Monday, 8/16 - Crossing Nevada

9:30am and we're rolling out of Reno toward the Nevada/Utah border, 400 miles distant.  Some would say the scenery is boring.  Perhaps if one does this route every week, but not if it's an occasional trip.  Arid range land; dry lakes topped with salts; occasional towns, supported mostly by the railroads, mining and ranching; occasonal mountain grades to test one's skill.  The rest?  Minimal traffic, mostly big rigs that are courteous, signaling us back into their lane when we pass them, thanking us for doing the same when they pass us.  Mutual respect on the road is important to safety.  I personally like Nevada for its law enforcement signs indicating that if you act improperly near big rigs like ours, you will be ticketed.  Yess!!!  Thumbs up to that one, officer!

After lunch, Doris took over the wheel for 1 1/2 hours, covering 100 miles while I read the paper, relaxed, even napped  Good job, Doris!  Refueling at our favorite Flying J truck stops left us drained of $237 for the 594 miles traveled so far.  Our normal fuel burn is 7.2 miles/gallon, but the mountains we've crossed bring down the average for this portion of the trip.

Oh well, it's a dinner of dirt and warm water tonight.  No cold water here, as the temps are in the high 90s, and severly dry.

Well, not really.  We've reached West Wendover, NV for our overnight.  Free parking at the Peppermill Casino, along with big rigs from every state.  Next door is the casino and a decent buffet dinner.  The free parking turned into a $50 loss at the casino as we walked home for a good rest.

Tomorrow, on to Salt Lake City for a 3-night stopover and touring.