Blast Off!

Just returned from a nice little Memorial Day jaunt up to lovely Reno, Nevada. Reno is known for many things, including the Biggest Little City in the world moniker, $3 blackjack tables, and ease of divorcing. (True story: I told my grandma I was going to Reno and she asked if I was getting divorced.) I like Reno because it's close to Tahoe, driveable from San Francisco, and feels like a manageable Vegas: it's walkable and nothing's very imposing. Then again, nothing's very nice either.

The Babe and I stayed at this outfit called the Adventure Inn, which boasts a bunch of different theme rooms, including the Pirate suite, the Jungle suite, the Roman suite, the Ocean suite, etc. We opted for the Space suite, which featured black lights, a strobe light, eerie space music, two televisions (perfect for the two free adult channels that were provided!), a heart-shaped jacuzzi, a four-headed shower, a bottle of champagne, a big, round elevated bed, and tons of exciting space artwork. You might say it was out of this world.

Also a major success was dinner at Harrah's Steakhouse, where I refused to let my huge lunch of a mushroom cheeseburger and basket of curly fries at Ikedas prevent me from chomping down on the 32-ounce Angus steak (bear in mind that at least half of that was bone and fat), plus onion soup and cake for dessert.

Perhaps the biggest winner from this trip (aside from my waistline) was my car, which has been much-maligned recently for being crappy, lacking a radio, and feeling about as safe as a tin can rolling down the road. All true, but it also got a whopping 37 miles per gallon at roughly 80 mph on a trip that included 7000' + elevation changes (peaking at the infamous Donner Summit). A stay of execution has been granted...