Feb. 21: Las Vegas 6 Drive-In, North Las Vegas NV

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It’s Day 52 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. It started with a two-hour drive across the Mojave Desert, past the world’s tallest thermometer, past what was once the world’s tallest roller coaster, and past most of the crazy hotel-monuments on the west side of the Las Vegas Strip. It was a fun drive! And then I reached the object of my quest, the Las Vegas 6 Drive-In, technically in North Las Vegas NV.

According to Cinema Treasures, the Las Vegas Drive-In opened in 1966 with a single screen, joining three other Vegas-area drive-ins: the Nevada, Skyway, and Stardust. It later expanded to four screens, then to six screens, then lost one due to wind damage, then restored the sixth.

The central concession stand is a fine place to get huge tubs of popcorn and drinks along with the other usual suspects. Always nice to see some arcade games in there too. It’s clearly built to handle much busier crowds than what was there on a Tuesday night, even one with perfect 60-degree weather.

I cheated a little in choosing my “early” movie for the night. John Wick: Chapter 2 played as a second feature, but it started at 8:15, earlier than any first movie in June. I wanted to watch something I hadn’t seen yet, and this movie was worth fudging a little.

Miles Today / Total:  157 / 6422 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: John Wick: Chapter 2 / 37

Nearby Restaurant: Just down the street at Texas Station, one of its many restaurants is Austin’s Steakhouse. There are quite a few of these old-school sort of fine dining steakhouses throughout the area, but not many have prices as reasonable as Austin’s. I splurged on the steak and lobster because I didn’t know the next time I’d get such a great opportunity.

Where I Virtually Stayed: There are so many choices spread out all over the Las Vegas area, and there are a couple of decent ones nearby. The Fiesta Rancho Hotel is literally across the street, but I like the Texas Station a little better, and it’s just another block down Rancho Road. The station buffets are a great value, and the room rate was very reasonable because I gamble just enough to keep a players club card alive.

Only in North Las Vegas: There are any number of amazing things to talk about in Las Vegas, but what about North Las Vegas? Besides the drive-in, maybe its most remarkable feature is the lumberjack statue posing in front of Lumberjacks Restaurant. It’s maybe 12 to 15 feet tall.

Next Stop: Basin Drive In Theatre, Mount Pleasant UT.

Feb. 20: Skyline Drive-in Theater, Barstow CA

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It’s Day 51 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. It had been a few weeks since I had to drive over three hours to get from one drive-in to another, but the El Rancho in Sparks NV isn’t really close to any other drive-in except the Sacramento.To keep moving forward, I had to go seven hours to reach the Skyline Drive-in Theater in Barstow CA.

Unfortunately, the Skyline is closed for the season until March 17. According to its Facebook page, the Skyline was losing money during the weeks of winter, but should be back to normal in the spring. As for me, even with the last few dark nights, I’m still on a pace to watch 257 movie nights this year, well above my goal of 200.

This was my last night in California for at least a couple of months. After sweeping across the country east-to-west roughly along I-10, I’ll be driving east roughly along I-40 to the Appalachians. By the end of March, I’ll turn north, then head west again. There are still a lot of drive-in theaters left to visit!

According to Cinema Treasures, the Skyline opened in 1966 with a single screen. (Then again, the logo on this page says the Skyline first opened in 1964.) At the time, it was the second drive-in around Barstow; the Bar-Len in adjacent Lenwood was active throughout the 1960s. The Skyline closed in 1987, but it re-opened with a makeover in 1996, and in 2000 it added a second screen. The Skyline changed operators and closed for several weeks in late summer 2009, followed by a “Grand Reopening” that October. The good news is that the Skyline bought two digital projectors in February 2015, so it looks like it’s in it for the long haul. Just not this night.

Miles Today / Total:  417 / 6265 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: dark / 36

Nearby Restaurant: There aren’t a ton of restaurants to choose from in Barstow, so I figured this would be the best time to hit an all-time favorite regional chain, the In-N-Out Burger. They don’t offer an extensive menu, but their burgers and fries make it worth stopping at least once whenever I’m within range.

Where I Virtually Stayed: After staying up too late gambling in Reno the night before, followed by a full day’s drive to Barstow, I just wanted something familiar. The Hampton Inn in Barstow was just what I needed. Cookies and flavored iced water in the lobby when I arrived. A comfy bed and a great breakfast the next morning.

Only in Barstow: The Casa del Desierto (House of the Desert), also known as the Barstow Harvey House and Rail Depot, combines the Western America Railroad Museum and the Route 66 Mother Road Museum. That’s not so unusual since much of Route 66 paralleled the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe rail line. Harvey Houses were a civilizing force in the American Southwest over a century ago. Built in 1910 after an earlier version burned, this preserved hotel, restaurant and train depot was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

Next Stop: Las Vegas 6 Drive-In, North Las Vegas NV.

Feb. 19: El Rancho Drive-In 4, Sparks NV

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It’s Day 50 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey, and it took me almost two and a half hours and a half to drive east from Sacramento to the El Rancho Drive-In 4, Sparks NV.

I was disappointed to find the El Rancho closed for the season. Sure, the temperature never broke 55 all day, but it was an increasingly rare day and night without rain. I just need to remember that the Reno area isn’t warm desert like most of Nevada.

At least I could visit the public market (aka flea market) on the grounds of the El Rancho. They run that every Saturday and Sunday even during the drive-in’s off season. They charge 75 cents to get in Sunday, as opposed to 50 cents on Saturdays. I really wonder why they bother to have different prices on different days.

As documented on Cinema Treasures, the El Rancho opened in August 1950 as a single-screen theater. It added two screens in 1973 and a fourth in 1974.

Miles Today / Total:  142 / 5848 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: dark / 36

Nearby Restaurant: The closest restaurant is actually across the border in Reno at a place known as simply The Wok. It’s just a converted Wendy’s in a little shopping center, but the combos are a lot like those at my favorite Chinese restaurant at home – surprisingly complex and flavorful yet not too expensive.

Where I Virtually Stayed: Never mind how close it is (just 10 minutes, actually), if I’m here and the drive-in is closed, I’d like to stay at a place where I can gamble and have a good time. That place was the Atlantis Casino Resort in Reno. Great rooms, a huge buffet for dinner and breakfast, and free drinks while I play. Casinos like this are always fun as long as you don’t lose too much at the slots or the tables.

Only in Sparks: According to the Reno Gazette-Journal, the new permanent (until it changes again) home for a 36-foot-high prospector statue is in front of the Sparks Heritage Museum. “Last Chance Joe” was originally installed in 1958 at what is now The Nugget in downtown Sparks. The casino was sold in 2013, and in late 2014, its remodeling prompted Joe to find a new home. Now that it’s away from the shelter of a casino building, the chicken wire and “paper-maché-type material” statue needs significant restoration, so city leaders started the Last Chance Joe Fund.

Next Stop: Skyline Drive-in Theater, Barstow CA.