Tour of Reno Area for First-Timers

In a gambling town a casino tour is usually a good bet.

Here in Reno we found a one-day, two-state excursion parlaying the usual casino visits with a trip into the Sierra, a swing along Lake Tahoe, a tour of stars’ homes, a lesson in Western history focusing on Virginia City . . . and a brief glimpse of some of Nevada’s infamous brothels.

For the inveterate gambler, with no desire to take time away from the gaming tables to look at trees or mountains or museums, this might not be the tour to take. But for a first visit to the Reno area it seemed ideal.

Our long day’s journey began at our motel in Reno. The price on the advertising circular seemed reasonable ($25 per person), so we had made reservations the previous afternoon. The tour van (it was a Monday; a full-size bus would have been likely on a weekend) picked us up at our motel shortly after 8 a.m., and after collecting other passengers at hotels downtown we were on our way back to California on Interstate 80.

Our driver and tour guide, Norm Evans, a longtime resident well-versed in the area’s history, described the passing scenery as we headed into the mountains. In the valley there, he said, the Donner party had camped before launching its ill-fated 1846 expedition. Some in the party elected to wait until spring before attempting to cross to California, he said, but others didn’t.

Scars on Mountainside

As we climbed higher he pointed out scars on the mountainside left by wheels of wagon trains making their agonizing climb to the summit.

Our van turned off Interstate 80 at Truckee, a colorful little town next to the Truckee River. We headed higher into the mountains, the van groaning as we reached Brockway Summit. Soon we had our first spectacular view of Lake Tahoe.

Our first stop was at the Crystal Bay Club on Tahoe’s North Shore. After a bargain breakfast and the loss of our casino-supplied $4 per person (“Play with their money” was Evans’ advice), we were back in the van touring around the lake.

Evans, skillfully negotiating the curving road and his microphone at the same time, pointed out Lucille Ball’s condominium and the homes of other stars along the lake, including one built by Lee Majors and Farrah Fawcett--the house survives, even if the marriage doesn’t.

Down there, he said, John Wayne had a hideaway that he used to visit via helicopter from Reno and that reverted to public ownership after his death.

Over there, he said, the opening scene of “Bonanza” was shot, showing the Cartwrights riding together from the woods into a mountain meadow. Down that road, with the pavement covered with dirt for the filming, the Cartwrights drove their buckboard.

Coming out of the mountains we saw where a Wayne shootout was filmed, and in Carson City saw the house where Mark Twain stayed after he fled from Virginia City (his investigative reporting there, for the Territorial Enterprise, had led to an ambush that he barely survived).

After a casino stop in Carson City (again we lost the house money, and some of our own as well), it was back on the road to Virginia City.

Race Across Country

There, Evans said, the Pony Express had galloped, rushing the mail from St. Joseph, Mo., to Sacramento. When the Pony Express race across the country was re-enacted a few years ago, a warehouse built astride the route was forced to cut doors for the horse-borne carrier, and through wind, rain and the warehouse, the mail went through. In the distance we could see the warehouse with its new red doors.

A short detour took us off the Comstock Highway and down a dusty country lane, at the end of which stood the Kit Kat Ranch and two similar establishments. But no stopping . . . it was not that kind of tour.

“No two-for-one specials here,” Evans muttered as we turned a slow circle in the driveway.

The advertising brochure from Our World Tours in Reno had mentioned “the famous Nevada brothels and some of the mines that made Nevada the silver state,” but my understanding was that we were dealing with history more than the present day.

But in Nevada yesterday and today seem closely related. Prostitution is legal in the state, excluding Reno, Carson City and Las Vegas, and the fabled Mustang Ranch is near Sparks just east of Reno.

Near Virginia City, amateur silver miners still stake their claims in the hills, and it is said to be most unhealthy to go strolling in the moonlight there with a shovel over your shoulder.

Wild Horse Roundups

Also, wild mustangs still roam the countryside and, as they please, go charging through whatever fences happen to get in their way. Evans showed us wooden fences that had been repaired after the mustangs’ reckless passage. And he pointed out where some of the filming was done for the mustang roundups in “The Misfits” with Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe and Montgomery Clift.

In Virginia City we got more coupons, more cash for the slot machines, another free drink. But our schedule was becoming tight and, except for a brief visit to the Mark Twain Museum, there wasn’t time to really see Virginia City. That would require a return trip, because in little more than an hour we were headed back down the mountain toward Reno (with spectacular views of the valley between Reno and Carson City and the Sierra beyond).

After one last stop, at the Peppermill, one of Reno’s newest casinos, the tour officially came to an end at 7:30 p.m.--a full day, to be sure. We dined well, and relatively inexpensively, at the Peppermill before walking back to our motel.

As is said to be traditional in casino towns, restaurants and accommodations were somewhat of a bargain; the buffet at Harrah’s, for example, was $5.50 per person, and our motel was $34 a night. At the Cal-Neva at Tahoe, in comparison, the rates were $79 for weekdays, $89 on weekends.

Reno, “the biggest little city in the world,” is accessible via Interstate 80 from Sacramento or by U.S. 395 from Bishop. Either way, it’s a hard day’s drive, nearly 500 miles from Los Angeles. It will probably take about 9 or 10 hours, if you stay within sight of the speed limits and make a few of the requisite stops along the way.

Taking our time amid the spectacular high-country scenery, we made it a two-day trip both ways. We stopped at Mammoth Lakes on the way and returned via the Yosemite back door, taking a right off U.S. 395 and heading up California 120 over Tioga Summit at the 9,900-foot level. It’s a route with truly magnificent vistas.

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For more tour information, contact Our World Tours, 532 West 2nd St., Reno, Nev. 89503, (702) 329-3114.

For information on travel to Nevada in general, contact the Nevada Commission on Tourism, Capitol Complex, Carson City, Nev. 89710, (702) 885-4322.