Jean, Nevada – September 2005
Last time Mike and I stayed in Jean, Nevada, it was in September. We went there with my sister, Stacey and her husband, Dan. They are our best friends. We rode in their Hummer and they drove the whole way. I should feel guilty for that, but it was a new car and I was scared of scratching it. Plus, I’ve never driven anything bigger than a VW Beetle before, so I was doubly scared of driving that big thing. We paid for half the gas, so I guess I shouldn’t feel too guilty.
The trip to Jean was mostly spent in Vegas. We drove up and down the strip in their bright yellow Hummer and I stood up through the sunroof and took pictures. You can see those pictures here:
In Jean, however, Mike and I spent the morning taking a nice walk around the hotel and clicking pictures. In the very last photo, you can see the Nevada Landing hotel in the background. I didn’t really get a good picture of the hotel while we were there, so you’ll have to be happy with this. You can see the pictures here:
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The walk started with a trip to the gas station near the hotel. Mike and I weren’t really in the mood to sit down at the cafe and the snack bar wasn’t open yet, so we took a walk to the convenience store. He had a Krispy Kreme donut and I got a pint of water. We walked back to the hotel via a little dirt road. We saw lizards, blackbirds and lots of dragonflies. I was only able to click a picture of the lizard, though.
The entire walk was less than a mile, but don’t underestimate the Nevada sun. It can get REALLY hot there, so if you’re going to do this walk, do it in the morning or late evening so you don’t get burned to a crisp. You can see the route we took here:
Another note about Nevada Landing. There isn’t a hotel gym where you can exercise. There is a tiny pool where you can swim. I’ve never tried it out, so I can’t tell you if it’s good or not. I have, however, jogged around the parking lot along the edges. It’s a pretty easy run because it’s very flat. There are usually big semi-trucks parked along those edges (you can see them on the map below), so you’ll have to dodge them. Other than that, I’ve enjoyed the runs around the parking lot. One trip around is .65 miles, so you can plan your workout accordingly. Here’s a map of where I run when I stay at Nevada Landing:
That day at Nevada Landing, I ran around the parking lot for free (that was my workout). Mike and I took a walk to the convenience store, which was $5 for donuts and drinks. The walk around the wild, deserty areas was free. The photo ops were free. The stay at the hotel was $50 because it was a weekend. We had a lot of fun for pretty cheap and that only brings us to that morning. That afternoon, we found another great place to take pictures.
Tune in tomorrow to see the photos from the rest of the day.