Editor,
Last month I visited Winnemucca for the first time in many years to attend the drag race at the Raceway.
My home track in Sacramento CA closed last year, so now I am traveling to other tracks.
Those include Fallon and Winnemucca. I will be back there next month for the next race. Was looking forward to the visit as I love the small towns.
And I smoke, and usually the small rural towns are very open to all visitors - not just the ones they prefer to have like SF or LA.
But I was shocked to see I could not book a room at any casino there with a smoking room - yet it was fine to smoke in the casino. In fact many of the hotels were non smoking - but the Motel 6 says about 25% of their rooms are smoking - so there is clearly demand for them.
When I am racing I am up early, many times back late. I want to sit in my room and catch the news, practice on my practice tree, relax after a long day.
I do not want to get up and go outside in the heat - or cold - and smoke when I can not do anything else.
I was shocked to see Winnemucca has very few places that could offer that - including none of the casinos. So while I do usually gamble a little while on the road, Winnemucca is not going to be one of them as I am not walking into the casino to get to my room.
Nor am I eating there. I did go spend money at your hardware and feed store, as well as restaurants and gas stations.
So did my part as a tourist - but very surprised the hospitality industry there is so restrictive on who they want staying in thier hotels. Expect that in San Jose. Not Winnemucca.
Regards,
Robert Deitz, II
Placerville, Calif.