There and Back Again

We are home safe and relatively sound, at least of body, if not of mind. Where did our upbeat and energetic travel spirit go? The end of a trip makes one so very weary: when everything is unpacked and the slow process of sorting through dirty laundry, stacks of mail, and a ream of phone messages comes to invade your vacation mind set. But it is good to be home. Kudos to Lauren, our cat and house sitter: the house was clean, picked up, and the cats were not nearly as mad at us for deserting them as they would have been over a week-end away. We really appreciated having the freedom to leave knowing that all would be taken care of-Thank you again, Lauren!

We started our last day early-eager to be on the road and home by mid-afternoon. We packed up our caravan of disheveled luggage, bags, and boxes (Fred, your case of Illinois Indian Creek Vineyard wine has been hand carted from truck to motel and hotel rooms from Toulon to Elko, Nevada every night to ensure that it arrived safely and at just the right temperature) for the last time and bid farewell to our last motel stay on this exploration.

We headed out from Elko and I used every bit of self-discipline not to whine that we were missing the Northeastern Nevada Western Museum...well, maybe I pouted a little.....But I knew that John was wanting to get this long day of driving-388 miles-over. So we started out and passed by the courthouse (didn't quite get that shot), the Commercial Casino (are there non-profit ones?) with it's bright white polar bear that I have tried in vain to get captured at night in all its neon glory, and then out to the sand and limestone formations, broken only once by a really good tunnel (I just love taking pictues of tunnels-had you noticed?), approaching Sparks and Reno, where it got greener, and driving through Reno, where I missed almost every shot, until we came almost to the California border. ( There are images in between that were not recorded because I was driving and John was sleeping-it's his defense mechanism, I think.) I say "almost" in my most ominous voice......The sign said "Expect Half Hour Delays; Road Work Ahead" The sign should have read " Expect 90 minute delays, road work and inconsiderate California drivers ahead." (Oh, and before I go on, Nevada actually would have the worst rest stops-one was a row of outhouses, I am not kidding!,- of our trip, if not for the fact that California had closed all of its rest stops from the Nevada border to our home exit. Not a rest stop for 84 miles and 4 of those miles took 90 minutes to travel! Women are not in charge of this operation, I can tell you that. When we finally got to the area of repair, we did realize that the section of bridge over the Truckee River (we're in California now) did need repair, but my gosh, they sure do this sort of thing better in Iowa!

We got quieter as we finally, an hour and a half later than expected, approached home; this adventure was about to be over and this break from our lives was about to end. I have become a firm advocate of vacationing and I spent the last part of our trip reading aloud the "Road Trip' book that I had brought along. "What do you think that we will do next year, John?"

Thank you to all of you who have travelled along with us-it gives you a sense of purpose and community to write these blogs, and it intensifies your remberance and observations along the way. I wouldn's have missed this trip with all of you for the world!

My (John) $0.02 worth: I wouldn't have missed this trip for the world. I've done some travelling, but, to travel all this again with Max for the first time was just an amazing experience. To be able to travel with someone who enjoys the experience for what it is is so much fun! And, yes, Lisa, we're planning our next adventure now. The picture from the Chicago Art Institute sums up my feelings...

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