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Outdoor action in Reno

Step away from the slots and the neon lights

As I continue east on Interstate 80, past Truckee on the North Shore of Lake Tahoe, I begin to fantasize myself as a time traveler, driving my 21st-century four-horse powered stagecoach. While cruising along the picturesque stretch of highway weaving through the Sierra Nevada Range, I’m mesmerized by how the original pioneers made their boom or bust journey through the towering pines and majestic granite bluffs.
    My daydreaming comes to a screeching halt with the appearance of a modern-day outpost, aptly named Boomtown, followed by a line-up of hotel and casino billboards offering enticing claims such as “loosest slots,” “let the good times roll” and “more comps, more winners.” Welcome to Reno: “The Biggest Little City in the World.”
    Since its inception in the 1860s when Reno became popular as a gambling mecca for miners and railroad men, the city has experienced various identities, anywhere from its notoriety as the divorce capital of the world to the bridesmaid of Las Vegas. Today, Reno finds itself in the midst of a renaissance by taking advantage of what existed all along—its natural environs.
    The variety of adventure in this outdoor arena is limited only by the duration of your visit and the physical abuse your body can endure. My agony is usually fairly limited since I tend not to travel anywhere without a round of golf on the itinerary. Fortunately, Reno’s 4,500-foot elevation protects it from most winter snowstorms hitting Tahoe, just over the mountains, thus allowing the golf courses to remain open most of the year. So, even if I dare tackle the ski slopes or cross-country trails, I can also bundle up for a brisk 18 during the winter.

Test your limits in a heart-thumping activity such as kayaking.

The Reno area has eleven public courses, but only the Resort at Red Hawk in Sparks offers luxurious golf villas set up for a terrific getaway, ideal for couples or small groups desiring home-living atmosphere while on vacation. The Robert Trent Jones Jr.-designed Lakes Course provides plenty of adventure with over 100 bunkers in a setting certified as Nevada’s first Audubon International Signature Sanctuary (one of only 35 in the world). For the more timid, there’s also an 18-hole putting course.
    A destination such as Reno also lends itself to more heart-thumping activities unavailable on the home turf. So, for a slightly more invigorating ride than the golf cart, I elevated my risk meter and headed to downtown. No, not to ride the shoulders of some hot hand at the craps table, but to test my command of an inflatable kayak on the Truckee River which flows right through the heart of the city.
    My voyage actually started at the west end of town at Mayberry Park. From there, it was all downstream (Class II-III) about 5.5 miles back to Reno Whitewater Park, a $1.5 million project in the middle of Reno’s hotel-casino and booming arts district. Due to the extremely low snow-pack last winter, Mike Miltner, the congenial owner of Tahoe Whitewater Tours, forewarned me about the low water level and multitude of sleeper rocks. Sure enough, what I expected to be a relaxing float down the river turned into a soggy pinball adventure that turned my vessel into a full tilt on one occasion. Considering the 90-degree weather it was a welcome plunge, but climbing back on board was a moment for America’s Funniest Home Videos.
    After a sun-baked day of action, the only activity I looked forward to did not involve any brain or muscle function, but rather getting into a horizontal position at my Grand Sierra Resort and Casino (formerly Reno Hilton) home base. All the guest rooms, including 11 floors of condominium units, at this luxurious hotel had been renovated with all the contemporary trimmings. Popular, chic Nikki Beach allows guests and the public to enjoy both a day at the beach and a hip nightclub atmosphere. For indoor adventure, visitors will soon (opening in 2009) be able to dive into America’s largest indoor water park—a fitting complement to all the outdoor natural attractions.

Relax at Grand Sierra's Nikki Beach.

    For the cultural-minded adventurers, Reno offers more than circus acts and showgirls. The Nevada Museum of Art has a permanent collection of more than 1,500 paintings, photographs and sculptures, plus ongoing exhibitions by world-renowned artists.
    If you can resist the thrill of being taken for a ride by the casino’s one-armed bandits, Reno offers plenty of other excitement to make this destination a winning bet for
all visitors.

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