Nature: Look! There's green and blue amid the brown By Jessica Groach, Outpost contributor In this package: Pyramid Lake Galena Creek Park Wild horses   On a rainy spring day I looked out my living room window and discovered both ends of a rainbow. A small lake and a mountain meet right there, and at the point where they meet I could see it plainly--the end of the rainbow. So my eyes followed it clear to the other end, to the sparkling green valley beyond the lake where it touched ground. I had encountered a miracle. And with the warm sense that I had been blessed, I smiled to myself and felt a little chill knowing that here in Reno I had found an undiscovered gem. I feel that way often now that I live here.   When people found out I moved here after 15 years in Atlanta, I face questions such as "Why did you pick Reno?" (which they always ask with crinkled noses) and "Isn't Atlanta a lot prettier than this?" Atlanta is beautiful, I won't argue with that, with its lush, green forests, rolling green hills and varied flower beds. But Northern Nevada is spectacularly beautiful in a way I've seen nowhere else. To the east I see rust-colored mountains, set ruggedly against a crystal-blue, cloudless sky. But to the west, the scene changes dramatically to forested Sierra Nevada mountains covered with snow under a sky full of clouds in arrangements reminiscent of biblical paintings, rearranging themselves within minutes. Walker Lake, Nevada. Photo by Scott Mensing The myth that Reno is a desert wasteland like its cousin Las Vegas, full of nothing but casinos, prostitutes and cacti, is an inaccurate image of this growing city with unusual scenic opportunities. A short trip east leads to Pyramid Lake, a desert lake of turquoise waters surrounded by pinks, reds and browns so dramatic I wonder sometimes where the sunset ends and the earth begins. To the west, not halfway to Lake Tahoe, are parks and forests such as those found near Galena Creek that on a winter day may remind one of an alpine resort. And although Reno is indeed a growing city, wildlife such as wandering horses, coyotes, jack rabbits and mountain lions serve as a constant reminder that this is the closest a person gets to the "Pioneer West." The land is so diverse that within 30 miles of Reno a person could see a desert, a lake, a forest or a mountain. Clearly, Reno is by no means a wasteland. It is in close proximity to more wildlife than most growing cities. The surrounding areas are composed of more scenery and topographical variation than I have found anywhere else. Reno is a desert, a forest, a valley, a mountain, a lake, and a sanctuary and its climate cannot be topped. After a trip to the grocery store on a cool, summer evening, my mother and I discovered a glorious orange sunset over the Sierras. The sky behind the clouds was pure violet, and the many clouds following the day's storm glowed a brilliant orange and pink, so much so that it looked like a fire. The clouds swirled before our eyes, and if we so much as blinked we'd miss it changing. We smiled, feeling so lucky to be in an area of beauty few know exists and which sometimes can look just like heaven. That is the reality of Reno and Northern Nevada. copyright 11/15/97 Nevada Outpost http://www.jour.unr.edu/outpost