Reno, NV - Visit with Bonnie & Paul

Destination: Reno, NV Distance from Point of Origin: Estimated (One Way) Travel Time: Directions: General Description: Special Attraction or Points of Interest: Primary Activity: Secondary Activities: Elevation: Best Time To Visit: Difficulty: Facilities: Estimated Round-trip Time: 05/03/2011 Trip Notes: Just before Mother’s Day, Connie and I visited Bonnie and Paul in Reno. We stayed at the Atlantis Casino, located at the far left of the photo above and shown close up below. They joined us for dinner at the Atlantis the first night, and Bonnie prepared us lunch and dinner over the next couple of days. We spent many hours talking, reminiscing and riding around taking pictures of the area where they live. Paul and I spent several hours placing pictures on the digital picture frame we were giving mom on Mother’s Day. We were both amazed at the quality of the panoramas and pictures Paul has taken with his new camera over the past several months.

I created this page to chronicle and share our time with them with other family members. I hope you enjoy. The picture on the right is a distant close-up shot of the Atlantis Casino, where we stayed. We have stayed here several times before and just love their indoor pool area. The picture of Bonnie and Paul below was taken at dinner on our first night. The picture on the right above, was taken at Audrey Harris Park, located just a few miles up the street from where they live. Bonnie spent the better part of an afternoon driving us around “the neighborhood, letting Paul and I out to take pictures. Here are just a few of the shots we captured.

More family  “Mug Shots”

It was great that Paul had a few days off and that we were all able to spend some quality time together. Thanks for a great visit and for making us feel at home. Hopefully you guys will be able to make it down our way next year and we can return the hospitality.

Reno Nevada – Visit to Bonnie & Paul

Destination: Reno, Nevada Distance from Point of Origin: 450 miles. Estimated (One Way) Travel Time: 8 hours. Directions: From the Stratosphere Casino head northeast on Las Vegas Blvd about 3 miles and turn left onto US-93/95, keeping on the left for 95 North towards Reno.Stay on US 95 for 385 miles and turn left onto US 50 for 26 miles. Turn Right onto SR 343 for 1 mile and turn left onto 1-80 W for 35 miles. Take Exit 13 to downtown Reno, Virginia Street. General Description: Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada. It has a population of around 220,500, and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area. It sits in a high desert valley at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains. Reno, known as The Biggest Little City in the World, is famous for its casinos, and is the birthplace of the gaming corporation Harrah's Entertainment. City residents are called Renoites. Reno is bordered to the east by the city of Sparks. The Reno-Sparks metropolitan area is informally called the Truckee Meadows, and consists of about 400,000 residents. Special Attraction or Points of Interest: The Truckee River winds its way through downtown Reno and Sparks. The Truckee and Carson Rivers provide outstanding adventure opportunities. Together they offer fabulous kayaking, canoeing, whitewater rafting, all the popular forms of open-water paddling and water-sports like skiing and sailing or an outing on a personal watercraft. Located nearby are Lake Tahoe, Pyramid Lake and Donner Lake, all are superb for enjoying the water. Primary Activity: Gambling Secondary Activities: Water sports and Photography. Elevation: Downtown Reno is around 4,500 feet; On the south western part of town, Bonnie and Paul are at 4,675 Best Time To Visit: Any time of year is good. Difficulty: N/A Facilities: Many. Estimated Round-trip Time: 17 hours. Definitely a two-day driving trip, plus whatever time you want to spend in the area gambling, site-seeing and taking pictures.

05/03/2011 Trip Notes: Just before Mother’s Day, Connie and I visited Bonnie and Paul in Reno. We stayed at the Atlantis Casino, located at the far left of the photo above and shown close up below. They joined us for dinner at the Atlantis the first night, and Bonnie prepared us lunch and dinner over the next couple of days. We spent many hours talking, reminiscing and riding around taking pictures of the area where they live. Paul and I spent several hours placing pictures on the digital picture frame we were giving mom on Mother’s Day. We were both amazed at the quality of the panoramas and pictures Paul has taken with his new camera over the past several months

I created this page to chronicle and share our time with them with other family members. I hope you enjoy. The picture on the right is a distant close-up shot of the Atlantis Casino, where we stayed. We have stayed here several times before and just love their indoor pool area. The picture of Bonnie and Paul below was taken at dinner on our first night.

The picture on the right above, was taken at Audrey Harris Park, located just a few miles up the street from where they live. Bonnie spent the better part of an afternoon driving us around “the neighborhood, letting Paul and I out to take pictures. Here are just a few of the shots we captured.

These shots of flowering ‘Pink Perfection’ Cherry trees were taken on a walking path located just up the street from where Bonnie and Paul live.

The top picture is looking down on Bonnie and Paul’s apartment complex from across the street. Their apartment is located directly behind the big tree in the lower left. The bottom shot, just up the street, was taken from the golf course that runs directly behind their place. Their apartment building is in the very center of the shot, behind the right of ponds.

The three pictures above were taken just a few miles up the road from where they live, on the way to Audrey Harris Park. The house on the left had what I considered was one of the most beautiful rock gardens I have ever seen. That Paul in the center taking a panoramic shot of the neighborhood.

More family “Mug Shots”

It was great that Paul had a few days off and that we were all able to spend some quality time together. Thanks for a great visit and for making us feel at home. Hopefully you guys will be able to make it down our way next year and we can return the hospitality.

Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox)

While walking in a wash along Lovell Canyon Road on 02/28/2011 with the rock hounds from the Heritage Park Senior Facility, we had a face to face encounter with a Western Diamondback Rattlesnake.  I was walking just a few feet behind one of the ladies in our group when all of a sudden she turned around and started running by me screaming “rattlesnake”. After advancing a few steps forward, the loud buzzing sound of his rattler, coupled with a high rising and very threatening coil was an ample warning not to get any closer. By the time I got my camera focused on him, he had uncoiled, gotten down off the rock and started slithering in my direction, heading for the cover of a large bush. I estimated that he was about 3-1/2 feet in length. Description: The Western Diamondback is the largest species of rattlesnake common to the Southwest United States. Sizes range from about 10 inches at birth to around 60 inches as an adult. From the sheer standpoint of size it ranks as one of the world's largest and most dangerous snakes; partly because of its wide distribution, this snake accounts for more serious and fatal snake bites than any other North American reptile. It has a plump body, a short tail, and a broad, triangular head that is very distinct from the body. It can be yellowish gray, pale blue, or pinkish brown and has dark diamond shape marks down its back. The diamondback has tubular fangs with which it injects its prey. It sometimes leaves its fangs within its prey however they are replaced 2-4 times a year by a reserve set. Because it is a ‘pit viper’, it  has a pit organ between its nostrils and its eyes. These organs detect temperature differences between the interior temperature of the snake and the ambient temperature. There is also a rattle at the end of its tail. This rattle is made up of the last scale that is left when it molts. With each molt, it gains a new layer to its rattle. At the same time, older layers fall off. The Western Diamondback rattlesnake's habitat is varied, but the most likely areas where they can be found are among cactus, mesquite, in and about rocky terrain, limestone outcrops, thick brush and throughout dry, rocky, shrub covered terrain where they can conceal themselves in cracks in the rocks and in holes in the ground. The western diamondback can climb small trees and is an accomplished swimmer. They can be found in central and western Texas, through southern New Mexico and Arizona, southern Nevada and into southern California. The diamondback primarily feeds on small rodents, rabbits, birds, and almost anything alive that can be swallowed whole. It eats every two to three weeks and swallows its food whole. The food is digested as it passes through the body. Its annual water consumption is about its body weight. Mating of the Western diamondback rattlesnake occurs in the spring after they hibernate. After a gestation period of about 167 days they can give birth to anywhere from 10 to 20 young. After only a few hours they leave the mother in search of food on their own, resulting in a very high mortality rate.

[Lovell Canyon and the SMNRA - Summary Page]

Chalcedon Checkerspot (Euphydryas chalcedona)

Picture Notes: This picture was taken on 04/21/2011 off of the Late Night Trail in Cottonwood Valley inside Red Rock Canyon, NV. Trying to identify butterflies is like finding a needle in a hay stack. There are literally thousands of different species and varieties. As best I can determine this is a Chalcedon Checkerspot (Euphydryas chalcedona), or some variation thereof. Unfortunately, I had left my tripod behind on the hike, else I might have been able to obtain a sharper picture. Being relatively new at this photography thing, I find that it is quite difficult at best to get a well focused hand-held shot while one of the critters is flying from bush to bush. Description: The Chalcedon Checkerspot is extremely variable with a narrow forewing. The upper side is black to dark orange-brown, sometimes with with yellow, red, or white spots; the underside with yellow and orange-red bands. (The picture on the right is of the same butterfly and shows the the yellow and white bands on the underside.) Males perch or patrol all day for females. Eggs are laid in large groups on underside of leaves of host plants. Their wingspan is between 1 1/4 - 2 1/4 inches. Their habitat is sagebrush flats, chaparral, desert hills, high prairie and open forest areas from the pacific coast through California and Arizona to Baja California and Mexico; east to Montana, the Dakotas, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico. It was interesting to read that one of the most popular hosts for caterpillars is the Indian paintbrush.

Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja angustifolia)

Picture Notes: On 04/21/2011 I was hiking the Old Spanish Trail in Cottonwood Valley with the rock hounds from the Henderson Heritage Park Senior Facility. These paintbrushes were abundantly scattered along the sides of the trail and throughout the desert floor. Though these were the two largest clumps I observed, most appeared to be young sprouting's with only 3-4 stalks. Their bright color certainly adds a special beauty to a normally dull desert floor. Description: Castilleja angustifolia is a species of wildflower most commonly called desert Indian paintbrush or the northwestern paintbrush. It is an herbaceous perennial native to the desert scrub and woodlands of western North America. This Indian paintbrush is usually less than 18 inches height and has bristly gray-green to purple-red herbage. It stands in a clump of erect stems, each topped with a cluster of somewhat tubular bright red flowers; though they can sometimes be kind of orange-red, tinted with purple, and usually fuzzy with a thin coat of white hairs (click on below right picture). The inch long capsule fruits contain honeycomb-patterned seeds. This plant can be red orange or yellow in color. Though the flowers of Indian paintbrush are edible and sweet, the roots or green parts can very toxic if consumed. The flowers of the Indian paintbrush have similar health benefits to consuming garlic when eaten in small amounts and in moderation. The Ojibwe, or Chippewa, used a hairwash made from Indian Paintbrush to make their hair glossy and full bodied.  Nevada Indian tribes used the plant to treat sexually-transmitted diseases and to enhance the immune system.