Back on the Road: Nevada to Idaho to...

June 10, 2009

Winnemucca, NV

Here we are in the middle of sage-brush and rocks. Getting here was easy. A 360 mile drive, but the pavement in Nevada (compared to California) is so smooth you could perform brain surgery in the back of the rig, if you needed to. And I just might need it, having just suffered one of the worst Scrabble shellackings of my life, losing to the RoadQueen, 496 to 309. That was her lifetime best.

The day started under a black cloud, as we awoke to a flat tire on the Honda. The same tire that went flat and was repaired two days ago. No more tire repairs for the Shell Station on Riverside and Florin. Hey, what about my $15 bucks??

Instead of beating the Sacto commute traffic with a crack-o-dawn 7 a.m. start, we were delayed until 8:30, which allowed us to miss the commute on the other end. (Actually, it looks like the commute may be an endangered species due to the recession.) Fueled by the customary roadtrip-hazelnut lattes and a blueberry bagel, we were rocketing up I-5 to I-80. Aside from a cattle chute white knuckler just across the Nevada border (where we drove 4 miles in a 12 foot slot—barriers on both sides) the ride to Reno was uneventful, though we are glad that Caltrans is using some of that stimulus money to fix the California side of I-80---perhaps the worst highway we have driven on.

Reno was our lunch stop, thanks to Costco. The polish sausages with Cokes (and a double order of sauerkraut for me) ran the tab to $3.00. In addition, because www.gasbuddy.com gave me a tip, we filled the tank at $2.43/gallon, perhaps the cheapest gas west of the Rockies, and certainly a relief from the $2.89 petrol peddled in the Golden State.

Driving across the Nevada plains (very plain), Annika nuzzled under my arm for a few extra pats. I’d stop and then she’d nuzzle for more. This dog is a sponge for affection.
I was suffering the post lunch ‘slows’, and it was time for a break, Annika agreeing.

We pulled into Lovelock, Nevada for a break. Annika and I strolled the downtown—all 2 blocks of it, gazing at the garage-sale merchandise on display in most store windows. This town is teetering on the edge, but it won’t go down without a fight. Hanging from every pole and building are banners proclaiming: “Lovelock—Where your love remains locked.” Really!

Now that must have been some contest to come up with that slogan. After all, the burgs down the road (I-80) touted their virtues. Battle Mountain proclaiming itself as “half-way to everywhere” (but stuck in the middle of nowhere!). Then the metropolis of Winnemucca attracting tourists by the droves with its catchy “Where there’s always something happening.” (May not be much, but it’s happening.)

But I puzzled over Lovelock’s slogan: “Where your love remains locked.” Was this a tribute to a low divorce rate in this ramshackle desert stop-over? Or was this the mecca of spousal abusers practicing false imprisonment on their spouses. (“Lock ‘em up in Lovelock!”)? Maybe a reference to the nearby prison where a lot of folks are locked up and the city fathers are seeking to bolster the local economy as a way-station for fallen angels stopping by for a conjugal visit..

Looking at Annika, and then noting a bedraggled, but leering pit-bull mix across the street, it occurred to me that there was yet another possibility. Was the slogan inspired by a couple of the town’s canines entrapped in coital clampus? Definitely love-locked. This triggered memories from my childhood the first time I witnessed such activity. When I asked my Uncle Rudy why these dogs were stuck caboose-to-caboose, he hollered at me to “get the hose, Jeff!”, and he hurriedly poured a targeted stream of water at the dogs, to no avail. He shunted me to the backyard, seeking to shield me from the furry frolicking, but I peeked through the slats in the gate. To this day I can recall the “hang-dog” expression on the face of the male---my own dog, Daniel the Spaniel. Might have been the first time I saw a dog smile.....

So we find ourselves not just in Winnemucca, but spending the night with fellow RVers in the Walmart parking lot. The satellite dish is acting up, so this is being penned in Word, to be transferred to the internet when the technical glitches are resolved. No internet, no TV. Time to curl up with a book.