Benjamin: All right, awesome. Hey Lorraine, it is so great to chat with you today. How have you been?
Lorraine Reynolds: I am doing just fine, Benjamin! How are things with you?
Benjamin: Can't complain at all. I was actually just looking at some of your recent travel photos. It looked like an amazing trip. Where did you guys end up going?
Lorraine Reynolds: Oh, it was wonderful. We took a six week road trip up through Oregon and spent some quality time there, went up into Washington, and then made our way back down along the coast to a town called Seaside. We had an absolute blast. Honestly, we love that area so much we try to make that exact trip every single year.
Benjamin: No way, that is awesome. I actually grew up visiting Seaside and spending a lot of time in the Pacific Northwest, so that place is really special to me. The coastline up there is beautiful. Did you find any cool local spots or restaurants you really liked?
Lorraine Reynolds: We definitely did! If you ever go back, you have to try Norma's Seafood & Steak. They have hands down the best seafood around. It is a really nice, friendly family spot. They are famous for their fresh catches, Angus beef, and this incredible, award winning clam chowder that is completely pork free. It has actually won national awards!
Benjamin: I am definitely writing that down for my next trip. Honestly, Lorraine, I wanted to do this interview with you just to show some appreciation and say thank you. We have been connected on Facebook for a long time, and you have always been so supportive. Plus, ever since you came on my podcast a while back, your background completely blew me away. For the people reading, could you share a bit of your story and the crazy path you took before landing here in Vegas?
Lorraine Reynolds: Well, looking back, it really has been a wild ride. I actually started out driving commercial trucks on the open road with my CDL. Around that same time, I also did some bartending, which was a ton of fun and a great way to meet people. Later on, I shifted gears into heavy highway construction as an operating engineer, driving the big heavy machinery to build highways.
Lorraine Reynolds: After that, things took a unique turn. I went into the nuclear industry at the Hanford Nuclear Site, working as a plant operator running the facility to produce plutonium. Hanford has so much history—it was actually started as part of the Manhattan Project and made the materials for the first atomic weapons. When the Chernobyl disaster happened in 1986, they decided to stop production, but I stayed on board and worked through most of the decommissioning and shutdown phase.
Lorraine Reynolds: Next, I moved into drinking water management, which turned into a chapter I am really proud of. I ended up becoming the first woman licensed across Washington, Oregon, and Hawaii to hold the absolute highest certification you can get in drinking water management. I spent about twenty years in that field. Right before retiring, I was working with the Klickitat PUD and we had a major challenge with a leaking wastewater system dripping into the Columbia River. I stepped in, managed the project, and managed to secure a twelve and a half million dollar package in grants and zero interest loans to completely fix it up.
Benjamin: Wow, that is massive. Talk about leaving a lasting legacy and protecting a community. That is incredible.
Lorraine Reynolds: Thank you, it felt great to get it done. After that, I wanted to do something fun and full of energy, so I got into event planning with Goldendale Event Planning. We put together the very first Blue Moon Festival in Goldendale, Washington back in 2009. We paired live bluegrass music with official NASA exhibits at our observatory. I even got retired astronaut Stephen Robinson to be our keynote speaker! He hung out for three days, visited local schools, and connected with the community right before his next space mission that autumn.
Lorraine Reynolds: We also brought global extreme sports to the historic Maryhill Loops Road, which is one of the oldest paved roads in the Northwest. I had been watching these extreme downhill longboarding and street luging competitions in Europe and thought, "Hey, our local road would be perfect for this." I put together a photo and video presentation and pitched it to the international organizers. They loved it. Within two hours, we were planning the first ever International Downhill Federation World Cup on US soil. It completely put our town on the map with athletes flying in from all over the world.
Benjamin: You have put together some legendary events! So, after all of those adventures, how did you finally make your way down to Southern Nevada?
Lorraine Reynolds: When it was finally time to retire, my husband and I decided to sell our house and just go for it. On September 1, 2017, we packed up our Subaru and went on a nine month cross country road trip, staying in timeshares all over the Southeast. It was such a unique way to retire that when we were visiting New York City, the producers of the Today Show actually stopped us on the street and brought us on live TV to interview with Kathie Lee and Hoda!
Lorraine Reynolds: After touring the East Coast, we went up to Chicago because driving Route 66 was a huge bucket list item for my husband. We drove all 2,448 miles of it all the way to the Santa Monica Pier. We finally wrapped up that whole nine month journey in June of 2018. We spent a few months looking for our next permanent spot, and by Thanksgiving week of 2018, we officially moved to Las Vegas. We absolutely love it here. It is dazzling, vibrant, and there is genuinely something for everyone, whether you like nature or entertainment.
Benjamin: It really is a special city. Now that you call Vegas home, what are some of your favorite local spots or resorts to hang out at?
Lorraine Reynolds: Well, I don't gamble at all, but I love walking through the big resorts, especially around the holidays because the decorations are world class. For getting outdoors, we love hiking up at Mount Charleston. On the Strip, my favorite is definitely the Venetian because the Italian architecture is beautiful and I love watching the gondolas. And if we go downtown to Fremont Street, our go to spot is always The D.
Benjamin: Oh yeah, those are all classic spots. What about the food scene? Do you have a favorite restaurant in town?
Lorraine Reynolds: I am a massive fan of Mexican food, so our absolute favorite place to go is Juan's Flaming Fajitas & Cantina. The food is amazing and the hospitality is always top notch.
Benjamin: Juan's is incredible! Alright, if you had a magic wand and could change just one thing about the Las Vegas valley, what would it be?
Lorraine Reynolds: (Laughs) I would definitely change the driving habits out here! You really have to keep your distance and drive defensively. As for the summer heat, people always complain, but I look at it logically. It is just trading three months of freezing northern winters for three months of hot summer. In the winter you stay inside to stay warm, and in the summer you stay inside to stay cool. You just cool your car down ahead of time and enjoy the beautiful lifestyle the city gives you.
Benjamin: That is a perfect way to look at it. To wrap things up, out of all your wild career highlights and travel stories, what brings you the most joy in this chapter of your life right now?
Lorraine Reynolds: Without a doubt, it is my family. I am a proud mom of four grown kids, eight grandkids, and nine little great grandchildren. Watching everyone grow up and thrive is the best reward there is. That is what makes living the good life complete.
Benjamin: That is beautiful, Lorraine. Family is everything, and that really is the truest definition of a rich life. Thank you so much for sitting down and sharing your incredible journey with us!