disco-themed apparel for Hulaween.

Afterwards, it was Jim’s turn to choose an attraction. We visited the National Automobile Museum. Our history museum opened in 1989, it was reported to have set the standard for automobile museums around the world. Since then, it has received many accolades and today it is recognized as one of 10 Best Automobile Museums in the U.S.
The idea for this Museum developed following the death Bill Harrah and the museum still exists today thanks to a persuasive public and the generosity of many.
Bill Harrah was a prominent gaming pioneer who founded Harrah’s Hotels and Casinos and the former Harrah’s Automobile Collection. He assembled the largest and most historically significant collection in the world that reached approximately 1,400 vehicles. His legacy lives on at the National Automobile Museum (The Harrah Collection).

Enjoyed lunch on this day at another local establishment (The Thai Corner Cafe), it was delicious.