I split day four so it would show up on the map better. Travelling through Sacramento the GPS showed height above sea level as between 4 and 8 metres. We are now starting to head up the Sierra Nevada's through a place called Donners Pass http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donner_Pas s. this is where a crowd of emigrants got stuck in a blizzard in 1846 and are rumoured to have resorted to cannibalism to survive. it was a very steep climb and it felt like it wasn't going to stop, finally over the top at a little over 2200m or just over 7100ft. Fantastic scenery, it is straight out of a lot of the old movies that we have all seen. We left in the morning where the temp was between 30C and 37C and now we are passing patches of snow. I could imagine how impassable this would be in winter, the road snow markers are about 10ft high. The creeks that cross the road here are ice blue in colour and look like they would still be very cold. Didn't get the chance to stop and test the theory. Arrived in Reno and first indications is old and tired. We got great rooms at the Eldorado Casino for about $50 per night. We are using Reno as a base and we will visit Virginia City, Carson City and Lake Tahoe before heading down to Death Valley and Vegas.
Booked in to the room, I decided to rip across the road to grab some beer for the esky. Next door to the liquor store was a pawn brokers. I decided to step and have a quick look. One wall full of weapons and three cabinets full of pistols, M16's, Ak47's, pump action shotguns, 6 shooters (44 mag, 45 and 357's), glocks, h and k's. In Nevada after a 30 minute test ( I wonder what they test you on) you can obtain a concealed weapons permit.
We head downstairs for a quick flutter before dinner. I headed to blackjack whilst the ladies hit the pokies. I had never seen this version of blackjack before and don't think I like it. It's called single deck blackjack and both cards are dealt to you face down, you only turn them over at the end, when you have blackjack or a split. Called it quits and went back to the ladies. Eileen had managed to get $350 out of her machine. I threw $5 into a machine and 15 mins later pulled out $250. That will cover me for a few more blackjack sessions. Had dinner at the Buffet at the Casino. Very different from the Buffet's in Aus and only $17 a head for all you could eat. No wonder there is a weight problem over here.