Reno, Nevada: Street Vibrations

On Saturday, September 27, a group of us rode out to the Mustang Ranch, home of two of the most famous brothels in Nevada, the Wild Horse Saloon and the Mustang Ranch.

The group was comprised of our friends Terry & Marcie, Steve & Cindy, John & Lisa, plus MLA & I. Several of the brothels were offering 'tours' of their business and we had decided to satisfy our curiosity. I was going to say "especially the women" but truthfully, the men were just as curious.

We ended up at the Mustang Ranch almost by accident. First we tried to enter one of the five brothels that was part of the "Cat House Poker Run". Little did we know this poker run was sponsored by the Hells Angels with proceeds going to some charity. Since we did not buy tickets for the "Cat House Poker Run" the Hells Angels member at the gate turned us away. While tempted to fight our way in, we decided it was just to hot to get into a fight with 40 or so Hells Angels. Didn't want to embarrass them.....

Where do I begin? Picture four middle-aged couples walking into an incredibly dark lounge area of one of the brothels, standing around, trying to look cool and unaffected while in fact we looked totally out of place and uncomfortable. Several scantily clad women quickly looked us up and down and judged us for what we really were: tourists.

None the less, a young lady named Cynthia (incredibly short dress and high heels that looked much to tall to walk in) offered to give us a tour of the facility, which we quickly accepted. Quite an education followed for all of us. All the while we were laughing and joking and in general having a great time.

Across from the Wild Horse Saloon, on the same compound, was the world famous Mustang Ranch. So we walked across the parking lot to the Mustang Ranch where we found the facility and ladies even nicer. Two ladies gave us a great tour. In addition to showing us the various rooms of the facility they both provided a lot of information on the history of brothels in Nevada and on the Mustang Ranch in particular.

Quick example. Turn out the man who established the Mustang Ranch bought several trailers and placed them where three counties come together. When the sheriff for one county came out to the ranch he would push the trailers into a different county. When the county sheriff came out he would push them into another county and so on. You have to love human creativity that comes into play when someone is committed to providing a service to the community....

We really enjoyed our time at the ranch however, all good things must come to an end so we headed back into Reno to explore the rest of the Street Vibrations exhibits. Everything and anything that has to do with motorcycles was on display and most of it was for sale. Plus all the excitement of Reno's casinos spills into the streets. Bands playing live music, lots of vendors, incredible custom motorcycles, and tournaments at almost every casino aimed at separating attendees from their money.

MLA and I spent some time in the casinos and I'm happy to say we are slightly ahead. That said, just look around at the number of casinos, the size of the casinos and the number of people the casinos employ, and its clear most people lose more than they win.

All in all a great day even though we didn't get back to the RV until almost 10 pm. The dogs bladder must have been ready to burst; she was very happy to see us when we let her outside.

See Ya!