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Lake Tahoe
Ski Report
Reno |
We had planned this trip for quite some time, but for some
reason it was real loosey/goosy as fara as planning/reservations went.
Maybe it was because Joe had made it plain that he would not be able to do
a Hogs ski trip this year. Joe seems to be the guy that helps circle the
wagons when it comes to any trip. Since he wasn't going, that sense of
urgency just didn't seem to be there. Another usual on our trips, the Ski
Nazi, was heading out with his group to Vail this year so he and Uncle
Rusty would most likely be off on their own this year.
Philster and a newbie to skiing, Ricardo, were going
to join me on this trip but for one reason or another, neither wound
up making it due to work commitments at the last minute. So, that
left yours truly on his own trying to replicate last year's epic
trip to Tahoe/Reno.
When I did plan the trip, I was able to find a cheap
airfare out of ORD and jumped on it. I sent Ricardo and Philster the
link to the booking page. It was a 244 dollar fare and the flight
out was non-stop on American, which is actually pretty sweet. Coming
home, I'd have to make a stop in DFW. There was a two hour transfer
between flights, but since it was an early flight, we could have
lunch at DFW's very fine selection of bars and restaurants.
I wound up deciding to stay 4 nights in Tahoe and
the final 2 in Reno. This was done more for convenience than
anything. Since I landed on Sunday just after noon, I probably could
not have checked in to any hotel right away. So, I rented a car and
drove to Lake Tahoe. By then, it was 3pm and my room would be ready.
Since I planned on skiing in the South Tahoe area, having Lake Tahoe
as my base would really cut down on the driving. My flight home on
Saturday would leave pretty early from Reno (7am). I figured I
should stay at least one night in Reno fairly close to the airport
to make the getaway that much easier. I also figured with Ricardo
and Philster in tow that an extra night in Reno would not be a bad
idea. We could ski one of the north Tahoe resorts like Mount Rose or
even Squaw Valley. then dine out La Famiglia in the evening
and then check out some of the excellent Gentlemen's clubs in the
Reno area. What the heck, right?
After some research on
Trip Advisor I booked a room at
968 Park Spa
Resort in Lake Tahoe. The place intrigued me. It was an old
motel that was torn down and rebuilt as an eco-friendly spa-resort
with all re-claimed materials. I'm not a tree hugger by any stretch.
I was more drawn to the radiant heat, the memory foam mattress and
the 800 thread count linens then anything else. Plus the spa-resort
is right across the street from the Heavenly complex. I could always
saunter over to the "Queen of the Sierras" if the weather got too
bad for driving. The other bonus was that I booked this room through
Travelocity at a nifty rate of 69 dollars a night. If this place was
as nice as the Trip Advisor reviewers said it would be, then I got
myself a real good deal!
I booked the 2 nights in Reno at the
El Dorado Hotel and Casino, more out of loyalty to my friends
Gene Carano and Chase Stigall than anything else. To my surprise a
spa suite on the El Dorado website could be had for a mere 119 a
night. If I were totally value conscious I would have booked a
regular room for an incredible 29 dollars a night.
I rented a Jeep Liberty from Dollar for 350 dollars
for the week. I figured with the legendary snow falls that an SUV
would be in order. I also figured that the Liberty would be big
enough for the three of us. Since I wound up going solo, it turned
out to be overkill, especially when I figured it averaged a paltry
15 miles per gallon on this trip.
The flight into Reno was relatively uneventful for
the most part. I did run into a bit of a snafu at the ticket
counter. With my ski bag and boot bag, I had two pieces of luggage
that I was going to check in. I had read in SKI magazine that
American was one of the airlines counting both of these items as ONE
piece of luggage. The tricky part here is that on AA.com, they
specify that that ski and boot bag are one piece of luggage, but I
had more than skis and boots in these bags. All of my clothes were
in there as well. There is a weight restriction on each bag, but
with the new high tech outerwear by Nike and such, my clothing is a
lot lighter and fits into a smaller space. However, when I got to
the airport, they were ready to charge me the 15 dollar fee for the
first bag, then 25 dollars for the second (those of you traveling
with hens, the third bag is 100 dollars----this is each way fellas!).
At first I brought this to the attendant's attention and she would
hear nothing of it. I wound up going to a gate agent and got my 25
dollars credited off of my credit card. On the flight home, I had to
mention this as well, but the staff at Reno are a bit more familiar
with this policy. However, know your rights and insist on them. The
airlines do not do a good job training them in this area. Even
better, you should print out the airline's policy and bring it with
you. The other item of note on the flight is that I distinctly
remember the landing in Reno being a rough one. This year was no
different. In fact, it was pretty eventful to say the least. It was
one of the roughest landings I've ever experienced and I'm guessing
I've flown about 300 times in my lifetime.
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