On Wednesday we got up bright and early to make the long drive home. I took some pictures of Idaho farmland:
It wasn't too long before we crossed the state line into Nevada, going through a town called Jackpot (great name! Alas, I missed getting a picture of the "Welcome to Jackpot!" sign).
This part of Nevada is less flat but still not all that interesting. I just can't find much beauty in the parts of Nevada I've seen, and I've seen a lot of it:
This sign was hilarious, as we've all heard of Beverly Hills, California, and this isn't remotely like that place:
Nevada is, of course, famous for its legal gambling. You can find slot machines everywhere you go, including the Flying J gas station in Wells (note the convenience store behind the slots):
And yes, I did play--but only once. I'm not a gambler by nature.
With all of this driving, I tend to get bored. I could only play so many games of Tetris, and my cryptic crosswords weren't keeping my interest, so I spent much of the day looking for photo opportunities. Finally, I turned the camera to face the other direction:
(I was sucking on a candy stick.)
Dad, sitting behind me:
Battle Mountain was our approximate halfway point. Like any other self-respecting Nevada town, someone has painted the town's initials on a nearby hill. The parents and I thought this was hilariously funny, as I can think of other meanings for BM.
Some more pictures of endless Nevada:
We stopped in Winnemucca for some McDonald's, and I got some pictures of their hillside W and another great sign:
And then we drove some more.
Our next stop was Sparks, just east of Reno, and our last stop of the day. After this stop we forged our way across the last small stretch of Nevada, into the Sierra Nevada mountains of eastern California. Through Donner Pass we hit some snow, but it wasn't significant.
In Sparks:
Finally, something pretty in Nevada (but we were really, really close to California by now):
Last chance to gamble:
Dashing through the snow, only an hour-and-a-half from Home Sweet Home:
Finally we made it home, and a happier crew you've never seen, except for our Fur Babies, who were happy to have us back. Our fabulous pet-sitters had left daily notes, and apparently everything went very well:
Gene said that he has seen Millie every day. She sits by the bedroom door but seems a little frightened when he approaches. Every day Gene retrieves the toys from under the TV stand and every morning they are back under it. So even though Bella and Duchess have not made an appearance, it appears that the 3 kitties have a good time after he leaves.
We had pizza for dinner and washed our dirty laundry. Dad was in bed at 7:30, and Mom and I both headed off not much later. I read for a little while but eventually was too tired to go on. I slept until 8:30 this morning--after a few nights sleeping horribly in hotel beds, it was fabulous.
So we're home now. I haven't gone anywhere today, opting to finsih my laundry and sit around with a book. All too soon I'll be back at work...
No comments:
Post a Comment