Xterra National Trail Running Championship

Last weekend I was in the Lake Tahoe area (Incline Village) for the Xterra National Trail Running Championship. It was a great race, and I was fortunate enough to place 1st in my age group due to the shallow field. I expect more competition next year. Read a short write-up on the race here.

Starting Line. I'm in front, wearing an orange jersey on the right.


Number 480 (me) quickly getting overtaken.


Over and under logs along the course: (not me)


(also not me)


(me)


Course map. The trail run was 2 loops of the red line.

Thrifting in Reno

Reno is a thrifters Mecca. There are literally dozens of thrift stores in the Reno/Sparks vicinity, and with a little help from Google Maps, you can easily locate them as I did.

In case you don't have the time to visit all of them (or most, like I did), then read on to see which ones are worth a look, and which aren't. I won't go into the many pawn shops stopped by. Suffice it to say you can augment your DVD collection quite cheaply with them.

1. Savers on Kietzke Ln. : A fantastic Savers with lots of variety that hasn't been too picked over. I found 2 vintage "Reagan/Bush '84" t-shirts.. I also bought two vintage Izod shirts.
2. I want to mention that I had a fantastic all-you-can-eat sushi lunch at Sushi 7.
   
3. Washoe Thrift on Prater Ln. : Not bad for the size. I found 2 items.
4. Reno-Sparks Gospel Mission Thrift on Gentry Way: This one's a bit run down, with a very poor men's selection. However, I still found a cool T and an Armani tie for 50 cents.
   
5. St. Vincent Thrift Store on Kietzke Ln. : Only found 1 item, and it was a pair of girl's vintage Penguin shorts. I can't help myself from buying quality vintage items, despite the fact that I no longer have a store to sell them in, or an active eBay account for that matter. I kind of treat them like stocks and bonds. I own a lot of Izod, Penguin, and LeTigre stock right now. These are the holy trinity of my favorite vintage brands.
   
6. Easter Seals Thrift Store: Great store. I bought 4 items. Very cluttered, but if you put in some time, you might find 2 amazing embroidered vintage western shirts like I did. Both in mint condition. I'll never wear them, but some day, someone will.
   
7. Rad Betty's Fresh Thrift: With a name like that, how could I not go? Mostly women's stuff, but she does have some men's in the back. This is more of a boutique shop, so both the quality and prices are higher. I didn't buy anything.
   
8. Bag-A-Bargain Thrift: Terrible. Not even worth a link.
9. Assistance League of Reno-Sparks Thrift Shop: Small selection. Didn't find anything.
10. Nevada's Quality Thrift: One of the best layed out stores in Reno. The displays are fantastic. They must have some talented people working there. Unfortunately, the clothing section is lacking. If you are furnishing or decorating a home, this is the place to go.
11. The Salvation Army Thrift Store - on Wells Ave. I think: Crappy store with poor selection.
12. SPCA Thrift Store: Only found a DVD. I don't remember the title.
13. WARC Thrift Store on Sutro St. : Pretty good. I found 3 shirts.
14. Goodwill on Oddie Blvd. : One of the best Goodwill's I've ever been to. I started at their bargain bin extension next door. Clothes were $1.50 a pound I believe. I found 2 items and paid $1.50. The store itself is massive and full of great stuff. I bought a lot.
15. Savers on Oddie Blvd. : There are good Savers and bad Savers. This was a bad one. Unorganized, messy, overpriced, and poor selection. I regrettably purchased 3 things.
    
16. Twin Dragon Chinese Restaurant: It was next door to Savers, and it started to snow, so I had my dinner there. Nothing special.

March Madness 2007 @ the Wynn

We returned to the Wynn for our annual March Madness trip. On the way down, I did a little thrift shopping in Mesquite while the others golfed.


Part of the March Madness trip is uninterrupted game watching in the suite. For some, it means never having to leave your bed. Left to right: Joey, Sam, Dave

Darren, Cort, Kyle, and Jeff H.


Darren, a triumphant Jeff K, Kyle, and Jeff H


Dual flat screens, for multi-game viewing. Night view of the strip below.


Sorry for the lack of light. This was at the Sirens of TI show at Treasure Island

Sirens taunting the pirates.


The Wynn