Day 15: RB and the Need for Speed

Interstate 80 runs from San Francisco to Teaneck, New Jersey.  This highway will be very prominent in my now two-day dash to get home.

The short drive from Carson City to Reno brought me to a casino in town. I’m not a gambler–I hate to lose and can think of fewer, more ridiculous ways to lose money than sticking it into a slot machine. However, in honor of my mother, I walked into Atlantis with a $20 bill and my car keys, figuring it would take me about 30 minutes to lose it in the quarter slots. To say I didn’t know what I was doing would be an understatement. With three presses of a button, my money was gone!! The customer service person explained that the button I was pressing was the max bet, so I was wagering $6.00 on every push!

No, I didn’t get more money. As I said, I hate to lose.

Anyway, I was finally on I-80 headed east. It was a long stretch between exits, with little to see except the changing rock formations. I took pictures of a few of them.

We reached Wendover, which straddles the border between Nevada and Utah. I barely saw the line in the street in time to get a picture.

Now, the reason I was interested in this little town is its proximity to the Bonneville Salt Flats. I had wanted to see the salt flats last year when my mother and I did our tour of the southwestern U. S., but we needed to be in Vegas by a deadline.  This time, I was determined not to miss this second chance.

From my entry point, a paved roadway took us approximately five miles to the sign that marked the beginning of the Bonneville Speedway, the site of numerous land speed records.  The weather was glorious, in the low 80s with no sign of rain.  I suddenly got an idea.  Wouldn’t this be an excellent opportunity to let RB loose?  Well,…

Back on I-80, I drove until late (or early, depending on point-of-view), crossing into Wyoming.  I got something to eat and stopped at a truck stop.  Slept for a few hours.  Still more than 1,000 miles to go and one day left to do it.

Music for the Trip

This was a solid day of driving, covering over 700 miles.  Plenty of time to get through the U-Z part of the playlist.  Remember, though, that the player I use for the SD card started with the J’s, so I still have a large portion of the playlist to work through.

Speaking of which, the A’s included performers ABBA, Aerosmith, Al Green, Al Jarreau, Alanis Morrisette, Alicia Keys, The Animals, Anita Baker, and the incomparable Aretha Franklin.