A Poker Run for Sanity
Virginia City has always seemed to me a perfectly reasonable place to hold a mental-health event, provided one does not examine the town too closely. It is admirable, then, that the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Western Nevada plans to bring advocates, families, and off-road enthusiasts to Miners Park on Oct. 17.
The location is ideal, as Virginia City has spent more than a century showing that ordinary human judgment is optional. The event is called NAMIWalks & Rides, a sensible arrangement, because some people prefer to walk under their own power, as others prefer a machine capable of climbing a hill that sensible men would not approach on foot.
Both groups will gather at 8:30 in the morning, with the festivities commencing at ten. This is unusually early for Virginia City, where historically a man could sleep until noon and still have time to make several poor decisions before supper.
The walking portion is straightforward enough. You put one foot in front of the other and head towards mental-health awareness.
The OHV Poker Run is more ambitious. Participants will take their off-road vehicles into the desert, stop at checkpoints, collect playing cards, and eventually discover who has accumulated the best poker hand. This is an inspired marriage of recreation and psychology, since poker has long taught two important lessons: hope is dangerous, and nobody is as lucky as he claims.
I particularly admire the concept of driving into the wilderness to improve one's mental health. Most people I know go into the wilderness specifically to get away from civilization, and now NAMI has found a way of bringing civilization along in an OHV.
There will also be a community resource fair, refreshments, a raffle, and opportunities to meet people who understand that mental-health challenges are not something a person ought to face alone. This is the serious heart of the affair, and it deserves more attention than my jokes can give it.
NAMI Western Nevada provides education, support, advocacy, and awareness, particularly in rural and frontier communities where resources can be harder to reach. TEVA is the Silver Sponsor, while the Nevada Offroad Association and Sierra Nevada UTV are helping bring the riding portion to life.
And if you leave Virginia City with your mental health improved, your friendships strengthened, and your wallet somewhat lighter, consider yourself a winner. After all, in Virginia City, that may be the best hand anybody has been dealt in a hundred years.
Event Details
What: 2026 NAMIWalks & Rides Western Nevada
Date: Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026
Location: Miners Park (106 Carson St., Virginia City, NV 89440)
Participant Check-In: 8:30 a.m.
Walk & Ride Begins: 10:00 a.m.
Activities: NAMIWalks community walk, OHV Poker Run, community resource fair, refreshments and raffle
