Visiting the Snow

My favorite winter place is the Sierra Mountains. I used to go to South Lake Tahoe and stay at Harvey’s.  But they started charging for parking. Harvey’s is just not that great of a place to have to pay for parking.

Now, we go to Reno.  My husband, Bob and I have a membership at the Peppermill Resort, Spa and Casino.

 

 

 

 

Not only is it luxurious, but the staff is very friendly and willing to please. Oh, and they don’t charge for parking. ? We had enough points to comp our room and upgrade it too.

 

 

 

 

The Trip

 

We started our trip when the Covid 19 restrictions were minimal. The ski resorts had just shut down a couple of days prior to the trip, which made the traffic nonexistent. But, dun dun daaaah, there was also a snow storm brewing.  As we started our ascent up the mountain on I-80. There were signs telling us that I-80 was closed.  Well, our thought was to turn around and go home and try again the next day.  We found another route that led us to I-50. This route would take us to South Lake Tahoe, then I-395 to Reno.  Great! Right? Not quite.

 

Avalanche Control

 

Right before the pass, we came to a screeching halt. We went nowhere for 2 hours. It’s a good thing we had a full tank of gas. Thank goodness for smart phones.  I had no cell service or internet, but I could still play games. We later found out that measures were being taken for avalanche control.

Arriving at Peppermill

Once at Peppermill, the staff; including the valet, bell hop, front desk; were extremely courteous and accommodating. Once we settled into our room, there was nothing else to do but go gambling.? ?♠♦??.

 

Birthday Dinner

For my birthday, Bob made reservations at Bimini Steakhouse. An upscale steak restaurant at Peppermill. We shared a tomahawk ribeye, which our excellent server, Mike, carved tableside.

 

 

We had a yummy créme brûlée. Mike, also brought us a chocolate cake. It was a wonderful and delicious birthday dinner.

 

Our Server

Shout out to our server, Mike. He was very knowledgeable about the different cuts of meat as well as the way they were aged.  He explained everything perfectly and had great suggestions.

Social Distancing

Throughout the time we were there, Social Distancing was enforced.  Only 3 people per card game, and every other slot at craps. Also, only 4 black jack tables were open and one Pai-Gow table, as well as 1 craps table.  The buffet and pastry/brunch restaurants were closed.

On our last night we were told that the hotel was going to close the next day at noon. We weren’t concerned since we were checking out the next day.

Casino Closed

We decided to go down to the casino to gamble and grab a bite to eat. Once we got to the casino, we were told that the casino and all restaurants and bars were closing.  That made it easy to make the decision to go home.

Going Home

We were in our car and on our way by 6:30 pm.  There was a small slow down due to a check-in by caltrans to make sure we had all wheel drive.  We made it home by 10:30 pm.

Even with the social distancing and everything shutting down, I still had a fun time.  Happy Birthday to me. See you again next year Peppermill.

Have you been to Peppermill Resort, Spa and Casino in Reno, or Bimini Steakhouse? Were you there during the Covid 19/Coronavirus outbreak? Would love to hear your thoughts below.