» Web Extras death valley flower power
March/April 2009
Record rainfall may result in a stunning bloom for Death Valley National Park, on the California-Nevada border. To commemorate this anticipated wildflower bloom, Pink Jeep Tours is offering a special price of $209 for the Flower Power Trekker Tour. The special price will be available from March 1 through April 30. Guests will be taken via The Tour Trekker, Pink Jeep Tours’ high-end, spacious sightseeing vehicle. The tour will include a picnic lunch amongst the vast fields of flowers.
» Web Extras (virtual) wild west
March/April 2009
Members of the Nevada State Historic Preservation Office and Nevada Humanities’ Online Nevada Encyclopedia have forged a high-tech partnership, bringing 19th-century Nevada saloons to life with 21st-century technology. Ron James, Nevada state historic preservation officer, and Karen Wikander, managing editor of Online Nevada Encyclopedia, have announced the premiere of an online exhibition dealing with cutting-edge archaeology in Nevada’s Comstock Historic District.
» Web Extras northstar “news”
March/April 2009
The new Burton Snowboard Academy at Northstar-at-Tahoe is the first of its kind, not only in the Lake Tahoe area, but the world. This isn’t your typical beginner crash course in which newbies are struggling to carve or make a simple turn. The academy can help with that, of course, but even experts can learn a thing or two at the school, located at the top of the Northstar gondola (mid-mountain).
» Web Extras riddles and fiddles
March/April 2009
Each year, thousands saddle up the SUV, slip on the Stetson, and head to Elko for the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. Like swallows returning to Capistrano, ranchers, cowboys and city-dwellers flock faithfully to northeastern Nevada in the dead of winter for soul-satisfying storytelling and music.
» Feature wild horses
January/February 2009
Anyone who has read a Nevada publication in the last couple decades knows that wild horses, and the issues surrounding them and their range, remain among the most controversial topics in the state. Although the controversy has evolved into an emotional, convoluted collection of opposing viewpoints, everything relates to two main issues: the horses’ sharing of land and resources with free-ranging livestock and the methods with which state and federal government manage the mustang population.
» Feature lamoille extreme
January/February 2009
Some folks call Elko County’s Ruby Mountains the “Yosemite of Nevada.” Others refer to the rugged, glacier-carved range as “Nevada’s Swiss Alps.” Joe Royer calls them home. For the past 30 years, he has been happily escorting guests around his “house” via his tour company, Ruby Mountains Heli-Experience. The backcountry ski and snowboard service is based in Lamoille, a ranching community 20 miles south of Elko.
» City Limits ground zero
January/February 2009
The Atomic Testing Museum, 10 minutes from the Las Vegas Strip, offers a dramatic, sometimes eerie history lesson that’s still highly relevant today. Nevada played a central role in the testing and development of nuclear bombs—conducting 928 above- and below-ground tests between 1951 and 1992, when a moratorium halted the testing of nuclear weapons.
» Wide Open trail of tales
January/February 2009
Aletha Tom arrived at Stewart Indian School in 1959, making the long journey from her home at the Moapa Indian Reservation in Southern Nevada by bus at age 12. Tom tells of her six years at Stewart on the Stewart Indian School Talking Trail, a self-guided cell phone tour that debuted last fall. In its 90 years, the former boarding school near Carson City saw more than 20,000 American Indian students pass through its portals.
» Tour Around Nevada verdi
January/February 2009
Named for Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi, the town was established in 1868 following a short stint as O’Neil’s Crossing. Officials of the Central Pacific Railroad, which was constructed from 1867-69, were responsible for the name change. The town “became a major mill town and terminal for the shipment of ties and construction timbers, with a network of logging railways reaching into the timber north and west.”
» Cravings just fondue it
January/February 2009
Fondue restaurants around the state offer winter sports enthusiasts (and others, of course) a warm place to retreat from the cold, refill their hungry bellies, and enjoy a rewarding, social dining experience with family and friends. Fondue, French for “melted,” is a traditional Swiss dish made by melting Gruyere or Emmenthaler cheese and wine in a communal pot.
» History from the ashes
January/February 2009
Virginia City’s Piper’s Opera House has stood as a monument to Comstock entertainment for almost 150 years. Even after withstanding two disastrous fires and suffering through financially tough times when the Virginia City mines ceased operation more than a century ago, Piper’s has managed a successful transition into the 21st century—but it hasn’t been easy.
» Gaming the real deal!
January/February 2009
In October, “The Real Deal!,” the first live interactive poker-themed stage show, premiered at The Venetian in Las Vegas. Hosted by comedian Vinnie Favorito, “The Real Deal!” is a 90-minute extravaganza that gives audience members a chance to play against the world’s best professional poker players to win prizes—and bragging rights.
» Business classy glass and eco-shopping
January/February 2009
If you want an idea of the elegance of Leslie Rankin’s Glassic Art business, make a reservation at the Le Cirque restaurant in the Bellagio next time you’re in Las Vegas. There, you’ll see the decorative glass on display inside one of Vegas’ most luxurious properties. Meanwhile, EcoReno, an ecologically-conscious business, opened in downtown Reno last fall.
» Events Spotlight putting the verse in anniversary
January/February 2009
The National Cowboy Poetry Gathering’s 25th anniversary will be January 24 to 31 in Elko. Past gatherings have focused on cowboy cultures from here and abroad, but this one will be a homecoming. “Artists, audiences, volunteers, and sponsors from past Gatherings have been invited to return to Elko,” executive director Charlie Seemann says.
» Shows Spotlight from street to stage
January/February 2009
More than 25 years ago, in Baie-Saint-Paul, Canada, a colorful band of 20 street performers spent their days roaming the streets on stilts, juggling, dancing, breathing fire, and playing music. In 1984, to celebrate the 450th anniversary of Jaques Cartier’s discovery of Canada, the troupe was selected to perform a show, and Cirque du Soleil has not stopped since.
» Web Extras desert oasis
January/February 2009
Situated less than 20 miles southeast of the Las Vegas Strip is a refreshing retreat with waterfalls, European-style architecture, and an ambiance hardly like the surrounding desert. Though only a short drive, Lake Las Vegas—technically in Henderson—is a world away.
» Web Extras area 51
January/February 2009
Reno poet Alonzo Clayton provides an interesting perspective on one of Nevada’s most mysterious locales.
» Web Extras nevada magazine nets two more awards
January/February 2009
Nevada Magazine has earned its third and fourth awards of 2008. The publication was honored with two Gold awards in the 28th annual International Regional Magazine Association contest. Nevada’s official state tourism magazine won the Most Improved Magazine and Photographic Series categories. In 2007, the agency introduced a new look in its 71st year of operation. The results impressed IRMA judges.
» City Limits riding the rail
November/December 2008
My carbon footprint is the size of a Sasquatch’s, and something’s got to give. So I’ve planned an entire day revolving around the Las Vegas Monorail. The train runs along a four-mile stretch on the east side of Las Vegas Boulevard from the MGM Grand to the Sahara, with seven stops along the way. The $5 ticket (for a single ride; $12 for an Unlimited Ride Day Pass) opens up a world of adventure, while saving my weary feet—and helping the planet.
» Wide Open livin’ on the edge
November/December 2008
Nevada. There might not be universal agreement about how to pronounce it, but there is one common denominator concerning the Silver State—crossing its border practically guarantees a good time. Gaming, shows, bright lights, seemingly endless and undiscovered terrain…Nevada has whatever form of entertainment you’re looking for. Following, we cover a mixture of towns that border Arizona, California, Idaho, Oregon, and Utah.
