We spent most of the day travelling to Reno, the “Biggest Little City in the World,” as the neon sign welcoming visitors proclaims. From Marti’s home in Sacramento, it’s about a 2-hour drive if we had decided on the shortest and quickest route. But we’re tourists today and so we meandered through the Nevada High Desert on our way to our destination. Out of Sacramento, we took Highway 50 east through Placerville and Kyburz, quickly climbing to over 5,000 feet. We stopped for lunch in South Lake Tahoe, crossed the California-Nevada line, then detoured on a back road through Genoa, until we hooked up again with 395, which took us into Carson City, the state capital. From there, we turned on to 50 again, then north on 341 to the historic mining town of Virginia City, where we made a quick pit stop. Then northward we continued until our back road intersected with 395, at that point a major highway which took us all the way in to Reno.

Around 4 pm, we checked in to the Silver Legacy, one of the larger resort hotels in the city, with its 85,000-square foot casino floor, 2,000 slot machines, 80 table games and Keno. Our room is on the 31st floor, with a sweeping view of the snow-capped Sierras. We barely had time to shower and dress before it was time to head for Circus Circus, an adjoining hotel, where the first reunion event was scheduled.