Nevada

Life on the road

Boring stuff: After getting out on my hike around Sparks, I had to return the RAVPower battery that I'd had sent to Sacramento, and that I was depending on to recharge the MacBook Air and other devices. Appears that it was defective basically out of the box; I'll spare you the details.. Got an RMA by email, then had to figure out how to get the label printed. Found a FedEx Office store, and they were SUPER NICE -- printed the label for me free of charge, and even taped my box closed!! Then went to UPS to get the box shipped. Stay tuned.

So I finally feel like this trip is starting. 

I've dispensed with most responsibilities, and can start to get the feel of the road again.

Nevada desert in the spring

Rain, and more rain.

It was raining off and on on the run to Elko, and as night fell, the rain picked up so that it was approaching gullywasher status.

Of course I slowed down, but the trucks did not, and every time they passed me it was like being in a car wash. Even the furiously beating "high" windshield wiper status could barely keep up. It finally let up as I pulled into Elko. Surveying the possibilities, I spent the night in a hotel parking lot, with the bonus that there was free wifi.

In the morning, I fought with the technology and managed to get one post off ("Sacramento"). Not a happy camper with the iPad (again), but will figure things out bit by bit.

Lilacs blooming in Elko

Elko

I wanted to try to recharge everything at the local library (yes, open on Saturday), but alas, they were having a special event that evening and were closed because they were getting ready for "Just Desserts."

While somewhat disappointed, it did mean that I could enjoy the parade — I think it was for Cinco de Mayo!

It was a real small-town parade, which meant that half the residents were in it and the other half were cheering them on. Pickup trucks were pressed into service as floats decorated with hand-drawn signs (many of them for political candidates), mass quantities of candy were thrown, mariachis played music, horses pranced, and participants wore fancy dress. I was kind of glad the library was closed!

Moving on, how did the radio know that I was driving across Nevada? 

"Dust in the Wind," "Going Mobile," "Wild Horses," "Ventura Highway," and more. 

It was a fitting accompaniment to the scenery. 

Off road!

On the way to Twin Falls, I decided it was time to get the car off road. It's been waaay too long! After passing through Wells, the local mountains looked more and more beautiful, and I took off the freeway for an opportunity to slow down and really see things.

It's amazing what you can see when you just. slow. down.

Right by the roadside was this nest of sticks in a power pole! It didn't seem to be inhabited at the moment, but it was still wonderful to see. Maybe the birds will be back. Raptors really seem to make good use of any kind of pole — I guess to them it is just a dead tree. Which it is.

Need to look this one up

Golden headed blackbird

There was a surprising amount of water in the desert, possibly due to the recent rains, or maybe from spring runoff. On this little excursion, I saw cinnamon teal, mallards, a kingfisher, killdeer (so odd to see this bird here in the desert since we think of it as a shorebird in Marin), a bird that I need to look up, jackrabbits and cottontails, lots of cows and calves, and a golden-headed blackbird. I last saw one of these in Yellowstone, so I actually knew what it was!

It's remarkable to get out in the desert, at least in the spring. The dirt road I was on crossed the "California Trail" — you were supposed to see ruts, but I'm afraid I didn't, unless the water had accumulated in the ruts. I want to read some original diaries from that time, now. Did the settlers enjoy the beauty of the landscape, or were they so caught up in the trials of travel that they didn't notice?

I was tempted to go further, but the threat of rain put a kabosh on that idea. While I do have 4WD, I know what mud is like, and this slick stuff is just nasty.

Wildlife overpass

Back on the road, signs advised we were going through a "deer migration area." I was a bit nervous about going through this at high speed, and did pass at least one mangled carcass. However, two wildlife overpasses have been built, and along with high fences on either side, it looks like the authorities are trying to limit casualties to both humans and animals. Very cool — I've heard of these, but this is the first time I've actually seen some.

Dinnertime

Back on the road, and I stopped for dinner at a rest area near Salmon Falls Creek. It was windy with occasional sprinkles, but there was a wind/rain break and picnic table — perfect for a cooked meal. Wrestled with the stove a bit, but after some cursing and fiddling managed to get it working.

I probably learned more about the stove from this problem than I would have had everything worked perfectly, so there's a lesson to be learned here: analyze the problem and don't give up.

Dinner at dusk near Salmon Falls Creek

Dinner was delicious — ubon noodles with ginger, peppers and beef. For a rest stop, this was one of the most beautiful ones I've ever been at: right beside the rushing creek, with lava cliffs rising as a steep backdrop. At dusk, all the swallows came out, rising and circling for their dinners of tasty insects. There must have been hundreds of them. It was magical.


Next stop: Twin Falls, where I'm writing this, and it's cold and windy. Time to get this off and hit the road!
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More on the tech front: I'm figuring out things bit by bit, but having to resort to the laptop to do this efficiently.
The 10-year-old creaky Netbook is tough and reliable, as long as there is power and wifi. But it's agonizingly slow. I'm going to try recharging it from the car plug.

Rebecca -- I did figure out how to turn the screen off of the weather radio, so there's no longer an annoying light and the battery will last longer. Especially with the low-pressure system moving through the past few days, checking the weather is the first thing I've done each morning.

Still working on phone/camera/photo management. I'll get the workflow down eventually. Just wish it were easier.