Jaci Dawn

The adventure is over now and I am at home recuperating. My ears are not quite unstuffed, but I don’t know if that is the fault of the change in altitude flying out of Reno to San Francisco or the slight cold I caught at 12,095 feet in Colorado, wearing only a windbreaker in the snow.

I made a lot of notes, not the least of which was “why I love Nevada” and “why flying is no longer any fun.” The answer to the latter is TSA and the endless security measures we now subject ourselves to. And the stupid Air Bus that United Airtlines put me on between Portland and San Francisco (and the return leg as well): the seats are made for tall people and the “pillow” gave me a kink in the neck because I am too short for the seats. However, the little planes I rode in between San Francisco and Reno had comfy seats.

From Reno to Colorado Springs and back was all by pick-up truck: thank you to my big brother who drove all the way. More on him, later.

Why I love Nevada.

Sure, nearly every state in the union now has legalized gambling on Indian reservations, but in Nevada, it is everywhere. This was the sign over the door to the restrooms at a gas station in Fernley. You can’t go anywhere in NV without a one-armed bandit waiting to shake your hand. If they could put cameras on them, they’d be inside the bathrooms, too.

At least most places have gotten rid of the gaudy red velvet wall paper.

Terry & I cruised across US Route 50 (The Loneliest Road in America) from Reno to Ely on Saturday the 11th. We took the old highway which is slightly more scenic than the new (and considerably more winding).

We stopped in Austin to buy ice cream from a local business and found this sign. Dang! Not only is it slippery when wet or icy, but now it is slipery, too!And that just sounds slimy!

There were signs I did not get photos of. For instance, I did not get a photo of the sign warning “Major Deer Crossing”. No idea where Private Deer cross.

The first time I saw this particular placard hanging on a fence, I assumed it was a spelling error. But after awhile, I got the distinct impression that the extra “t” in there was on purpose. Without knowing the particulars of the issues, I still have to say that it’s quite the campaign. Got my attention.

We spent the night in Ely, visiting with my dad who is now 81 and my nephew, John. My dad is on oxygen these days and the elevation doesn’t help him breathe. Ely sits just under 6500′ (1962 meters) and funnels the north wind through all winter. Ely is a dusty little town, that vacillates between boom and bust. Usually it is more bust than boom, but the town seems to hang on anyway. There’s a little tourism to keep people coming through and the intersection of highways between Reno, Las Vegas and Salt Lake City. (US Routes 6, 50 and 93 converge in Ely.)

A series of storms were purported to be moving in from the coast, so we wanted to get on down the road before they hit (the possibility of a good snow is a good motivator). One night in Ely and breakfast with my dad at the Jailhouse, and we were back on the road Sunday morning.

Good-bye to Ely and Hello to the next leg of our adventure. (Maybe we’ll find a jackalope!)