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After driving from Salinas to Nevada, we settled at a rest stop 40 miles northeast of Reno on I-80. Upon waking, I discovered two things; first, the water here has to be hauled in from over 20 miles away, which is encouraging, and second, this stretch of country was the most fatal for travelers on the California Emigrant Trail. It is forty miles of waterless Alkali wasteland that left of 900 human graves and thousands more cattle and the like. Apparently Sam left one mouse grave between here and Reno. He says the poor fellow didn’t stand a chance. The sign would like us to think that those 900 died from thirst and unbearable heat, but it is 10 o’clock in the morning and the breeze—nay, gale—feels like it is carrying the heart of a damned arctic winter in its palms. My hands are frozen as I sit at a picnic table (which is pointless because the wind could carry away a small child, much less a plate of humus and some pita bread) to type and smoke a Backwoods cigar, and my ankles and calves keep doing this awkward dance to keep each other warm. The restroom here has the
Our booty.
Sam threating the number five with a bread knife. Not a butter knife, a bread knife. Serrated, baby!icy hand of death reaching from the toilet so I have to abandon my typical lazy approach to going number one and stand up at the urinal—err, metal box with a pipe running from it. Needless to say, we are excited to get on the road again and find out way to Salt Lake where there will hopefully be some less ominous place to sleep.
Postscript. The wind was cold. Our nemeses were brutal. Conditions were harsh and gas prices were ridiculous. In a town like Lovelock, Nevada we had no other choice. With unleaded premium running at $4.56 and 9/10 a gallon, it was our duty to cut it down to $4._6 and 9/10. Unsure how this will affect Lovelock’s economy and too afraid to stick around to see the repercussions, we hopped on I-80 toward Salt Lake with our giant No. 5 displayed proudly in Rocky’s W.C. window.
—Benjamin
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