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Reno Nevada

Reno Nevada, June - September   More Pictures  |  More Info

Reno is located just east of the Sierra Nevadas in the high desert valley region. Lake Tahoe is just a short 25 miles southwest of Reno and actually gets a lot of business from locals and vacationers in Lake Tahoe. You just can't compare Reno and Las Vegas in terms of casinos and location. Reno just doesn't have the class that Las Vegas does. Don't get me wrong I know from first hand experience that not everything about Vegas is classy or on the up and up. In reality Vegas is just another city with the same problems every other city has, good parts, bad parts, pretty parts, ugly parts, you name it. In my opinion, the casino area of Reno is like downtown Las Vegas, sketchy. We felt unsafe parking and driving around. We lived in Las Vegas for five years but have never lived in Reno, so I'm just talking about touristy places in Reno only.

  reno nevada truckee river picture

picture taken inside a casino in reno nevada

Above: Picture taken inside Peppermill Casino in Reno Nevada. It is absolutely beautiful and colorful. The ceilings were not that high in some areas so the cigarette smoke was a little overwhelming here and there.

The Sierra Nevada mountain range makes for a beautiful backdrop to this desert land, especially when it's covered in snow. Like the majority of Nevada the land is brown and might seem uninviting... to the outsider, but get out and hike and you just might see it's unsuspecting colors and gifts. So many people that we have talked to or know that have vacationed in Reno or Las Vegas always say that they can't stand it, they need green. The west provides wide open spaces, peaks and valleys, you can see for miles and the sunrises and sunsets are absolutely beautiful. The green parts mean trees blocking your view of the land, driving down the highway and all you see is asphalt and trees, nothing in the distance

For one week every summer the areas of Reno and Sparks are hosts to thousands of classic cars and about 10,000 visitors. It's like Sturgis but without motorcycles. The American era of the 50's and 60's is revisited with poodle skirts and car cruising. It's the most popular event of the year. Another great event is The Great Reno Balloon Race. It is largest free hot air balloon event in the US. Each morning for three days over 100 hot air balloons rise in mass ascension from one location. One caveat, things get started at 5 a.m. and end at 10 a.m., rise and shine. Monthly is the ever popular Reno Riverwalk Wine Walk, say that three times fast. Pay a fee and get a keepsake wine glass and map of participating merchants for wine tasting along the Truckee River. And when you need a break from the vino you can watch folks body surf and whitewater raft down the river in Reno Nevada.

This page is part of a 20 day, 2,866 mile, Vanabode trip.
See van camping Nevada Washington Oregon Canada for an overview of this particular trip.
Visit travel destinations for our master list of 100's of cool places visited that we have reviews on.
Vanabode travel and live anywhere in America on $20 a day including food, lodging and transportation.





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