 Jill short before the ride, still a little sleepy. |  Delta along the Marquinez Strait. |  We're reaching the high mountains of the Sierra Nevada. |
 We're driving uphill. |  Historic railroad made of wood next to Truckee River. |  Underneath the huge bowl there's the artificial silver mine of our hotel - and casino - Silver Legacy. |
 View over Reno and Circus Circus Hotel Casino. |
View from our hotel room.
Friday, 11-25-2005 Reno
 Fountain of Fortune at the entrance to Eldorado Hotel Kasino. Three large casinos are connected trhough roofed bridges above the roads. |  The fountain was designed by world famous Tournament of Roses Parade Designer Raul Rodriguez and dreated from marble, bronze and gold leaf. |  The artificial siver mine at Silver Legacy Hotel Casino... |
 ...reminds people at the famous gold rush in California in the nineteen's century. |  Captain Morgan is a famous alcoholic beverage, that people usually drink with cola. |  Happy hour at Gecko Bar: Every Margarita for $1! |
 Jill and Marshall in front of the entrance to Circus Circus Hotel Casino. |  The completely unnown band "Palmore Brothers" plays at Circus Circus this night. |
Saturday, 11-26-2005 Horsebackriding in Verdi
 The horse rental in Verdi is 10 miles away from Reno und lies on the border between California and Nevada. |  The horses are being saddled as we arrive. We have booked the first ride of the day. |  My mare roney is not the most beautiful horse in the world, but she's nice, has a good walk and reacts well. |
 Our trailguide Ryan has some advice for Jill. |  Jill on Joe. |  Rim panicks, runs backwards and even lies down, as Becky pulls the rains to hard. Both get up without any bruises. |
 Jon on Jasper. |  Let's go! We're leaving the ranch. |  Ryan on Fancy shows us th way. |
 It's really cold in the shade. |  Snow is just lying on the higher mountains. |  This land is dry, dry, dry... |
 The road is wide and easy to ride. |  Jon is sitting on a horse the first time of his life and he's doing not to bad at all! |  We are riding through California looking at the mountains of Nevada. |
 After 30 minutes we turn around and ride back downhills on the same road. |  | Horseriding is fun! |
 Cowboyland. |  Wild West. |  The horses don't care about a nice view. |
 Ryan entertains us with stories about his life and discussions about horsebreeding. |  Rim seems to be the slowest horse in the world and doesn't really care about Becky kicking him as hard as she can... |  The ranch with small paddocks for every horse. |
 The first thing Joe does when we get back is walking to the water to drink. |  The horses are waiting saddled for the next customers who should be here soon. |  A peacock comes along the way. |
Saturday 11-26-2005 In the streets of Reno
 In front of Fitzgerald's Hotel Casino a woman is handing out coupons for winning small prices. |  An irish Leprechaun is supposed to bring luck to the gamblers. |  Our party on the way to the next casino. |
 Like almost everywhere in America (except the Las Vegas Strip and certain parts of New Orleans) it is forbidden to drink alcohol and walk around with open bottles on the street. |  Gamblers from all over the world come to Reno for the casinos. |  Reno is also known as "Vegas on Welfare" |
 There's a rink on the Truckee River... |  ... that Jon and me had to try. |  The river flows through the city. |
 Jon on iceskates. |  The rental skates are very uncomfortable and hurt our feet badly. |  We can't stand skating for more than 30 minutes. |
 It's gotten dark. |  Reno is a planned town. All roads lead either north-south or east-west and vice versa. |  Patrick from South Lake Tahoe infront of a liquor store. |
 2 Tacos & a Bud $1.50! are causing two bad days for my Jon... |  Rocking with Santa Claus, though you cannot really see it on the picture. |  Everything is glittering at night, but never as extreme as in Las Vegas. |
 Facilities even for the smallest visitors. There are way to many kids of all ages in Reno, which should not be in a casino anyway. |  Dinner at Brew Pub. Jon and Adam are trying and rating all different kinds of beer which are brewed at that place. |
Sunday, 11-27-2005 Rolling home
 Jon's car is not made for longer journeys with four people. |  Before we start driving back, we stop at Siena Hotel Casino and win throwing dice. |  Jill's breakfast. |
 Truckee River. |  We are approaching the high mountains of Sierra Nevada again. |  Clouds. |
 The forest ist becoming denser. |  Sacramento... |  ... Capital of California. |
 In front of us the Coastal Sierra that we'll have to cross. |  We are getting closer. |  Bald mountains with grazing cattle. We see a cojote at dusk. |
 It is getting dark, but we still have some hours to drive and stand in traffic jams before we get back to Monterey. |
German version
