Per a local, the short version of Reno’s downtown decline is that people no longer have any reason to drive from the Bay area to gamble. That would go a long way then to explain the hollow out feeling of the once lively casino strip. Away from the center, however, Reno is a beautiful big town/small city sitting at the junction between Nevada’s high desert and the Sierras. Our three mile hike today reinforced that point as the first two miles climbed relentlessly through the exposed desert. Eventually though the trail leveled off into a magical forest then dead ended at a waterfall. 

Also impressive is Reno’s very cool art museum that features the incredibly talented Judith Lowry whose art delicately mines the friction between her mixed Native American and European background. We also loved our Airbnb where we enjoyed the simple things like unlimited showers. It was a wonderful rest. But now it’s time to make the final push west to Sequoia and Yosemite National Park before eventually heading to points north. Think though I’ll take one more shower before hitting the road.