Nevada
North and south
There’s a whole lot of something and a whole lot of space in between
UH OH—LOOKS LIKE TROUBLE: A shootout is the only proper ending to any good train robbery, and the Virginia and Truckee (V&T) Railroad in Virginia City delivers. Click to visit related gallery.—photo by Tanya Laing
Have I mentioned how much I love my job? Yes, yes I have. To be able to take in all of these fantastic and diverse destinations and adventures—and to call it "work"—is pretty fabulous. Here’s the backstory: I was lucky enough to win a trip to Las Vegas courtesy my employers at RVwest that included airfare, hotel accommodations for four days and a bit of spending cash for myself and my husband. Not too shabby, right? But when I suggested that an extra week be tacked on so that we could drive up to northern Nevada to see some of the other desert sights, the go-ahead was given faster than you can say "Viva Las Vegas."
The only downside, if you can call it that, is that this was a business trip for me. So I want to assure my generous employers that I was in bed at 10 o’clock every night, up at the crack of dawn every morning and only had a single adult beverage in Las Vegas for research purposes. Ahem.
It’s not the heat, it’s the humanity
Look, I’m not out of my element in a big city. I like the business, the people, the tall buildings, the mash of cultures and the endless shopping opportunities. I like the hustle and bustle, the jostling, the sounds and smells and sights of all these different people in a crush. It doesn’t bother me. But Vegas, baby, is something else. From the minute we disembarked, we were treated to a cacophany of people, slots, big screens displaying all the shows and this constant hum of Las Vegas. I’m convinced that Vegas is not a place; it’s an experience.
I’m afraid many of our notes from Vegas were misplaced—ahem—but we did manage to take in some of what makes the experience one of a kind. First of all, there really is something for everyone. No matter what your budget—from penny slots to high-stakes poker—you will never find yourself with a shortage of things to do or places to go. Las Vegas Tourism offers visitors a plethora of options to suit every taste, every budget and every bucket list. Now is an excellent time to visit the city as well if you’re looking for great deals. With the soft economy, discounts are offered on almost everything from huge stage productions to accommodations. It pays to shop around. My husband Rusty and I took in Cirque du Soleil’s Zumanity while we were there—it was a compromise of sorts—and were absolutely dazzled and entertained by the show. Whatever we were expecting, it surpassed all expectations.
Las Vegas’s (in)famous Strip strikes me as the domain of adults alone—and once you’ve tried to walk down the streets after dark, you’ll understand why—and yet there were a number of families and family-friendly events. We took in the Shark Reef Aquarium at the Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino and were amazed by the display of underwater wildlife. This is North America’s largest predator-based aquarium, and between the golden crocodiles, sawfish, pirahnas, rays and sharks, there is plenty to see. We were able to put our hands in the touch pool while stingrays and horseshoe crabs swam by in a display of mutual curiousity. The slow, hypnotic dance of jellyfish was a technicolour delight. The huge shark pool is the main event, and we could have easily spent hours in there mesmerized by the graceful movements of these (mostly) deadly creatures. The focus of the Shark Reef Aquarium is education and conservation and it’s definitely an attraction worth taking in.
I also have to recommend what became Rusty’s and my favourite restaurant. Tacos and Tequila at the Luxor has authentic, delicious Mexican fare, and the tone is set early with their freshly made tortilla chips and smoky tomatilla salsa that is—and I don’t say this lightly—worth the price of airfare alone. We begged for a jar to bring home and were denied. Alas. TnT also offers a large selection of fine tequilas. I’m something of a margarita snob after having been a bartender many moons ago and the margaritas at TnT were second to none. Seriously. And it’s why we made a point of hitting the Mariachi Brunch on Sunday—two-for-one margaritas and an authentic mariachi band providing ambience.
On the road to get there
We Canadians aren’t afraid of a little road trip, so when we left Las Vegas to drive to Reno, I was completely undaunted. Eight hours in the car? Bring it on! I’m not afraid of a little desert.
Good thing, because there’s a lot of desert to get through. About an hour and a half north of Las Vegas is a place called Area 51. There’s a lot of mystery around this military base that has to do with UFO theories and secret defense testing. In fact, there’s a lot of military testing and activity in Nevada and according to Rusty, who grew up there, it’s because there’s really nothing else out there. Nevada is miles and miles and miles of not a lot—at least to the jaded eye. We stopped in some towns whose best days were likely far behind them and saw evidence of former glory. Now, many of the residents seem to eke out a living of some kind—many still work in Nevada’s second biggest industry, mining. The desert has its own history that has shaped the people who have lived there. It’s barren, hot, tricky and dangerous—and yet there’s something there, shimmering in the distance. There’s promise of riches or solitude. And death.
There’s not much between Las Vegas and the turnoff for Highway 50—the actual loneliest highway in America—but it’s worth it to stop in Goldfield to get a 3-D sense of history; in Tonopah to see the intriguing Clown Motel; Hawthorne, which is surrounded by a 147,000-acre army munitions depot; and the most deserty desert in North America—Death Valley.
The city next door
For many years, Reno has been considered the ugly stepsister to Las Vegas’s Cinderella transformed; Reno is Jan Brady to Las Vegas’s Marsha, Marsha, Marsha. Reno is smaller, not as flashy and has tended to draw an older and perhaps less worldly clientele. While visiting Nevada, I heard it called Vegas Lite.
But I say the Cinderella or Jan analogies are inaccurate, or at least outdated. Reno is to Vegas what Mary Ann is to Ginger; what Betty Cooper is to Veronica Lodge; what Betty Rubble is to Wilma Flintstone. In the last few years, Reno has been re-imagining herself in order to step beyond the shadow of the impossibly glamourous and sensational Las Vegas and establish herself as a smart, savvy, culturally significant and even outdoorsy destination. Las Vegas is a whirlwind ride of fun, foot-long margaritas and flash; Reno is the girl you bring home to meet Mom.
Lest I tread any further into language that could upset my fellow feminists—not to mention showing my age with pop cultural references from another century—I’ll leave off with comparing the two cities to fictional characters.
Reno does have a lot of the same fizz and pop as Las Vegas, on a smaller scale. There is still plenty of casino action for those who like watching their money leave their hands with a bit of a show in return. But there’s also a strong cultural scene. The downtown core has seen some recent revitalization that includes a beautiful river walk, and the Pioneer Centre for the Performing Arts is a hub for local and visiting artists. There are ongoing musical and performing arts events throughout the summer, and farmer’s markets are an ongoing attraction as well. We were enchanted by the relaxed, urban vibe during our delicious dinner at the Wild River Grille that featured live music and a fabulous wine selection.
Reno is also the centre of everything in northern Nevada. From here, it’s a quick drive to Lake Tahoe—in fact, there are discussions about Reno and Lake Tahoe partnering to host the Winter Olympics in the near future. In addition, Carson City and Virginia City are near by.
Believe the hype
You know how it is when you read about a place online or in the magazines and you see photos that are probably retouched and you think it looks spectacular—and then the reality is so much more? Welcome to Lake Tahoe. After a week in the desert, this mountain girl was ready for an altitude adjustment, along with trees, water and—after the near constant sound of slot machines—nature. Lake Tahoe is about as developed as a lake can be while still giving one the sense that you’ve gotten away from the frenetic pace of the city. There is scenery-plus here, and visiting Tahoe can be as rustic or decadent as you might wish, depending on which part of the lake you visit. Our time was much, much too short—I may have had a mild temper tantrum leaving the beach—but for an hour and a half, we soaked in the sun and scenery and I felt my jaw relax for the first time in months. The wind picks up on the water’s surface, so we listened to waves crashing against the rocks and tall bull pines rustling behind us. We had found a spot perched on huge, rounded boulders that gave us the feeling of solitude, even on a beach that was accessible to several hundred visitors. The water was clean, clear and cold, and I’m making myself a little homesick just writing about it.
Get a load of the Comstock
The Wild West lives on in Virginia City, much like a cat on its fifth life. Virginia City definitely and defiantly straddles the line between its present and past, and the drive down South C Street is a clash of historic time periods, with cars, motorcycles and RVs sharing the road with horse-and-buggies. Scheduled shootouts, beef-on-a-bun cookouts and high-odds payouts all take place along the road where many a gambler and prospector made, spent or gambled away a fortune.
Virginia City thrived in the 1800s with the discovery of the Comstock Lode—a silver strike so rich that legend has it that the streets were literally lined with silver of less than 50 per cent purity. Virginia City is said to be both blessed and cursed, however. The city drew in some of the worst characters of the day, and gunfights were hardly uncommon. Nor were suicides: the suicide table in the Delta Saloon is renowned for being the instrument of three of its owners’ untimely deaths. While playing faro—a card game—three separate owners of the table gambled away their entire fortunes and took their own lives; one man—Black Jake—apparently shot himself in the middle of the game. Grisly.
We took the steam train on the Virginia and Truckee (V&T) Railroad for an interpretive tour of the area that included stories of Virginia City’s many fires that devastated the town, as well as mining disasters, strikes and failures. The views around the area are absolutely astounding, and you do get the sense that you can see 100 miles out to the horizon—and 150 miles into the past.
