2026 Road Trip - Day 11

I was able to see the sunrise at Elko on May 13 as we headed out to Reno.  

This was a shorter drive, so we took it easy getting started.  These early mornings may seem deliberate because of our drives, but Dad and I typically get up between 5:00 and 6:00 a.m., so it’s easy to get on the road early.

We stopped at Battle Mountain for gas at 9:00 a.m.  Dad got a drumstick ice cream and accidentally smeared it on the inside of the windshield trying to get a picture.  It was not easy tot wipe that up!

We stopped at a rest stop to make sure the restrooms were in order, and Dad made a new friend in a snake the crossed his path on the way back to the car - not the venomous kind! 

We needed more music as we’d listened to my 10 hours of songs on shuffle for a while on the trip.  I added some fun ones like Convoy and Red Solo Cup so we had a high energy drive on the way to Reno.

We arrived at our hotel, which had been selected by the AAA agent who helped Dad arrange reservations, and it was a mess.  It is a hotel casino with massive construction going on.  It took us awhile to figure out where to check in, then had to wait an hour because we were early.  After our calm trip and small hotels, walking into a full blown casino was a shock to the senses. 

We had a mediocre lunch at one of the casino's restaurants and then checked in.  We got to our room and settled in after figuring out how to request a bellhop for our bags.  We had become accustomed to using a cart to bring them up ourselves.  

I had been looking forward to playing the slots.  Dad gave me $20 to play for Mom.  I headed down to the casino while he stayed in the room and started with Mom's money first.  I quickly got up to $78.  I played until it got down to $70 and cashed in for her.  Not bad for a few minutes of play!  I was hopeful as I played my own money, but gradually just saw it all go away - the price of entertainment.  Dad was surprised when I handed him his $20 plus $50 in winnings!

When going downstairs to explore and look for a dinner place, we happened to share an elevator with a fella who’d been staying there a few days and was headed to the burger joint for their Caesar salad with chicken.  That sounded good to dad.  He directed us to a floor we didn’t know existed, away from the casino floor, and to a good place to have dinner.  It was a 50s/60s era diner all in red and white and I enjoyed another root beer float with dinner and the oldies music playing in the background.  I was surprised to hear the song Got My Mind Set on You because the only time I'd heard that was the George Harrison version from 1987.  Apparently it was originally recorded when I was 4 months old!

The room was nice.  Not impressive until we slept in those amazing beds.  They were the best beds on the trip and the best night’s sleep yet!