another great summer road trip

This past weekend was also nice as we took my aunts and uncle on another road trip, this time to Reno and Yosemite!

Day 1: racing to Reno

We left around 8:30 a.m. so there would be plenty of time when we arrived in Reno. It was very hot when we arrived due to a heat wave, so the afternoon was eventful aside for a stop at Costco for dinner. The best thing about Costco's food court is that everything is cheap. I also got some ice cream bites at our hotel. It was a little expensive but quite refreshing in the hot weather.

Dad later took us to Atlantis Casino Resort Spa to play the slots. One thing I noticed is that the slots at Atlantis seem to be "looser" - that is, they have a higher payout percentage and allow you to play longer. I think we spent around three hours at the casino. This was the best part of the trip even though we didn't hit any jackpots. As the saying goes: the house always wins.

Day 2: cars and more casinos

Having had so much fun at Atlantis the day before, Jill and Yu-Hua wanted to check out more local casinos. Therefore, Dad took us to Harrah's Reno after checking out of the hotel. The slots here were "tighter" than those at Atlantis, but we still had a good time.

We also made a stop at Carson City to let my aunts see the Nevada State Capitol. It turned out the building is closed on weekends, but that wasn't a problem as we still got some pictures. We also went to check out the Carson City Downtown Revival Car Show in the downtown. Some of the classic cars were really cool.

It was then time to head to our hotel in Bridgeport. Because it wasn't a very long drive, Dad made another stop at a small casino in Gardnerville. We decided to stay here for a while as it was quite hot outside. Although we didn't win anything here either, this was a relaxing way to spend the afternoon.

Our hotel in Bridgeport was a nice lodge in the mountains. Though it didn't have the same amenities of our suite in Reno, the lodge was located right next to East Walker River and had great views. The plan was to visit Mono Lake after checking in, but we decided to save that for the next day as we were all a little tired.

Day 3: a hectic drive home

The day began with a stop at the Mono Basin National Forest Scenic Area Visitor Center. But because the car rental agency had a policy that returning the car after 10 p.m. would incur an extra day's charge, the plan was to get home before 9 p.m. Therefore, the six of us decided to skip Mono Lake and take pictures from a distance before heading directly to Yosemite.

Of note is that Yosemite National Park was very crowded this year. Because my aunt Yu-Hua and uncle Yeh-Wei had not been here before, Dad made sure to stop at the essential stops, such as Glacier Point and Bridalveil Fall. I had hoped to visit Soda Springs and Yosemite Village, but we decided to skip them due to time constraints. This was a bit disappointing that as I was really looking forward to seeing Soda Springs.

The trip home was uneventful besides a stop at Costco for gas and food. Dad then went to the airport to return the rental car. I helped with the unpacking before accompanying Mom to the airport to pick him up.

Conclusions

Vacations are always fun, but traveling with relatives makes them even better. Although my favorite part of the trip was playing the slots at Reno, I really enjoyed revisiting Yosemite as well. It's one of those places that never gets old. The only downside is that we we didn't get to go to all the places we wanted to see, particularly Soda Springs. As much as I want to go back to Yosemite, two trips there in such a short time is probably a bit excessive. :-)

Feel free check out the pictures from our trip.

Currently listening to: "I'm Gonna Make You Mine" by Lou Christie