Reno

Reno.

The Biggest Little City in the World is where we called home for just short of a week after the great disappointment that was San Fransisco. Pulling onto our hosts road, I could feel my body start to relax a little. Travel wears on you. Its hard to drive for hours and sleep in a cramped van shivering in the middle of the night parked in a Walmart parking lot. Its also hard to stomach bad truck stop coffee and re hydrated hot water meals for weeks on end. As I threw the van into park and turned the motor off, I turned off and prepared myself for some relaxation. About a week ago I came down with a cold, I have been waiting to have a chance to heal and rid myself of the nagging cough and sore throat, with just a few small tasks to complete like changing the oil in Donato (the van) and cleaning him out, I figured I could be drinking beer in the hot tub by nightfall. I did just that and with a belly full of beer I fell asleep by a hot wood stove, the familiar voices of family and friends in the background lulled me to sleep a sleep that I have not known since the free hotel in Seattle.

I woke up the following morning in a haze. My cold had intensified and my voice was all but gone. Whispering I tried to socialize but had a hard time talking for long. The three girls decided to take a trip to pyramid lake, I decided to take a nap in the guest bedroom. I woke up to Emily rubbing my back. It was almost time for dinner and I was hungry. The entire family came over for a big pasta diner. We made some four legged friends too! Vanilla Bean (VB) was a cute little chiwawa mix, and a great lab named Alpine happily accepted ear scratches and belly rubs. Pets, pasta, and friends, it doesn't get much better than this!


Day three took us to Lake Tahoe. Ken joined is and we climbed almost 10,000 feet only to descend and be greeted by the turquoise blue of the big lake. Later that night we feasted on great home cooked food and enjoyed a few bottles of wine. Later we paired and great vintage with dark chocolate. I don't know who said that alcohol is treacherous to the immune system, but that wine, dancing in my mouth with that chocolate was just what the doctor ordered. I slept like a rock!

Day four held plans of road tripping with Ken to Sequoia National Park for Emily's 30th birthday. Mother Nature had other plans for us however. A snow storm had blocked the main pass into the park and to go would require a detour of a couple hundred miles. Back up plan, Virginia City and camping in the high desert. Old Virginia City is a scene out of a John Wayne movie crossed with a behind the scenes look at broadway. Tourists mix with role playing cowboys who mix with locals raking their front yards. At the same time one feels as if you are walking with one foot in the 19th century and the other in your local coffee shop. We strolled the wooden plank sidewalks and sipped on coffee in the Bucket of Blood Saloon. Night came and so did temperatures in the teens. I was still rather ill and no one else in the group was entirely thrilled with the idea of camping in the frigid high desert that night. We decided to head back to the house and sleep one more night with the wood stove warmth.

Day Five and we said our goodbyes. Las Vegas looms directly ahead and with under two weeks of travel left we need to get a move on. Still ahead is Los Alamos, Austin, Mesa Verde, The Grand Canyon, Memphis, and Nashville. Im hoping for a big finish. We have all held with us on this trip a hope that along with discovering new parts of the country that we will also uncover a part of ourselves that we feel is hiding. The idea of going home to jobs, and the 9-5 of adulthood is less than appetizing. A little less than two weeks left. C'mon inspiration!