July 12th, 2024
GAS: Outside Reno you can find it for $3.50 ish, however, in Reno you cannot find anything under $4.25 – seems there is a 50 cents a gallon tax on gas here in the city.
We crossed the state line from Oregon into Nevada and the smoke had cleared up.
In Winnemucca, we managed to fill up at $3.47 a gallon. 
As we were driving south from Winnemucca in Nevada, we changed our minds about stopping at our trailer/storage unit (which turned out to be a good idea) and headed straight into Reno to the Costco to get Doug’s new glasses ordered. While waiting our turn, Fran found a different pair of frames for him that we both liked better so we’ll return the ones we bought in Bellingham.
When it was our turn, we explained the frame situation and there was an issue; in Washington State there is no state tax but here in Nevada there is so they couldn’t get the computer to refund us only the price we paid without tax. After a bit of back and forth with supervisors etc., they asked if we’d just take cash – no problem.
We got the glasses ordered and hope they’ll be done within the seven to ten days we were told; otherwise we’ll have them sent to Buffalo (at our cost of course).
We did a bit of shopping and then drove over to Serena’s place; she, of course, was at work and Kurt was sleeping as he’s on a graveyard shift but we had our mail and a number of parcels to pick up. She had left everything in the front entry way for us and after an excited “hello” from the dogs, Heidi and Titan; we grabbed it all and left.
We arrived at the resort over an hour before check in time but they were not concerned. We have a one bedroom condo unit it an older resort but it comes with parking, full kitchen, balcony, Wi-Fi, pool, free laundry room and a hot tub for $300 for the week. It will be nice to stay put for a bit and we can visit with Serena and Kurt during this time. There was a quick 30 second rain sprinkle around this time after we get in.
It’s quite hot in Reno (the whole of this state and California are, in fact) with heat and fire warnings but should begin cooling off after Sunday. Temps have been reaching into the low 40’S C / 107 F.
We got the car all unpacked and got settled in before Serena arrived to join us for dinner.
Today Doug wired a deposit to the sellers of the rig we are purchasing in Australia. They will be attending to changing the registration from a “classic” vehicle to a regular one and making a change to the dinette so we can use it as a second bed.
We took Serena for dinner at a nearby new centre and went to Grimaldi’s Pizza for a cold one and a large veggie pizza. It was pretty good.
We caught up on life and then returned for a bit longer of a visit at the condo. Serena left around 8 as she had to work early tomorrow.
We were in bed around 9:45 and slept pretty well.
Saturday morning after tea time, we drove to our storage unit (it’s where we also keep our Tundra and trailer) in Fallon – about an hour away. There we put some things both in storage and back in the trailer, got a few other things, checked out how they were both doing and were quite pleased. The solar is holding well, no broken seals on the trailer, no flat tires on either vehicles and no critters either. The only sore spot was the tire covers on the truck and one on the trailer. We grabbed the silver duct tape and did a temporary repair job (the sun is so intense here, it destroys the fabric of the cover).
On the drive back to the condo, we stopped for a proper grocery shop and we were back by our lunchtime. After lunch we both went for walks to get our steps and it was freeking hot!
At 5pm we turned on the TV to watch the third place game in the COPA cup: Canada vs Uruguay which Canada was winning until the last 100 seconds when Uruguay tied it up which meant penalty shots – then it Uruguay 4-3 in shots which ended the game. Such a good run the Canadian men have had. Not bad for a team ranked 48th in the world! (Uruguay is 14th.)
Serena came over at half time and after dinner we all went for a soak in the hot tub before she left.
Sunday, both Serena and Kurt were off work (they both get Sundays and Mondays off – first time in over a year they’ve had the same days off) and after lunch we went over to their place. The weather has cooled off a good bit today with highs of only 29C / 84F (lows at night are around 20C/ 70F). We enjoyed a nice visit with them and the grand pets: Heidi and Titan, the dogs and Bruce, the cat.
After about an hour, we drove over to the Grand Sierra Resort and wanted to get Fat Tuesday Mudslides but they were not available (we all think that that is the best flavour) so we each got different ones. We were told they have discontinued this flavour – disappointing). Then we went to the slots for a bit and later Serena placed a roulette bet on black and won.
We returned to their house for a short bit before going out for dinner for Fran’s birthday once again. Serena had chosen a wonderful little Chinese restaurant that is quite small so reservation only and we managed to get it in. Enroute, it rained hard for about ten minutes max; Kurt said it hadn’t rained like that in months!
Dinner was excellent and Serena and Kurt picked up the tab as well as giving Fran some nice gifts. It was a very pleasant day!
We had driven in our car as Serena and Kurt have only one car (the new Corolla Cross she bought last December) and it has a dog “lounge” area in the back seat so no back seat passengers. We dropped them off at home around 8 and returned to our condo.
Monday it was a little warmer again (only getting hotter as the week goes on) and we hung around the condo after our morning routine and breakfast. We joined Serena, Kurt and the dogs at the Truckee River around 2 for a couple of hours of cooling in the shade by the riverside. They brought chairs for us all and we each had coolers with our beverages of choice.
Around 4:15 it began to get super windy and the sky was darkening so we packed it all up and called it a day as we felt it would rain like yesterday in the late afternoon. It never did but it did cool nicely.
Tuesday was hotter again; Doug went for some blood work, Fran went to get her eyebrows done and Serena joined us at dinner time. We had spent a couple of hours by the pool this afternoon; it was a bit busy but we managed to find shade to sit in. The water is on the cold side but even Doug managed to get in.
As it looked hotter later in the week, on Wednesday Doug did his marathon walk and tried to get out before the heat; wasn’t completely successful, but did notice that he drank a lot more whenever he did stop for liquid. His feet got some heat rash, but it sorted out pretty quickly.
We spent some time by the pool this afternoon and pretty much had it to ourselves most of that time.
As mentioned earlier Fran has applied for Medicare but that seems to be going off track at the moment; the system doesn’t seem to like that she worked in Canada so her coverage may not be effective for her appointments later this month. We’ll go to Rapid City anyway, to at least get a “med checkup” done in order to renew prescriptions, but she may not be able to see a joint specialist this time around and we’re looking into how much a mammogram costs without insurance. We’ve been spoiled in Latin America as they were cheap and sometimes free!
So Thursday morning Fran went for bloodwork which she had the lab orders from her doctor for. It was a long wait without an appointment (there were none available till Tuesday!) but she got it done. Upon returning, we took care of the laundry as tomorrow we check out and move on to Serena and Kurt’s for a few days.
A new heat wave is beginning today with highs reaching 37C / 99F today and will raise a couple of degrees each day for the next week.
We spent a final afternoon by the pool again before a dinner of leftovers so as to have less to bring to Serena’s.
We had a good stay here despite the poorness of some things, like the Wi-Fi, some security issues (the front car gate never seemed to close and it was hit and miss if the pool gates and laundry room door locked. The place has seen better days for sure but for the $299 we paid for a week, it was good value.
We got settled at Serena and Kurt’s. Kurt was awake when we arrived which surprised us as he’s on graveyard shift but he did hit the hay in the afternoon. We got our steps then had our breakfast. In the afternoon we sat outside in the backyard under a tree and cooled off in their little swimming pool as needed.
This is the day the Crowdstrike outage happened and it was either that or some other issue, but the money Doug wired to Australia came back. Now he’s going to try Wise as the reasons given didn’t pan out. We’ll have to see how that goes.
When Serena got home from work we sat outside and chatted and then Fran made dinner and we had a quiet evening before Kurt headed off to work. Saturday both Serena and Kurt had to work (although at different times) but both were home for dinner. Fran went shopping for supplies for our camping trip tomorrow and after work Serena began gathering up the gear we’d need to pack up. Fortunately, they have two tents and were willing to give us the larger to use with cots and they used their air mattresses in the smaller tent with the dogs.
Sunday morning, after Doug’s run, we packed up both cars and hit the road around 8:30, stopping in Minden shortly before the California border to gas up at $3.43 and by shortly after ten we were at Lower Blue Lake Campground. The area actually has four campgrounds but for some reason, only two are open and one is rather small and not on the lake.
We got there first and nabbed a spot that someone was just leaving and it was lakeside. The drive up was quite scenic with mountains and pine trees and lots of cool rock formations.
The Lower Lake is quite nice too and we had lovely sunny weather that was not quite as hot as Reno as we are up at 2469 m / 8100’ instead of 1325 m / 4347’.
Fran went to pay and the camp hosts told us that the campground is visited nightly by a couple of black bears so to be sure to use the provided bear locker!
Serena and Kurt arrived and we set up camp. Kurt had worked the graveyard shift so he went to nap in their tent while we had a bit to eat then Doug went to get his the rest of his steps.
A young couple offered us a huge watermelon they didn’t use and it was perfectly sweet!
Serena and Fran were going to take the dogs for float in their inflatable kayak but the wind really picked and instead they went for a walk of about 2 miles round trip along the park road ending at a stream where the dogs could splash and get off leash. We both walked in the stream too to cool off.
Before dinner Doug got some firewood and we had a nice fire until the bugs got too bad around 8:30.
We had a full moon so it was a dark and quiet night. It cooled down nicely for sleeping too. We did not see the bears at all but it was a little unnerving going for a wee in the middle of the night!
Doug went for a short run around 6 the next morning and we were all up by 7:30. After breaking camp and enjoying a bagel and watermelon breakfast, Doug gave away the rest of the watermelon (we only ate one quarter of it!) and we packed up and drove to where we thought we’d do a hike to Meadow Lake. Well, it tuned out the road was not closed as we’d thought so instead of walking we drove all the way to the end of the road and it was short walk to the lake itself. This road was dirt and a bit rough so Doug drove it and our trusty little Civic made it through a couple of slightly rough sections with no damage.
The road was well treed and we saw lots of trees with moss on them and several with “moss rings” on them:
There were many dead and downed trees – Doug had read there’d been some sort of infestation a couple of years ago and many trees fell and this area gets tons of snow in the winter so that weakens them as well if they are sick.
We parked and had to walk the last third of a mile to another beautiful lake which we had to ourselves. It was cold water but Fran stepped in as did Heidi and Serena actually went right in.
After about 20 minutes, the bugs became quite bothersome so we headed back to the car. We met up back in Minden so we could top up our tank before our drive tomorrow and then Serena and Kurt took us to Dairy Queen as a late Father’s Day present for Doug (it’s something he asked for). After some yummy blizzards, we headed back to Reno. They went back to their home and we stopped at Costco to see if Doug’s glasses were ready. Turns out they will arrive tomorrow and probably not till the afternoon so we arranged to have them shipped to Buffalo; too bad.
Doug had learned Sunday morning when he moved the car, that one of our brake lights was out (a fellow on a motorbike told him) so enroute to the house, we stopped to get a bulb.
Upon arriving at Serena and Kurt’s, we unpacked, Doug installed the new bulb, we showered and then repacked most of the car as we hope to get on the road tomorrow by 7 am. Fran and Serena went to pick up some Thai for dinner and we all crashed early. We are heading to Las Vegas for a few days.
Tuesday morning was yet another glorious albeit hot sunny day. We were up early as planned and by 6:35 am we were saying out good byes to Serena (leaving hugs for Kurt who was still asleep) and on the road. With a stop for Egg McMuffins for a mid-morning breakfast, a few “pee breaks” and one gas top up in Tonopah we enjoyed the scenery heading south in US95.
We made it to Vegas by 2:45, got parked in the self-parking at Treasure Island Resort & Casino. We did the express check in and were up in our room on the 17th floor with a view of the strip and the pool area.
We had not planned to book a hotel right on the Strip (we rarely do) but when Doug checked the Choice website we could get a good price (about $100 a night) and before checking in we upgraded to a Strip view for an extra $30. The bonus is he’ll get points for this stay too.
Our room is quite large with a king bed, desk, chair, fridge, large bathroom and the above mentioned view:
One of the best parts was the self parking was right off the I15 and we did not have to drive on the Strip at all. We’re pleased with this.
There is a pool here but hardly any shade unless you want to pay for a cabana so we probably won’t bother.
We hung out in the room for about an hour, settling in, having lunch with our own fixings and then went out to the Strip for a stroll. The temps here in Vegas are HOT! It was 43C / 109 F today and getting a degree or two hotter over the next two days!
Fran got new sandals from the kids for her birthday and one foot was being irritated so we stopped at Walgreens for Band-Aids. We checked out a few casinos, did some penny gambling and then went to watch the fountains at the Bellagio at 6:30. When we were in the Flamingo, we bought tickets to see “Piff the Magician” on our last night (Thursday) as well. Upon returning to our room we had snacks for dinner and hit the hay around our usual time.
We did a small amount of gambling; finding machines with penny values is becoming extremely difficult and after finding a couple and enjoying a drink we moved around and did not find many more. We hate to say this, but Vegas is losing its shine for us; things are much more expensive and we don’t gamble much but we won’t play pricey machines. Today our biggest win was $5.55 off a penny bet that Doug made.
Wednesday, after an okay sleep (still catching up from the crappy sleep we had sleeping in the tent!) we both did our exercise routine (Doug went down to the gym so as not to run in the 34C / 94F heat outside), Fran went for another blood test and then upon returning we hung in the room for a bit and then went to a dentist we’d found on Groupon for a six month cleaning.
This was a bit of a fiasco; the Groupon was for $46 for an exam, x-rays and cleaning. We did not want x-rays but they insisted “in order for the doctor to determine the type of cleaning needed”. We’d NEVER heard that bull before but okay, whatever (by the way we are both in the same room). After the x-rays, Fran got her teeth polished and flossed (not scraped for plaque) and then the dentist came in, looked at Doug’s and said he needed a deep cleaning and then after looking at Fran, said she didn’t need a deep cleaning but did nothing other than advised (as she’s been told SO many times) to have her baby tooth removed and get an implant (but why? it is not causing any issues!) and she could use 3 crowns.
So then they polished and flossed Doug’s teeth and said we were done! WTH? No scraping of plaque? We asked at the counter and were told that scraping is part of “deep cleaning” and the Groupon only covered “regular cleaning” so we’d need to make a new appointment for “deep cleaning” another time. We felt that was ridiculous and had NEVER been told this – keep in mind we have seen a lot of dentists in our travels. The receptionist also said Fran had “deep pockets” that require this deep cleaning but Doug didn’t and his are usually the ones that require this so we are confused and frustrated. After arguing a while we gave up and said we’d leave bad reviews.
Since we were using the car, we decided to head up to Freemont Street for the afternoon. We had in our Garmin a spot we used to park for free up there, and although it was available due to roadwork , we did find something around the corner. It was a hot walk to Freemont and we were glad for the shade cover over the the main part. We were extremely thirsty but didn’t want alcohol before lunch so we finally a frozen drink place that did nonalcoholic piña coladas and enjoyed the cool down while checking out casinos for penny slots – we only found one that had them and played there for a while. Fran won $4 on a nickel bet here.
We returned to Treasure Island (TI), made some lunch and then went out on the strip for the rest of the afternoon. We headed north a bit to Resort World, found nothing to play, then over to Encore and Wynn – also both a bust and then we hit the Palazzo where we found a few and played for about an hour enjoying a couple of free Corona’s each. Doug played a long time on one dollar, Fran didn’t do so well until her third dollar but then won $4 on a penny bet then decided after a few more spins, to be greedy and bet twenty cents and won $20! She cashed in $26 for the dollar she’d put in the machine and it was time to leave. Not bad! In total we are ahead including tipping waitresses.
We walked underground to the Venetian through the Grand Canal shops (which we love and this has long time been our favourite casino and still is) and then looked but found no penny slot so we walked back across the Strip to the TI and found a few but were hungry and went to a sports bar to share a bison burger and a large beer before heading back to our rom.
Thursday it was already 34C / 94F at 7AM! We had a leisurely morning in the room, Fran went down to Starbucks for a tea as we have no kettle or microwave, and we got several things done online before venturing out.
Today it’s supposed to hit 45 C / 113F before slightly cooling off tomorrow.
We had a great day; we left our room shortly before 11 and made our way south on the Strip. We checked out Caesar’s Palace – actually the Forum Shops – to see the 3 fountains:
Neptune’s Fountain:
The Fountain of the Gods:
And Finally the Atlantis Show/fountains complete with a big aquarium. It had been a while since we’d been here so we filmed the show:
As well as took pics.
We stopped at our favourite jewelry store, Na Hoku and took a look around as Doug wanted ideas of what Fran liked. If you recall he gave her a white gold palm tree necklace for her birthday earlier this month and that was the sixth piece from this jeweler.
Then we wandered through the casino but found no slot machines we wanted to play (no surprise as the penny slots are getting so hard to find these days).
We went back outside and walked down to the New York New York casino walking over bridges and through other buildings to go in and out of the heat. Here we found a few machines to play, took a walk through “New York” enjoying the feel of the place.
Then we walked across Tropicana on the bridge over to the Excalibur where we found a few machines but they were lousy so we didn’t stay long.
We took the free tram down to the Mandalay Bay where we also found no machines so we walked indoors via a walkway to the Luxor where we found a few a played for a bit.
Returning to the Excalibur we crossed the Strip over the MGM and Planet Hollywood both of which proved not worth it as well before we checked out the M & M store for a look and then the Paris which was also a bust.
By now it was after 6 and we had show tickets at 7 so we made our way north to the Flamingo again dipping in and out of buildings to get AC as it was HOT, HOT, HOT!
We nipped over to the Linq since we were early but that was a bust as well so we returned to the Flamingo in time for the Piff The Magic Dragon show.
This was enjoyable but not excellent. It was quite entertaining and the theatre is small which was nice. It wasn’t too expensive compared to other shows so it was reasonable value.
The showed ended about 8:30 and we braved the heat again but at least the sun was down now although not the temperature by much!
We walked north to the bridge between the Wynn and the Palazzo to see the Sphere at night.
Then it was back across the Strip to the TI where we played the slots again for a bit. No waitress ever showed up and after about 30 minutes we gave up. On Tuesday when we got here, we had 22 one dollar bills. We used these to gamble with as well as pay tips to waitresses. With our all our wins and losses, we left with 38 one dollar bills – not bad, eh?
We left Friday morning around 7:45 am and made our way to the Nevada / Utah border enroute to Salt Lake City via the I15. It was another sunny hot day. We drove this stretch many, many times when we lived in SLC so it was very familiar.
In the state of Nevada, from Oregon through Reno and Vegas to Mesquite just before the Arizona Strip state line, we drove 1740 km / 1084 mi.
