The Nevada Heat

David Pushing Everett on the Swing

This morning we left the comfortable confines of the California Caron clan.  After six wonderful days in Walnut Creek we loaded up the van and hit the open road.  While at Pierre's we unloaded all the totes and bags (and made a mess of the garage) and enjoyed traveling in the empty van.   We did discard some books and extras and we've also learned how to pack things in so it felt like we had less items in the van.

Pierre and Andrea

The highways through California were very busy for a Monday morning.  We couldn't believe how much traffic there was even when we got to the East side of Sacramento.  It was also at this point that the mountains started again and we climbed from almost sea level to over 6000 feet.  The van was certainly working hard.  The police were out in full patrol as well as we saw more than a dozen people pulled over for speeding.

Natalie and Vander

When we left this morning we had a few tentative plans which would depend on how things went.  We tried to find some family fun in Nevada over the past few days but didn't have much luck so we thought if we came across something worth stopping for we would.  We arrived in Reno and stopped there for lunch but couldn't find a visitor information center.  We had no problem finding the casinos as they were a plenty and we found one green space but it was very busy and there was no parking to be found.  We eventually found a school and sat there for lunch.

Francois and Pierre

Initially we thought we may stay in Reno for the night (before we left) but after seeing the community, we decided to carry on a little further.  The thermostat on the van continued to rise as we drove through the arid countryside.  There wasn't much greens or blues to be seen.  It was pretty much browns and greys as everything was rocks, sand and water deprived vegetation.

Tanya and Vander

When we were reading the visitor information guide for Nevada, they boast a road (highway 50) that is called the loneliest highway on earth.  I would be curious to see what it was like because there wasn't much happening on the 2.5 hour drive to Winnemucca where we stopped for the night.  There was a strong review for a campground in town and when we arrived we were lucky enough to get the last tent site.  It has been a few weeks since we last camped but it was great to set up the tent and enjoy a supper next to the tent.

The Nevada Landscape

The kids swimming

After supper the kids went for a swim in the pool and the temperature outside was still well above thirty. In fact, at one point the thermometer was reading 37 C.  Because the community is nestled among a few mountains, the sun went down around 8:00 pm and it was pitch black at 9:15 pm.  Not sure what tomorrow will bring and where we will drive to.  We may still be in Nevada or maybe we'll be in Utah.


Good night,
Francois