Weekend Trip to Reno, NV

Kenyon and I took a quick weekend trip to Reno, Nevada.

 

The drive is long and boring but I managed to get a few pictures.  Unlike my other vacations where I have lots of sights and little of food, I seem to have a lot of food (and alcohol) but little of anything else!

We had to cross through Oregon first. 

Skinners Rockhouse Coffee in Jordan Valley, Oregon has the BEST homemade ice cream.  It is often a busy stop though.  We stopped in for a treat but I ended up talking myself out of it due to the long line.  Don’t worry, there was plenty to splurge on during the remainder of the weekend.  Sadly, Rockhouse was closed for the day on our way back through so I never did get my ice cream.

Next stop, Nevada.

We stopped at Winners Hotel and Casino in Winnemucca, Nevada for a rest and a bite to eat.  We had been seeing signs along the road for cheap food and in particular, smoked meatloaf.  We knew we had to stop!

I had the salad bar add-on along with my smoked meatloaf. 

We quickly learned with such large portions we should have shared.  I did my best but I am no longer a member of the “clean plate” club.

I am not the best at road-tripping or vacationing as there is always so much temptation to snack on.  In an attempt to keep my sugar tooth in check I bought some mini candy bars as my “dessert”.  This worked pretty well the first day but as you will see soon enough, many desserts were still consumed!

The reason for our trip, besides getting out of town for a few days, was a hotel deal through Amazon.  We stayed two nights at the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino.  I forgot to snap photos of the outside of the hotel.

When we arrived at the hotel, we were told the room that is part of the deal was under construction.  Not good!  Our only option was a smoking/pet optional room or to pay an upgrade fee.  Although I was not happy about having to pay an upgrade fee, we did get a nice room and it also included a fridge and coffee maker, which the deal room didn’t.  There was even a TV in the bathroom.

There was this HUGE chair outside the elevator on our floor.

Before we called it a night we needed something else to eat.  We made our way to the Cantina in our hotel.  Despite the name, they switch menus late at night.  I ordered a pizza, which should not have been a surprise as to how big it was!  Good thing we had a fridge and a microwave in the room.

In daylight the next morning was when we realized we had a view of the airport.

 

 

 

 

Our hotel also had an outdoor driving range that was out in the water.

 

Our deal included breakfast each morning at the hotel buffet, Elements.  I love buffets as it means you aren’t committed to just one dish.  It can be easy to go overboard through.

Protein first!

Coffee.

And pastries!  Remember how I said I like that you aren’t committed to just one dish?  I like a variety so I grabbed a few that looked good and cut them into bits for a taste of each.  It might seem wasteful but I just can't commit to one type of sweets!

Some fruit and a taste of an apple crape.  I didn’t like it.

Kenyon helped me tackle the pastries.

We ventured further into Reno and stopped at The Peppermill first.  It is such an odd casino with an old vibe mixed with Cesar’s Palace. 

They have all these web cam images around the casino that show live feed (or previously recorded footage) of various places around the world.  It was really fun to see people moving around in the photos.

Our next stop was Circus Circus.  It is connected to two other hotels by walkways so we made our way into both Silver Legacy and Eldorado as well.  It was a pretty cold and windy day so it was nice to have indoor walkways.

I spotted a sign for $5 Samuel Adams Oktoberfest and decided to grab a beer.  They were out, of course, and so he offered me ShockTop for the same price.

They will comp your drinks if you gamble so we sat at the bar and played some $0.25 video blackjack and poker.  I held my own for a while but as I started to lose my money I thought I should get my money’s worth from my losses and order another drink!  Malibu rum and pineapple juice.

We rode the tram from one side of Circus Circus to another.  There is a warning sign about not sitting next to the window or you might bump your head.  Good to know.

 

Despite only having two drinks, I throught it would be a funny idea to take a photo in this tiny kiddie coin ride.  I decided I had better not try any further or I might re-injure my back!

We went back to the Cantina for a bite of lunch and then a nap.  I forgot to snap a photo but we shared some nachos.  We finally figured out this large portion/sharing idea.

By the time dinner rolled around I was on the hunt for veggies.  We were limited on to what was available to eat in our hotel so we went back to the buffet at Elements.  I really wanted a salad bar.

As any good WW member, I always survey the options BEFORE I fill my plate.  I ended up coming back with more veggies, and also some fruit, after my first time around the buffet!

I was a little let down by the rest of my food choices at dinner.  I debated getting pizza again, because I knew it was good, but they had roasted turkey on the menu.  I got some mashed potatoes and dressing, a potato jojo, some apple smoked chicken, and a rib.  I sort of just picked at some of it and called it good.

I cannot be trusted around so many dessert choices.

 

I repeat.  I cannot be trusted around so many dessert choices.

Thankfully Kenyon shared with me.  Similar to my breakfast pastries, I like to get many desserts for a variety but have a little of each. 

 

I had noticed a dessert type pizza and after talking more with the guy making them, he really wanted me to try it.  It was a mix of apples, onions, blue cheese, cherries, and walnuts.  He made a fresh pizza and then came and found me to deliver a slice.  Next to it is a cannoli, which I have never tired and didn’t like.  I will wait until I can try a REAL one next time.

It was pretty cold in Reno so we stayed at our hotel and played more $0.25 video poker.  I ended up losing a total of $40 over the course of the weekend.  DOH!  I got two more free drinks (well, $40 drinks) at our hotel.  Malibu rum and pineapple juice and a margarita.

Our final morning in Reno we enjoyed the breakfast buffet again.  It was a lot better than the dinner buffet that is for sure.  I had eggs, potatoes, bacon, some sort of kabob sausage, and half a biscuit with a little gravy.

 

Another cinnamon roll, they were good yesterday, and I had to try this homemade donut.

As we hit the road towards home it was COLD.  Only 35 degrees! 

I am spoiled and I have an electric blanket in the car that plugs into the cigarette lighter.

 

We passed snow on our drive home, which wasn’t there on our dive down.

More snacks in the car for the ride home.  I bought these nut clusters which had 3.5 servings in the bag.  I actually was able to make them last three whole days.  It was hard to stop once I started as they were very good.

I was also impressed with this new cracker I found at Rosauers called Somersaults.  They are delicious!

There isn’t much for food stops on the drive between Reno and Boise and for most of if you are in the middle of nowhere.  We stopped in McDermitt for fuel and to see what there was to eat.  I went for a hamburger and fries.  I always cut my burger in half and then stack the meat all on one half of the bun.  I didn’t feel so good after I ate it though.  I think I had just had enough un-clean eating for the weekend.

It was so nice to see the Welcome to Idaho sign!