We left Sacramento just before 1 (after walking with Sailor 4.5 miles. We went to the nearby park, which I'm beginning to think of as the Guilt Walk. Then we left him home.) In Reno, we went to the Comstock Club and had a bit of a problem parking, since Rich didn't want to give the van up to the valet till he was sure we were in. No problem, though. The lady at the desk asked if we wanted a high room or a low one, and while we said it didn't matter, I'm really glad we got the 15th floor. (16th is the top, and later we talked to someone up there and found out why they have a special elevator key: nicer rooms, meeting places, etc.) Then Rich asked for a River view. This is spectacular, over the River and also the neon-y wonders of downtown Reno. The other side, near the elevators, is plenty spectacular too. It's a view of the Sierra Nevada, in all its snow-crowned glory. As this is the "Comstock Club", they have a lot of decorating involving the mines, including a huge bullion scale for weighing ore, etc. There are pictures, mostly of Virginia City, on every floor near the lelevators, and I considered stopping at each floor to look. Even our room has an 1897 picture of the Territorial Enterprise.

Once we were settled in, we started sightseeing. They are building along the Truckee River to make a Riverfront to be proud of. It looks great. The river was flowing fast and there were a couple of Canada Geese in it. We saw the historic bridge which the "founder of Reno",Myron C. Lake, ran as a toll bridge. It was where the original pioneer ford was. We saw the Washoe County Courthouse. Reno started the divorce business in 1906 and the marriage business in 1931. We saw an artist's loft building with fantastic murals.

OK, enough of that nature and history stuff. It was time to check out the casinos! Actually, we wanted to see the treasures from the sunken ship Atocha at Circus Circus, and I'd hoped for the dollar margarita. Turns out the latter is served with a meal, but the sunken ship treasures are nice. After about an hour or two we'd made our way to the Cal-Neva and I was on my third dollar in nickels. I was playing a strange video slot called "Sphinx", and I got 70 coins. No idea why, but fine, I bet the maximum, 45 coins. Nothing. Back to three lines, which I understand, but I was still playing 5 coins per line. I was about to figure out how to change that when I got three coins in a line, so I got to pick a sarcophagus. The one I picked gave me the sphinx, so then I got to pick one of those. 5000 coins. I multiplied that once, and then again, as I just couldn't believe it. $250! So I cashed out, gave Rich back the stake he'd given me, and squirreled $200 away. When we came back to the room, I got rid of it. Rich suggested my purse, but that's trusting the maids a bit much. I figured out the place, the pocket of the notebook in the book bag I brought. A determined thief would find it quickly, but it's a bit out of the way for casual discovery.

I had been keeping fairly even with the quarters, too, but didn't have any other big successes like that. OK, says I to Rich, I won, let's go home. (We actually came to Reno so he could bowl in a tournament on Saturday. Never mind.) It was my turn again: the last time I won big was almost 20 years ago, in South Tahoe, $177 and change in a nickel progressive. Since then, I've certainly poured it all back into Nevada's economy.

We ate at the hotel, and then headed out again. Rich decided to collect all the money cups, for some reason. (Probably he was bored because HE didn't win $250!)

The Burger King has a flashing neon sign, to keep up with its neighbors. Fitzgeralds gave us a pen and keychain, (Saturday two pens, Sunday a hat and a deck of cards.) Another casino gives you five nickels to come in. Fitzgeralds also gives residents of other hotels 2 dollar tokens if you sign up. That was both Friday night and Sunday morning. And I discovered I could have brought my swimsuit: the hotel had a pool. I should probably just pack the thing and always take it.

SATURDAY morning, we woke up from a pretty bad night's sleep. We are spoiled spoiled spoiled with the king-size bed, and a double was torture, especially on my shoulder. That is probably why we had such a fight on the way to the bowling alley in Sparks (5 miles down the road). We managed to get lost. Rich not only didn't believe a word I said, he yelled at me. I reached the point where I wouldn't tell him anything about which direction to go, since if I said "right" he would turn left. Eventually we found the place despite the ice in the car. Of course, everyone else was late. (This was a Knights of Columbus bowling tournament. They started with a prayer, which is probably a little different for the alley! I also noted a guy with his beer at 10 AM, a bit early in my opinion. And the smoking indoors bothered me all weekend.)

Once Rich was established, starting off with a strike, I was off with the car, the credit card, and the address of a bookstore. Never let me into a bookstore if I'm mad at you. However, I had a lovely time. Then I went down to Victoria Square, found out the museum didn't open till 1 so I went gambling. On one machine, the Gold Miners', which matched my shirt, I had 90 nickels on, but accidently hit the maximum bet button instead of keeping on three lines, so it went away quickly. I still stayed fairly even.

Sparks was founded by the Southern Pacific in 1904. A Sunset magazine of that time says "The new Railroad Town on the Central Overland Route of the Southern Pacific Company. 1903 population: 0000. 1904 population: 1500." Reno had turned the S.P. down, since ol' Myron didn't want to give up his land for a roundhouse, so the new town was built by pretty much moving Wadsworth brick by brick to the new location. It's this recent, and they aren't sure where the Roundhouse was. The museum is mostly dedicated to the railroad, but there are a lot of pioneer artifacts including a Victrola to die for. There was another room about hobbies, featuring woodworking and stamp collecting, and a collection of dogs. This room also had a photocopy of a poster urging wicked Nevada to reform and turn away from gambling, the way the more enlightened California had. "Nevada will be a joke and a sneer until gambling is abolished."

There was Egyptian-style jewelry from the '20s. I had known this was very popular after the discovery of Tutenkhamen's tomb. And there were pictures of petroglyphs. I asked if any were the ones along highway 50, as I suspect so, but others are from Washington and Oregon. There was a scrapbook of residents writing about Sparks, including a lengthy history from the '30s.
"Sparks is noted not only for its scintillating energy, and for being the western terminal of the Salt Lake Division of the great S.P.R.R., but for having for its principal [sic] suburb - - Reno, whose world wide fancy you all know was acquired by its diligent promotion of liberty and the pursuit of alimony." --Louise Gulbman, 1932.

I gambled some more, then went to fetch Rich. His scores were 160, 171, 140, 149, 166, and 149. He'd won $2.50 from his team for having the high points, and the team lost the tournament. ("Well," he said, "SOMEONE has to be last!")

I'd discovered "cheap" gas, only $1.49/gallon, and without the MTBE the mileage is better, as well, so I done good. We went back into Reno, ate at the Flamingo, and gambled some more. We spent a lot of time at Fitzgeralds, since we got a card from them, and later at the Comstock. One guy was hogging three machines, but eventually the security made him give up two of them. I lost, but slowly, and we finally stopped playing about midnight. I had $15 left of the $40 I'd started the day with.

I read some of the history of casinos. Harolds (now gone) started in 1935 offering food. They also started making women feel more welcome in the formerly masculine, dangerous, clubs. Harolds sold out to the Hughes empire in 1970. Around this time, Harrah's started offering big name entertainment. Now, with the likes of Circus Circus, the casinos are trying to be more appealing to families. The Cal-Neva offered a 19 cent breakfast in 1962 to draw people in. It's still 99 cents, though we didn't try it.

When we went upstairs and looked out, we could see a block-long line for "Eddie's Fabulous 50's" club. I doubt I would be that interested.

SUNDAY we got up at 7 and went to Mass at the Cathedral of St. Thomas Aquinas. This building was built in 1907, though the stained glass windows are more recent. I was highly amused outside when we were told "Big raffle this morning, dollar chance." I thought they were supplementing the offertory, but it turns out it's a twice-yearly thing.

From there we walked to the Sundowner for a champagne brunch. Rich really wasn't hungry that early in the day, but I had a good time. Then we went to Fitzgeralds for our prizes, and then back to the room, checked out, and drove up to look at the Basque sheepherder memorial. We walked the short nature trail, and saw a robin, another bird, a collared ground squirrel, and some black fence swifts. We were on time to meet our friends, then, and then we all went to the Wilbur May museum and arboretum. He was a big game sportsman as well as a rancher of the Double Diamond ranch (aha! This explains those slot machines!) and there's one room full of heads and furs and ivory and such that really would make one sick. The museum is fascinating, though. The travelling exhibit is about Antarctica. There's a sign on the penquin exhibits stating that they died of natural causes, none had died for the exhibit.

And so home, arriving (after I picked up my dress) about 4:30. Nice weekend.

Total walking while there, about 6 miles.

For the week, no difference in the weight, grr. 19 pounds, 17 weeks! Argh. I walked about 10.5 miles (and bowled twice.) I went back in the room once, got rid of one magazine. I mailed off a couple of things, too.

"By doing just a little every day, you can gradually let the task completely overwhelm you."

- Anonymous (stolen from Mike Rawdon)