#16 NEVADA

Nevada brings to mind the desert and gambling. The May 7, 2008 USA Today article by
Gary Stroller: “Gas of Gamble? Economy forces many to choose - Casinos across the USA report falling revenues” implies that the gambling aspect is hitting it’s first downturn in many years but presumably the desert is still intact. I’m not a gambler, preferring to squander my money on airfare, but wanted to do my Nevada part. It was a small part: I’d set aside a few quarters in the hope that I would win big and obtain the 17 state quarters that I’ve not yet collected. It was not to be as I could not locate a slot machine that would take my quarters. They are all require a pre-purchased ticket. Oh well.

John & I made a loop from Highway 88, north on 395 through Reno and west on I80. We drove through the state capitol, Carson City and detoured into Genoa. Genoa, pronounced ge-NO-a, was the first settlement in the Nevada territory and only boasts 248 residents now. I wonder how many were there in 1851? Genoa was first settled by Mormons, creating a fort on the Carson Pass trail between Sacramento, CA and Utah. Nevada’s first hotel, newspaper, the Territorial Enterprise, and court hail from Genoa. Another first for the state, the Genoa Bar, billed "Nevada's oldest thirst parlor", was patronized by Mark Twain, Teddy Roosevelt and Johnny Cash and was used in John Wayne and Clint Eastwood films.

A recommended fictional history is Clint McCullough’s Nevada maybe that will be my personal “50 States of Literature” selection. I’ve not read it but the two customer reviews on Amazon intrigue me.

Next we went Reno, thwarted at my gambling attempt I ate lunch at the El Dorado Casino instead.
According to Wikipedia movies filmed in Reno include:
The Cooler
Magnolia
Hard Eight
Charley Varrick
The Wizard
Jinxed!
The Misfits
Kingpin
Blind Fury
Pink Cadillac
Diamonds
Sister Act
Father's Day
Waking Up in Reno
Jane Austen's Mafia!
California Split
Up Close and Personal
The Pledge
Thunder Over Reno
Kill Me Again
The Last Don

We exited the state with Johnny Cash’s voice in my head "When I was just a baby, my mother told me, 'Son, always be a good boy, don't ever play with guns.' But I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5Ts4M3irWM

Not the most uplifting but it’s the only Reno song that came to mind. Sorry!