Reno 2006

12/26/05 Linda, Meghan, and I left at 8:00 a.m. for our Reno trip. It was a windy, but very scenic drive with snow capped mountains to west for the last 100 miles. We stayed in Bishop the first night.

12/27/05 Left Bishop at 8:00 a.m. for Reno taking the desert route hwy 6 to avoid steep mountain roads and the possibility of snow. Arrived about 2:00 p.m. at the Hilton RV Park and got set up. Discovered that I had a damaged back truck tire so we drove to Costco to get it fixed. They found a slice in the sidewall and gave us a new tire for $1.08 even though I had 17,000 miles on that tire. The bad part was that we had to wait 3 .5 hours to have it installed. We then went to Conrad and Kathy’s for a nice steak dinner prepared by Kathy. We then exchanged our Christmas gifts. I got a really cool set of 3 Chefs knives made by NAPASTYLE. Returned home to our trailer which was nice and warm being heated by our new electric heater. The 55 mph gusts of wind outside, however was a bit unnerving.

12/28/05 Kathy and Conrad came over and we went out for a breakfast buffet at the Atlantis Casino. Returned to our trailer and Linda, Kathy, and I took Meghan for a nice 3 mile walk along the Truckee River hiking path. Went to Conrad and Kathy’s house for dominoes and dinner.

12/29/05 Gill and I drove the diesel pickup up to Mount Rose to ski. There was 60” of fresh snow. I had no chains on and couldn’t make it up the hill into the parking lot. 6 guys helped push the truck up the icy hill to the top and I finally got parked on level ground. The facility was very busy, but we finally got lift tickets and some nice new looking ski rental equipment at the senior rate of $66 total, a real bargain. Size 11 ski boots fit me perfect and the 160cm ski length was also perfect. I was able to still ski OK and by the 4th run I was able to turn very nicely avoiding the snow boarders down the hill. We did 4 runs on the Green slopes only before breaking for grilled hamburgers. Gill went on two more difficult slopes up the hill while I decided to stay warmer and safer on the green slopes at lower elevation. I only did one more run as I was a bit cold and tired. Overall I would definitely come back to Mt Rose during a non holiday time as the slopes were well groom and great to ski on. Another plus is the short distance, less than 45 minutes from the Reno Hilton RV Park where we are staying. I was not sure if I could still ski, but I did fine without even one wipe out. While I was skiing with Gill, Linda played bridge with Gill’s wife Dee. They came in 3rd overall and 1st in flight B of the senior pairs. We had dinner that evening with the Jennings and Evans at the Baldini Casino buffet.

12/30/05 Stayed in bed until 9:30 a.m. as I was a bit fatigued from yesterday’s skiing. Made omelets in the trailer for breakfast and finally took Meghan for a walk along the river at 1:00 p.m. Went to Conrad and Kathy’s for dinner and then attended the Paul Anka concert in down town Reno at the event center. The performance by Paul was excellent and his band was one of the best I have ever heard. Returned home in the rain storm after the performance. At 4:00 a.m. in the rainy morning we had to evacuate our RV site because the Truckee River was about to over flow from the heavy rains. We moved to higher ground in the Hilton parking lot on the west side. We had no hookups for the next two nights, but we had heating, water, and our sewer tanks were emptied before we left our hook up site. Linda got very upset and was very worried about the river flooding. After moving we went to the Baldini Casino for breakfast at 5:00 a.m. and then went back to bed for a couple of hours.

12/31/05 Linda was too tired to play in our scheduled team game with the Jennings. I played with Gill and Dee picked up a partner. We did not do well in the team of four event. We celebrated New Years Eve at the La Strada Restaurant having dinner with the Evans and Jennings. The La Strada is one of the top 25 Italian Restaurants in the US. I have been to this restaurant many times before and the food is to die for. We had a great time and all were happy with their meals. Linda was not interested in staying up to midnight so we went to bed about 11:00 a.m. We are truly getting senior in our old age.

1/1/06 Conrad and Kathy met us at Baldini coffee shop for breakfast. Linda and I then took Meghan for a nice 3 mile walk along the swollen Truckee River banks on what was left of the asphalt river trail. We then napped a couple of hours and went to Conrad and Kathy’s house in Sparks. We watched the latest Star Track DVD and then had an excellent dinner prepared by Kathy. Played some dominoes and then went back to our trailer.

1/2/06 It was raining hard with snow predicted in the mountains. We decided to depart in spite of the weather. I purchased some chains for the truck from Napa Auto Parts before leaving. We decided to go home the same way we came on highway 6. All was well until we reached the base of Montgomery Pass where it started snowing. Fortunately the road on the climb site of the pass was plowed well and heavily salted. The truck had remarkable traction towing the trailer and I had no problem getting to the top. At the top and coming down the western side of the pass the snow coming down much heavier and was quite deep on the road at least 6”-8” with lots of bumpy ruts. There were no guys available to install chains and virtually no dry place to pull over for installation so I kept going in the close to white out conditions. I went very slowly down the hill to the flatter part of the down grade as the snow kept getting deeper and deeper. I never came to close to going off the road but did come close to hitting slow or stopped cars ahead of me because I was unable to stop. It was a nerve racking hour negotiating the pass but I finally made it down and got into Bishop. When I got to the RV Park in Bishop there was lots of snow and a site had to be shoveled out for me. I made it into the snowy site and finally got hooked up almost getting frost bite on my fingers in the process. We had leftovers from New Years eve for dinner. Yum yum.

1/3/06 Left Bishop at 9:00 a.m. for home. It was a crisp 26 F. clear morning with beautiful white snow over the entire landscape. After about 20 miles I stopped at a cattle entry gate and took Meghan for a run on a snow covered road along a canal. Meghan loved running, playing, and digging in the fresh snow. Stayed occupied while driving home, listening to a mystery book tape “The Color of Night” and arrived home in San Diego about 5:00 p.m.