Made it to Reno

We drove from Salt Lake City, Utah to Reno, Nevada yesterday, 530 miles. What wide open and somewhat desolate spaces. We drove past the Salt Lake, which really deserves its name. I learned that it is called America's Dead Sea. In Israel the Jordan River flows into the Dead Sea, but there is no outlet so evaporation causes the high concentration of salt and minerals. In Utah, four rivers flow into the Great Salt Lake, which also has no outlet. The concentration of salt is five times higher than the ocean. In Israel absolutely nothing lives in the sea, but in Utah brine shrimp, brine flies, and some forms of algae do live there. Lots of salt is visible around the edges and along the southernmost part of the lake that I-80 skirts. After that is miles and miles of Salt Flats. It looked like snow! Once you pass the flats, there are mountains to get over before entering the Great Basin. I had not heard of the Great Basin. It's sort of a valley miles and miles wide with lots of mountains in the distance and around the edge. We climbed up and over many mountains. It is also very desolate with small towns few and far between. It's a desert area, but eventually the Humboldt River is flowing through it, which helps with irrigating crops and ranches. Between the little towns are many plants that seem to be processing salt and minerals, mining, possibly gas or oil refineries. We weren't sure what all those structures seemed to be doing. Several prisons are also out there! Still, all the way to Reno seems very vast and mostly empty.

When we got to Reno, we were pleasantly surprised at the light traffic in such a big city. We checked into the Hampton Inn, which is beautiful. We decided to have a more upscale dinner last night since it was Friday night, so we went to the Purple Parrot, a restaurant in the Atlantic Hotel and Casino. The Cajun haddock was just spectacular. It came with string beans and a baked potato. That would have been a good dinner, but we also ordered a tempura jalapeno and onion appetizer with chipotle dipping sauce. Spectacular! Then I had a lovely drink called a Morning Mist, sort of like a Cosmo. I topped it off with two scoops of ice cream. Oh, we were groaning when we waddled out. Mark ate the same things except he had Irish whiskey on the rocks instead of the Mist and a glass of Merlot followed by sugar free apple cheesecake for dessert. Lovely.

Of course we had to walk through the gigantic casino to get to the restaurant. On the way to the restaurant Mark spotted a John Wayne themed penny slot. I only $1 in my wallet, but I quickly lost it to John Wayne. After dinner, I used the ATM machine to get more money. I took $20 to a quarter slot machine and quickly made $5. I cashed out while I was ahead, then lost the extra five in a dollar machine. A half hour of fun for only the original $1 lost. Good times.

Today we are going nowhere. Yes, you heard it right. Nowhere. It's Shabbat, so we stay put. We picked this hotel because it has a fabulous complimentary breakfast buffet and an indoor pool. I will be reading by the pool most of the day. I might even take a long walk around the area outside the hotel. We are both looking forward to some relaxation today and to seeing Evey and Eric tomorrow.