This one’s going out very late but it has passed the editorial staff with the only comment that it plagiarizes the editorial staff. Whatever.
We started the run back a week ago Sunday. I-80 in Nevada is really a nice drive. I couldn’t sneak a picture in. Gotta get one of those dash cams. So many times I want to snap a shot of the open road ahead to share. But sometimes you just sit back and enjoy the moment, like for an hour. Western Nevada is magnificent in its enormity and desolation. Beautiful rolling hills but no real jaw dropping sights. Definitely the kind of land you want to fly over if you have limited time. But if you have the time…lots of it, enjoy.
First stop after leaving Tahoe was Winnemucca, NV, about 225 miles to the northeast on I-80. It’s a big enough truck stop to earn a Wal-Mart which we went to before getting to the campground so we could make a 15 day supply of Luna food. Andrea has taken over my cooking job in her own efficient way and probably cuts two hours off the process. She also has added a dab of pure pumpkin and a smattering of olive oil to each meal and it has done wonders for Luna’s digestion. You know what I mean?
Anyway, after Winnemucca, it was 173 miles to the next campground in Wells, NV on the east side of the state. But before Wells, I had planned a stop about 50 some-odd years ago when my father showed me a picture of him posing on I-80 in front of the sign indicating that he was entering Carlin, NV. He was coming home from his WWII service in the Marshall Islands as an Air Traffic Controller. Nice job. They had one plane on the island. He never had a collision. Most of his WWII pictures were with his buddies in bathing suits on beaches showing off their very dark tans. Somebody had to do that job. But, I digress. Next to the truck stop, Carlin, NV today:
Leaving Carlin, the fairly smooth rolling hills drive between some big mountains turned into a bit of a twisting roller coaster ride to Wendover, NV, home of the training grounds for Paul Tibbets, pilot of the B-29 that dropped ‘Little Boy’ on Hiroshima. Eight or nine years ago Andrea and I signed up for one of those super cheap charter flights to the gambling town of Wendover. We were one of the younger couples on the plane. Several oxygen tanks and wheel chairs got off before us, all of them lighting up their Camels as they were wheeled down the ramp. Interesting weekend.
And so, we drove quickly through Wendover. East of Wendover, as the terrain flattens out, you cross over to Utah and suddenly you’re in the Bonneville Salt Flats. Try zooming in on that area in Google Maps. Seemed to be the straightest interstate we’ve ever been on. Rather boring but still interesting.
Next stop Salt Lake City. We had planned to stay two nights but when it kept raining on the third day and on our next planned stop, we decided to stay a third. I was so tired after three days of driving I slept 13 hours that first night. And once I drove from Escondido, CA to Long Island, NY in 69 hours. Where did that energy go?
On to the next two day stay in Flaming Gorge, a big, beautiful reservoir on the Utah-Wyoming border. We’ve been there before on the south shore of the lake where the views arestunning.The north shore is less dramatic but still pretty. Finally, some pics late the first day as the sun dropped under the heavy cloud cover. Flaming Gorge. Appropriate name.
It was cloudy, foggy, cold and rainy the next day. Just plain nasty.
Sunday, we ended up in Rawlins, WY, another I-80 truckstop. You would think that 100 some odd miles on an interstate is a piece of cake. Well, not in a high profile vehicle with 40 mph wind gusts. Seems like all of Wyoming is like that. Those flags at the rest area were at attention and the wind direction was pretty much a direct crosswind making a fairly straight drive a white knuckler.
Looking up on a hill next to the RV park, I was reminded of a scene from 2001 A Space Odyssey. What the heck is that thing?
One more stop in Cheyenne, WY. After Rawlins, we climbed up to about 9000′ where the rolling mountain tops were all snow covered. Gorgeous. Sorry, still don’t have that dash cam. Down to Cheyenne and finally exiting I-80 to I-25 south. Our stop tonight is Terry Bison Ranch, just one mile from the Colorado border. Very interesting place. It’s a working bison ranch on 27000 acres with sort of a kid oriented amusement park feel – train ride out to the bison, camels(?) and ostriches, pony rides and others. Nice western barn atmosphere restaurant – stick with the burgers – and a large gift shop with lots of grandchild size items. Uh-oh. Nice last stop.
Tomorrow back in our home park in Monument. And we get to see walking Leo again. Yay! We saw him in a facetalk encounter the other day and experienced his signing skills. His brilliant parents taught him to use sign language. Loved it. He has plenty of time to learn the expletives deleted.
So, emails will be far and few between until mid September when we expect to head east for an October family event, then down the east coast and eventually spend March in Port St. Lucie, FL, spring training camp for the 2016 baseball world champion NY Mets. Hey, I can dream. We had intended on going up to Glacier NP this summer but scuttled those plans as I’m now focused on getting the back fixed. Wheels are in motion. Maybe we’ll do a chapter on the whole experience. There’s a decent chance a good friend will be in the operating room. A Go-Pro cam on his head would be cool. Wouldn’t it be a trip to see someone put a knife in your back? Sweet dreams everyone.
Drop me a line once in a while. No big whoop. Coffee talk.
Carlin RV Odyssey 