Reno, NV and Lake Tahoe
I went to Reno last week. The first time I've visited the great city of Reno. Nice trip. Couple of comments.
- The city itself was fine, any typical town with streets and buildings and traffic and people, but the surrounding area was beautiful. Huge mountains rising out of flat land.
- You can gamble in Reno, so casinos and slot machines at the airport and in convenience stores and everything else I hate about Vegas.
- One night we went to Lake Tahoe, 30 miles and about a 45 minute drive. I have never been to Lake Tahoe and found it breathtakingly beautiful. The drive from Reno - flat terrain - to Lake Tahoe which is surrounded by mountains, was worth the trip alone. It was through a mountain pass that is nothing like the topography we have in New England. The northeast has beautiful mountain ranges, especially in upstate NY, but it was just different there.
- We had dinner at a great restaurant called the Lone Eagle Grill right on the lake. Very nice. I ate bison. A colleague ate elk.
- To get an understanding about how much snow the mountains get, there were wood posts on the side of the road to mark the edges that were over 10 feet tall. There was still snow in parts along the road.
- The thing I couldn't figure out about Tahoe was if you don't have a place right on the lake, what is there to do in the summer?
I wouldn't mind going back, especially since San Fran is less than a 4 hour drive away. Spend some time in Lake Tahoe, give to the local economy at the casinos in Reno, and head to Napa.
Overall good trip and another city to put on my list of travel locations.