Off to Arizona

We got the nice biker with the two Rotteweilers to house-sit for us, and hit the road. First stop was in Redmond for my Sis-in-law Frankie's 80th birthday. It was great to see so many of the family again. Nieces and nephews I would not have recognized, great nieces and nephews I have never seen before. My brother Denny does an awesome barbecue. A great and brief first day.

Second day:

We are anchored tonight at Whiskey Flats RV Park, right across the road from Hawthorne Army Depot; the largest ammunition depot in the world. The park is neat, fully equipped with water, electric and sewer hookups, a laundromat and shower room, and even an intrepid little tree at each hook-up station. The temperature outside is 97 degrees, with 6% humidity. The air conditioner is roaring away, cooling down our rolling hot box. It's nice to be stopped.

We hit the road at 4:00Am so we could make Winnemucca before it got too hot. We did! six and a half hours across miles and miles and miles and MILES of stinking desert. I have come to the conclusion the God must really love sagebrush, because He has made such a lot of it.

Then, having reached Winnemucca in such good time, the horse got the bit in his teeth and headed south. We passed alkali pans and sand dunes and many, many applicants for the Yellow Line Leather Company (featuring, stretched, pressed, naturally harvested skins and hides. Check out our special on rattlesnakeskin belts with Goodyear prints.)

It was so hot, the vultures were panting, and could barely be bothered to waddle a few feet away from the roadkill.

However, as we proceeded further south, the apron of the Sierra Nevada mountain range reach out to greet us. Clouds began to gather over head. Just a few at first. They were very shy. But if they get their courage up and party down, we might get a thunderstorm tonight.

We passed acres of corn. Did you ever think of western Nevada as corn country? The Walker River Indian Reservation is decidedly replete with corn. (Paiute and Shoshone tribes)

Walker Lake was such a surprise to me. It's this big, lovely lake plopped right into the desert. OK, there is actually a lovely range of very decorative buttes along the east side, but I am accustomed to seeing lakes with greenery around them. Not here. Dry, sandy soil with sagebrush and bunch grass, and then, water. It's like it was built by someone on a budget with a tight time schedule who just couldn't be bothered with non-essentials.

So, it's 3:15 and I have been promised a leisurely shower. No time like the present!