Reno and Medford

This past week, Josh and I took a road trip to Reno, where I had never been, and Medford to see our friends The Westons (who had suggested the road trip to Reno in the first place). We went to Reno mainly to attend the temple, since we have gotten oddly fanatical about attending new temples, but we also needed the trip to relax after an especially grueling school term.

 I had to take this picture from a weird angle because so many roads were closed off for Hot August Nights

I'm not sure we're ever going to come back to Reno, but we had a great time while we were there. We stayed in one of the nicest/biggest/most convenient hotel rooms we've ever stayed in together, in this hotel:

The Atlantis

which had this in the corner, next to the window:

and this in the bathroom:

The TV, not the mess

Josh even served my Diet Coke to me like this:

Though it was only because the DC had been in the back of the car for 3 days and was undrinkably warm, not because I demanded it (I swear!)

Josh treated me to a 90-minute massage in the spa, and I would absolutely recommend that to anyone who happens to stay at The Atlantis, because the spa was beautiful and had a lot of different amenities, like the Brine Inhalation Light Therapy Lounge (which I didn't use, though I did sit in the steam room). The hotel has package deals so that, if you book a spa appointment at the same time as a room, you get a good deal at the spa. Totally worth it. I've been to many spas in my time, and I'm pretty certain this one was the best I've seen.

After the temple, we went to dinner. Josh and his mom are big fans of the show "Dinners, Drive-ins, and Dives" on The Food Network. Before we travel anywhere, Josh checks to see whether there are good restaurants that have been on that show in the area. This time we went to the Gold-N-Silver Inn, where I had the lemonade porkchops (which were so tender they practically just fell apart) and Josh had the tri-tip sandwich.

I also got this:

It was supposedly vanilla, but tasted like maple syrup

Josh discovered that there is a drive-in in nearby Sparks, NV, and insisted we go there on one of the two nights we were there. He has fond memories of attending the now-defunct drive-in in his hometown of Hermiston, and I've never before been to a drive-in, so it was an adventure. We saw "Dinner for Schmucks."

Our view of the screen

I absolutely recommend the drive-in. It was only $4 per person for a double feature (we had already seen the second movie, so we left during intermission), and you can take in whatever snacks you would like. Plus, I could recline my seat.

On our drive back to Beaverton, we stopped off in Medford to see Chris and Haylie, who moved there in May. We forgot to take pictures, but we ate here and it was delicioso! As we were leaving, Josh said, "I really should have taken a picture of that pizza!" (because for some reason he likes to document the food we eat). Then we went to the temple, where the session was apparently full of people from Haylie and Chris's ward. We had a great time, and we were the first ones to visit in Medford, and we are completely gloaty and prideful about it! :)

I think this trip was definitely in my top 5 of trips Josh and I have taken together because: 1) I didn't feel like I was stepping into a wet bear skin coat when I went outside (I'm looking at you Washington, DC in August), 2) My feet didn't feel like they were broken and yet I still had to walk around on them (Disneyworld), and 3) We didn't stay so long that I started getting antsy and then got into a fight with a man who cut in line at the airport and then Josh told me to shut up because he thought we might get stabbed (Jamaica). So, it was a success!

Also, we discovered probably the awesomest podcasts for car trips ever. We learned that Jefferson re-wrote the Bible (for his own use), how Legos are made, whether it's better to buy organic or local, and many other fascinating things.