RV PARK REVIEW - Gold Ranch Verdi Casino & RV Resort

MAY 2013
DISCLAIMER: We are not paid to endorse or slam any RV park we review, the owners/operators are unaware of any position or personal opinion we make and/or post until after the fact. 

We headed to the Reno, NV area to visit old friends and found Gold Ranch Casino Verdi & RV Resort was just what we were looking for in a RV Resort. We wanted to be near our friends Jimmy and Sue, Lake Tahoe, Carson City and Virginia City ... you know a site that's convenient for playing tourist. It's situated in a beautiful setting nestled up against the Sierra Nevada Mountains with paved level sites. Gold Ranch features a fun casino with sit down restaurant, fast food for dine-in or drive-thru, gas station, pool & spa, clubhouse, laundry and bath house. The RV Resort is located just 2 miles from the California/Nevada state line with easy access off I-80W, exit 2.

Amenities at this Good Sam campground include:

• 105 fully paved sites, including 68 wide pull-throughs      
• Comfortably spaced lush green sites with 24-hour security
• Full hook-ups - 20/30/50 amps
• Wireless Internet at every site (fee applies)
• Clean showers and laundry facilities
• Clubhouse with fireplace, television, and free Wi-Fi
• Heated pool and Jacuzzi
• Two restaurants to choose from: the Sierra Café and Jack-In-The-Box
• Pets welcome
• Mail/Fax service available
• 24-hour convenience store and Chevron gas station

Our very peaceful and serene campsite.

All rates based on one RV and one tow per site include: Tax, electric, water, sewer, cable TV, 50 amp, pets, extra person (max 4 per site), clubhouse, pool and spa, gleaming showers and restroom facilities.  A 10% discount on daily rates for Good Sam and AARP members, and they offer weekly and extended stay discount rates too.  Our nightly 2013 May rates for for a pull through was about $35.00 less our Good Sam discount. Keep in mind rates tend to change or may have seasonal rates that fluctuate.

In our check-in welcome package, we found free drinks coupons to be used in the Casino and a buy one get one free dinner at their Sierra Cafe.

After driving in from Elko, I chose the dine out option ... no cooking or clean up. We both decided on the 8 oz. Prime Rib special for $8.99 served with a choice of Potato, Seasonal Vegetable and Choice of Soup or Salad; and using the buy one get one was a savings bonus.  For the price, it was actually very good ... and the no cooking or cleaning was even better.


So, I bet you can't guess the rating we give this campground? You're right! It's an A!  I was curious, so I just checked Good Sam's ratings and they agree with me ... 10.0 Facility / 9.5 Restrooms / 9.5 Appeal. Therefore Jim and I recommend you stop in when you're in the area and try it for yourself.  

Gold Ranch Casino Verdi & RV Resort

350 Gold Ranch Rd. (I-80 W, Exit 2)

Verdi, NV 89439

Call or Click Below 

RV Reservations  877.914.6789

As the sun sets at our campsite, we thank you for following McTraveler's RV Adventures.  We anticipate you'll be back soon to join us at our next destination and for more adventures.


Until then, wishing you safe travels!
Pam, Jim, Maxx and Mollie

DESTINATION - RENO, NV - A grand reunion of a 50+ year friendship

MAY 2013

Over the years, Jim introduced Pam to a long list of junior high and high school buddies he has stayed in contact with; and I and along with their spouses were inducted into this tight knit group ... amazing friendships have grown even stronger over the years.

Last winter when we started planning our 2013 Spring RV Trip 6,000+ mile route; we had to include a visit to Reno, NV where Jim's junior high school friend Jimmy and his wife Sue reside.

McTraveler made the drive from Elko, NV to Reno, NV which unveiled greener scenery and climbing altitude as we approached the Sierra Nevadas traveling along the Humboldt River and then over the Truckee River. We settled into the Gold Ranch Casino and RV Resort* on 350 Gold Ranch Rd., Verdi, NV 89439.  We really liked this campground that's nestled into the foothills of the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.  It's located on the western outskirts of Reno which was a short drive to see Jimmy and Sue.

Jimmy is also retired and graciously played the grand tour guide as Sue had to work the first couple of days of our visit.  Day one tour starts with Incline Village and Lake Tahoe where there is so much to see and do. Jim, growing up as a California boy, had been here several times; but it was my first and found the area just breath taking with it's alpine mountain views and was amazed at the size and depth of the pristine lake. For lunch, we drove down to South Lake Tahoe where you can stand on the street corner with one foot in Nevada and the other in California; but California claims this city.

I so enjoyed listening to Jim and Jimmy laugh and reminiscence about the good old days and catch up on where and what their classmates are doing now.  At times the conversation was deep as the lake, so I chose Duke Ellington and John Coltrane playing In a Sentimental Mood for day one video tour.

  

Day 2, with Jimmy still in tour guide mode, put us on a paddle boat cruise of Lake Tahoe. He took us to Zephyr Cove along the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe to board the MS Dixie II.  We left the Zephyr Cove dock and meandered across the lake to Emerald Bay on the California side. Emerald Bay provided the setting for one of the first summer homes at Lake Tahoe in 1863. Vikingsholm is a magnificent castle built at Emerald Bay in 1929 and can be toured. We so enjoyed the day on the water ... a little cool, but still a perfect day to take in the picturesque scenery and enjoy an old friend's company.

After the cruise we stopped at a famous local landmark in the state capital of Carson City, Red's Old 395 Grill, reknown for their BBQ.  You walk into this fine establishment and you're immediately slapped in the face with sensory overload ... you don't know where to look first! It's a fun, quirky BBQ hangout with 101 beers on tap ... I had a smile plastered to my face and lickin' my lips with this stop.

 

Finally we got to spend time with Sue too; so we all take off for Virginia City, NV which is about 30 miles south of Reno.  Virginia City was a stopover for eastern emigrants traveling onto California. It developed into an overnight boomtown when the first major silver deposit, the Comstock Lode, discovery was made public in 1859. President Lincoln pushed through statehood for Nevada (even though the population was legally too low to do so) to help fund the Civil War. There's a history lesson on every corner in this town ... even Mark Twain wrote from here.  After a morning of touring the town, we HAD to stop in the old ice cream parlor for a cold treat. Those who know Jim, knows he's an ice cream addict. What a fun day we had together in the old pioneer mining town.  

Sue and Jimmy

Jim and I both have been blessed with long term friendships, and we cherish this one too.  So we thank Jimmy and Sue for taking time to make this reunion so special. Having a personal tour guide sure spoiled us!  We loved our time with you and hope you will join us for a ride along in McTraveler very soon.

And we thank you, our readers, for following our adventures.  Stay tuned for the next destination; and until then we wish you safe travels!

Pam, Jim, Maxx and Mollie



*Note: Our campground has since changed their name to Gold Ranch Verdi Casino which we recommend if you're in the area.

DOUBLE FEATURE: A Ride Along plus A Park Review - Salt Lake City to Double Dice RV Park in Elko, NV

MAY 2013

Double your pleasure, double your fun ...

now I have the double mint chewing gum song in my head!  

McTraveler is leaving Salt Lake City, UT and making our way to Elko, NV for the night. The drive along I-80 goes through a lot of scenic landscape changes.  You'll see the green mountains with snow caps as you leave SLC, then by the expansive Great Salt Lake and on toward the flat desert floor vistas of the Great Basin where we found the Bonneville Speedway with salt flats that are blinding white; immediately as you cross the Nevada line you'll find mountains again and finally flatting out some as you enter into the hot, dry desert area of Elko, NV.

This leg of our 2013 Spring RV Trip also included a first ... a cattle drive outside of SLC where the cowboys were herdin' 'em doggies underneath I-80 ... what a fun sight to behold!  That was never expected ... did a double take then snapped a photo.

                                                  Now I have the Raw Hide song going through my head!

Because of the weather, we chose not to boon dock overnight ... just didn't want to have to run the generator all night for A/C.  So we found the Double Dice RV Park in Woodall's Directory and they did give us the Good Sam discount.  Like the name says, we're in Nevada, so everyone has some sort of gaming on property, even the RV park has a casino.  We didn't gamble, but later on we felt we had lost enough money just by staying here.

Campground Views

The park is a glorified gravel parking lot, but we were grateful to find anything with hook-ups on this long lonely stretch of road.  The staff was nice and said to go pick and site and let them know one we settled into.  The vast majority of the 100 park sites were allotted to permanent residences so there were little to chose from.  I peeked into the laundry and showers ... both areas are dirty coin operated messes.  

We did go to the on-site bar restaurant and had  a just okay meal ... but it was nice not to cook after driving all day.

Suffice it to say, we enjoyed the beautiful drive and endured the overnight campground.  Overall rating of this fine establishment get a big fat D.  I was surprised when I just looked at Trip Advisor and they had one excellent, six very good, and four terrible.  We felt the park rated in the terrible range.

We're sorry you had to visit our virtual campground but hope you'll only stay at this campground as a last resort.  But we do hope you enjoyed the ride along to our misadventure.  We promise better adventures at our next stop in Reno, NV ... see you there.

Until then, wishing you safe travels,
Pam, Jim, Maxx and Mollie

WE BELONG . . . RV Affiliations and Discount Memberships

A sampling of our memberships

Early on we learned to take advantage of discount clubs. During our multiple cross country travels, we found that one particular organization may have a stronger regional presence than others. For example, as members we stay for free at Thousand Trails campgrounds which are found throughout the US; except they are totally absent in the north central states. So that's one reason we chose to join multiple clubs to ensure we can get discount site rates at every stop.  Just in our  2013 Spring Trip (8 weeks May-June), we saved $714.21 off campsite rates. The savings on a one to two night stay typically covers the minimal cost of the annual membership fees. Who doesn't like to save money?

Speaking of saving money, we also do occasional overnight boon docking or dry camping (depending on whom you're speaking with) ... and BLM land or Walmart's are wonderful for that.

As a courtesy, we introduce ourselves to the Walmart store manager with a smile and a basket of provisions, then ask permission to park overnight.  We've never been turned down; but there are some towns with municipal codes that prohibit overnight parking. It's best to ask in lieu of taking the risk of being fined or towed.  The manager always thanks us for being a loyal customer and says "I'll let security know so they will patrol your motor home during their rounds".  We appreciate that and we try to park under a security camera.  Also, we don't put our jacks down or set up an outside camp site; but slides out are okay.

Besides the discounts on campsites, most of these organizations offer product and services discounts.  Many also offer educational seminars, rallies, mail forward service, and regional chapters for traveling with groups.


PROUD MEMBERS OF ...
FMCA - Family Motor Coach Association
Escapees RV Club
Good Sam Club
KOA - Kampgrounds of America
National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass Series (Senior Pass)
Passport America
Thousand Trails / Encore
RPI Plus - Resort Parks International
RVGC - RV Golf Club 


Thanks again for riding along with us on our journey.
Hope to see you back soon!

Pam, Jim, Maxx and Mollie